Springbok captain Siya Kolisi recently reunited with Daisy, a young orphaned rhino, during a visit to the Care For Wild Rhino Sanctuary in Mpumalanga.
Kolisi, alongside Kwagga Smith, visited the sanctuary on Sunday after their 48-7 victory over Argentina the day before.
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The heartwarming reunion, where Kolisi bottle-fed Daisy after last seeing her back in 2022, was shared on Instagram, capturing the attention of animal lovers worldwide.
‘After a spectacular win yesterday, Springboks legends Siya Kolisi and Kwagga Smith were up early this morning to pay a special visit to Daisy, the sanctuary wrote.
‘Siya first met Daisy when she was just a few months old, and she immediately connected to him, gravitating toward his calm and compassionate energy. Daisy holds a special place in his heart, and Daisy still remembers him!’
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Little Daisy – whose story has made international headlines – was rescued as a baby in 2021, reported The South African.
In 2021, Daisy was rescued by a SANParks team during a routine operation in the Kruger National Park. At the time, Daisy was just hours old and had still had her umbilical cord attached to her.
Through the collective efforts of medical specialists and conservationists, Daisy received round-the-clock care and attention to get her to the healthy and thriving condition she is in today.
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Care for Wild is the largest orphaned rhino sanctuary in the world and is committed to the conservation of viable White and Black Rhino orphans in South Africa, specialising in rescue, rehabilitation, release, and protection.
Unfortunately, rhino poaching remains an urgent problem in South Africa. The country is in danger of fast becoming the centre of the rhino poaching crisis, leaving an alarming rate of defenceless, young rhino orphans in need of a highly specialised facility.
The Sanctuary holds an official Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with South African National Parks in a joint effort to protect and conserve the future of Rhinos and South Africa’s heritage.
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Picture: @careforwild / Instagram
