I just made friends with a wonderful 21-year-old rhinoceros. We were in a dense bush valley in South Africa's Eastern Cape province when Africa's most famous black rhinoceros, called Sibla, revealed a closely guarded secret.
Shibra was born in the wilds of Namibia in 1984, but was captured and sent to the Lisbon Zoo five years later. She was rescued in her 1990 and taken to Augrabies Falls National Park in South Africa. And at the glorious age of 10, she mated with a wild bull and gave birth to her first calf. This was a major milestone for black rhino conservation.
Sibyl now lives in the Addo Elephant National Park, a safe place at the farthest reaches of the continent. I spent half a day with her in the Darlington area of Addo, from just after dawn until the sun was directly overhead.
Despite her many encounters with humans, or perhaps because of them, she was anything but docile. In fact, she was the most nervous black rhino I've ever seen. Of course, it's good to have a healthy fear of people, but that meant keeping her at least a safe distance of 500 meters. She spent most of her time hiding behind bushes.
But in the end, she came out, so I'm glad I did my best. And with her, running around at her feet, was a brand new, very small calf. It was her sixth time.
Shibra is a leading figure in the movement to bring black rhinos back to Africa. From the 1970s to his 80s, 96% of the population was slaughtered by poachers. It is estimated that in 1970 there were 65,000 individuals in the wild. By 1995, only 2,410 remained. Conservation efforts over the past decade have brought their numbers back to a slightly healthier 3,600, with the majority living in South Africa and Namibia.
The long-term goal is to relocate as many black rhinos as possible to neighboring countries and to East Africa, where native black rhinos already exist (or have existed).
Addo Elephant NP was originally established to save elephants in the Eastern Cape from extinction and has been very successful. The elephant population has increased from just 11 in 1931 to over 420 today. Elephants remain the main attraction for visitors to this malaria-free park, just an hour's drive from the coastal city of Port Elizabeth. They range widely and can be difficult to spot, but their abundance of droppings confirms their presence and provides constant work for the unique flightless dung beetle, which is virtually endemic to Addo.
In recent years, the park's focus has shifted to broader conservation efforts. Current policy is to introduce animals such as lions and spotted hyenas that historically inhabited the area but have become extinct due to poaching and habitat encroachment.
Of course, the black rhino is a key element in the plan to turn back time and restore this delightful corner of the Eastern Cape to its original state more than 100 years ago.
The potential for rhinos here is staggering, as there is little suitable habitat for rhinos in Africa. If all goes well, the current population of about 40 animals could grow to several hundred.
Meanwhile, Sibyl continues to make impressive contributions of her own. Her second calf, a male called Swagger, died in her 1996, but five calves survived. Local rangers, researchers and conservationists are excited about the possibility that one day, perhaps soon, she could become her grandmother.
Zoologist Mark Carwardine's latest book is extreme nature.he presented Nature He appeared on BBC Radio 4 for many years. Check out his website here: www.markcarwardine.com