Lyndsay Hunt discovered Mokwena after he had been mauled by a rival bull in the Solole Game Reserve, on the Western CapeThey say that dogs are a man's best friend, but not for Lyndsay Hunt - he much prefers to hang about with a black rhino called Mokwena.
The buffalo breeder discovered his play pal after he had been mauled by a rival bull in the Solole Game Reserve, on the Western Cape.
He nursed the animal back to health and Mokwena became so trusting of him that he let South African Lyndsay ride on his back. Mokwena was so tame he would come when he was called by name, nuzzled Lynsday like a member of his family and the pair even slept next to each other at night.
But the rhino has disappeared and Lyndsay has now appealed for help to trace him so that he can continue his work to help him fine a mate.
He said: 'Mokwena was injured by another bull when he was just two years-old and put into a farm to recover'
'When I went to visit him he immediately accepted me and I fell asleep outside his holding pen and woke up with him licking my hand.
'I got to know him in the reserve and would sleep outside his pen every night for three months.
Mokwena became so tame he would come when he was called by name, nuzzled Lynsday like a member of his family and the pair even slept next to each other at night'He would come up and lie down next to me he knew me and was very affectionate.'
Eventually returning to health, Mokwena was released into the wilds of the Solole Game Reserve in 2006.
Each year, Lyndsay would return to the reserve to track down and play with his new rhino friend.
'They are intelligent in their own right and he interacted with me on his own level,' said Lyndsay.
'He didn’t think I was a rhino he just accepted me as a non-threatening human - that was his choice.
'He used to bump up against me and I was afraid he would trample me so I would lean against him and ended up climbing on his back. 'He would sometimes get excited and run towards me at full gallop in open savannah with something for me to climb up to get safely out the way.
Mokwena would love to play with his human friend. He would charge at him but Lyndsay said he was being played and that he had no aggression'So instead of worrying about dodging out the way I would swing onto his back.
'He was only being playful and there was no aggression.
'It was a game for him whenever he saw me he would gallop towards me - that was entertainment for him.' But it has been nearly a year since Lyndsay has been able to track Mokwena and he is starting to get worried.
After nursing him back to help Lyndsay released Mokwena back into the wilds of the Solole Game Reserve in 2006Lyndsay explained that because mild-mannered Mokwena was injured by a bull while trying to mate, he probably remembers the disastrous experience and is now timid around females.
But Lyndsay is still determined to find a suitable mate for Mokwena before he is too old. 'They are very difficult animals to marry. We found him a female last year but she was very nervous and she had been gored before during mating.
'Rhinos are very intolerant of one another and will fight and even kill their own young. There are a lot of aggression issues but you need to find the right temperament.'
Lyndsay hopes to be able to trace Mokwena again so that he can help him find a mateHowever Lyndsay’s mission to mate Mokwena is a difficult one - the few black rhinos that are for sale can cost up to £150K and many are aggressive towards both males and females of the same species.
'I’m looking for the right personality in a female, between six and eight years old,' he said.
'I don’t want her to be aggressive, non-injured and may have mated before but not pregnant and without a calf.'
Rhino lover: Animal conservationist Lyndsay attempts a rescue of a wild Rhino from a dam in Phalaborwa, South Africa
source: dailymail
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