Baby rhino Kolisi dances for joy

Kolisi is a white rhino orphan that was attacked by hyenas in 2019. He suffered extensive trauma to the bone and tendons in his hind foot.

He was rescued and rehabilitated by The Rhino Orphanage, with a team of experts tending to his leg. His supportive leg boot came off a few months ago, and Kolisi was recovering well. He had to be kept in a small area, however, to limit movement so his leg could grow stronger.

When his boot was finally removed, the young rhino’s leg looked in good health and his caretakers were happy with his progress.

Read: Baby rhino Kolisi’s boot comes off

‘Kolisi’s foot is getting stronger every day and our spirited boy is getting quite bored with his restricted space. But he needs a few more days in the small boma on doctors orders,’ the Orphanage posted on Facebook on July 29.

‘Kolisi takes weight on his foot 90% of the time and vet Dr Pierre says the other 10% that he lifts his foot is partly force of habit and partly because his leg is slightly shorter. We see no signs of pain and Kolisi has been encouraging Phil [another rhino orphan] to play with him.

‘The two have sneaky little games when they know the carers aren’t close by. Some mornings our carers can hear Kolisi running around but miss a video every time. It’s like Kolisi knows the doctor said no heavy exercise….. and stops in his tracks when he hears his human moms, like a naughty child. We can’t wait for him to go into his larger boma,’ the post concluded.

Then on Thursday, August 6 little Kolisi was finally allowed to enter the large boma to stretch his legs, and the footage of him prancing around is a sight to behold.

‘Our brave boy finally got the go-ahead yesterday to have some time out in the big boma and for the first time without the supportive brace he had worn for 6 months. And never have we seen a more excited rhino. Not even much loved pellets could keep him in one spot,’ the Orphanage said.

Take a look at the heartwarming videos of Kolisi running and playing, happy as a clam:

‘Kolisi is allowed 4 hours big boma time per day for a few days to gradually introduce more exercise to his foot. We could see his foot was sore today so he will be kept in tomorrow for a bit of rest,’ the Orphanage said.