uMALUSI Storybook

The uMalusi team attempts to save a record of 21 rhinos in one day by capturing the animals and bringing them to the uMalusi sanctuary South of Johannesburg. A virtuoso helicopter pilot takes incredible risks to herd the animals in the right direction for the capture. We begin to see the rhinos up close.

Nobody knows the savannah as well as the bush rangers. As such they are the ideal interface with the complex ecosystem that enables the rhinos to thrive. Their stories are enmeshed with those of the of the rhinos they love and care for, sometimes, to the peril of their own lives.

Dr Michelle Otto, tells us about a procedure that could revolutionise our relationship with the rhinos. Regular horn trimming, as she explains, could very well be the end of poaching, if the right decisions are taken on how best to protect the rhinos.

Rhino horns are one of the most expensive commodities on earth. Obviously poachers are attracted to this apparently easy money. To defend the rhino against poachers, the uMalusi have gradually developed a multi-tiered security system. This is the first line of security.

The investment both in surveillance technologies and in a highly trained security personnel for the protection of rhinos, offerers a fascinating insight in life at the frontline, in the fight to defend the rhino from extermination.

The uMalusi sanctuary has its own rhino orphanage. It is run by Claudia and her love story for these baby rhinos is riveting. Young and old cannot help but be moved by the love she offers them to help them survive the difficult early weeks, especially when they are sick.

The story of Carla, a sick baby rhino in Claudia's orphanage, unfolds in front of our eyes. There are moments of joy, of relief, but also of drama and tragedy, when uMalusi loses one of its precious animals.

Dr Michelle Otto is someone we meet in all the episodes. Her dedication and sheer determination to protect the rhinos in out-of-the ordinary. She is key to uMalusi's success, and we look at her gruelling routine- what it takes to protect these animals in these unusual circumstances.

uMalusi deploys incredible efforts to fight one of the worst droughts in living memory. The lives of almost Two Thousand rhinos are at stake. The efforts are considerable, will it be sufficient to overcome this extraordinary drought.

The life-cycle of the rhinos at uMalusi. From courtship, mating, gestation, birth, growth and death, this episode with incredibly rare footage gets as close as possible to the lives of the rhinos and asks hard questions about the survival of these wild animals.