The Story of a
Survivor
Fritz the Rhino
“Fritz grew up on Onguma and in 2018 was shot by poachers. Camera trap footage later confirmed that he had indeed survived. We have kept an eye on him ever since and he has continued to sire calves who to this day, still call Onguma their home…”
Fritz, the Rhino, was of the first offspring born on the Onguma Reserve since initiating the Black Rhino Custodianship Programme in the early 2000’s.
In April of 1993, the Namibian Government’s Black Rhino Custodianship programme kicked off on the premise that mature male & female Black Rhino would be relocated as free-ranging populations to carefully selected and suitable habitat on farmland, as well as communal conservancies. Landowners should be willing and financially able to undertake the responsibility of providing basic care & security for the Rhino in their Custody. Fast-forward to 2022, we estimate just over 2000 Black Rhino in Namibia, 1500 individuals in Parks such as Etosha, Namibia holds more than 90% of the world’s wild Black Rhino.
At the time of Fritz’s birth approximately 2008/2009, we hadn’t started collecting data on our Black Rhino population yet, so much about Fritz’s younger years is unknown. His later years however, mirrored that of a warrior who came face to face with certain death and survived. A true Survivor.
Fritz grew up on Onguma and in 2018 was shot by poachers. Camera trap footage later confirmed that he had indeed survived. We have kept an eye on him ever since and he has continued to sire calves who to this day, still call Onguma their home.
A few years later, Yona, our Reserve Manager and Anti-Poaching head, was on a patrol within the Reserve, when out of the corner of his eye he spotted a single vulture embarking on full descent. The manner in which the vulture descended was curious and so Yona marked out the landing location on his GPS and after securing the area, ended up walking right onto a Rhino carcass. Vultures and Spotted Hyaena scattered upon his arrival and as the dust settled, Yona noticed the Rhino’s horns were still intact.
Using the recognized ear notch identification, the deceased bull was indeed Fritz.
Since all Black Rhino are a Specially Protected Species, the MEFT were immediately notified and arrived soon after for further investigation.
Examination started at the site of his old bullet holes, where dissections revealed something truly amazing: the bullets were perfectly encapsulated under Fritz’s tough hide. The damage to his tissue had healed beautifully, allowing him to survive.
The cause of Fritz’s death, however, remains a mystery; his carcass was found deep in the Reserve close to the Onguma Tourism Camps, too far for any Rhino poacher to dare venture and his horns were still intact?! All evidence points to a natural death caused by a territorial fight with another bull, the most honorable death for a true survivor.