Staff from Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre (HESC) in South Africa, who found the pair sedated the baby rhino, and brought him back to the HESC. The group focuses on the conservation of rare, vulnerable or endangered animals.

Shortly after discovering the rhino, the center released a statement in which they noted that the baby rhino was believed to have been born on or around February 19, and stated that the baby’s mother “had been tragically and brutally poached for her horn.

“It was a devastating sight, as the tiny animal would not leave her side, and was crying inconsolably for her,” the statement added.

The mourning baby rhino, named Gertjie, was not alone on his first night in the center: he was joined by a human and a sheep called Skaap. Skaap acts as the surrogate mother to animals in the center, spends time in Gertjie’s room, and even cleans up after him on occasion.

Now a month later, Gertjie is now four months old, and has made considerable progress. Up until now staff at the center had been sleeping outside of his room to ensure that he is fed at regular three-hour intervals, but he’s now being weaned off those feedings. He is also gaining strength through daily walks.

Baby rhinos are not weaned off of milk until they are between 15 and 18 months old; the team is now asking for donations to ensure they have enough fat-free milk in stock to feed the young rhino. The young animal already weighs over 242 pounds and drinks roughly 1.5 liters of a fat-free milk powder, vitamin, glucose and hot water concoction eight times a day.

The staff is not in any rush to release little Gertjie back into the wildlife reserve, as it’s best to continue his care until he is fully ready to be independent. This is a timeline of he determines by his own personal progress.

Watch video of Gertjie and his caretakers:

h/t: [ ABC News ]