Fab 4:
This week, we experienced our first -4 degrees Celsius temperature drop in the veldt, with temperatures at the bomas dropping to -2 degrees. For Spirit, Jemu, Grey, and Lilli, this is far from their first winter in the Intensive Protection Zone. However, for Muddy, it is her first time experiencing the cold African winters. Unlike her mother and the rest of the crash, Muddy has her mother’s milk to sustain her and a mom to cuddle close to at night. Even so, she still likes to bury herself in the bales of teff and Lucerne brought by the caregivers to supplement the rhinos’ feeding during the dry season.
With such cold temperatures, Lilli, Grey, and Jemu do not venture far at night. Instead, they stay close to Spirit and the rest of the crash, seeking warmth under the trees to avoid the cold dew of the grass. By morning, they are up early and already eating to help get their metabolism going. Then it’s off for a long walk to raise their core body temperatures and find where the sun hits the veldt first.
