How a sheep called Frank became a conservation celebrity
Of all the animals on the 250km2 sprawling Shamwari Private Game Reserve, the most famous isn’t one of the big five, but a humble sheep called Frank.
Frank the sheep made international headlines as the companion to an orphaned baby white rhino, being cared for at the reserve’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre.
When the young rhino calf wasn’t recovering as had been hoped, Shamwari’s wildlife veterinarian, Dr Johan Joubert, suspected that loneliness might be the problem. That’s when he borrowed Frank from a neighbouring farm.
It worked. The companionship aided the rhino’s recovery. The only glitch came when, at the height of summer, Frank had to be shorn. When he was returned to the enclosure with his new haircut, the rhino didn’t recognise him, and it took a few days for them to get reacquainted.
Frank’s story is a testament to the innovative and pioneering work done at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, one of the largest of its kind in Africa and a cornerstone of Shamwari’s conservation programme.
It is here that sick and injured wild animals are treated and cared for before being released back into the wild, and 33 years of accumulated experience, knowledge and expertise are applied and shared.
Other reserves regularly consult Shamwari wildlife experts and send animals for safekeeping from poachers and to be rehabilitated and released. The facility attracts veterinary students and researchers from around the world. Under the stewardship of Dr Joubert and ecologist John O’Brien, the Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre has gained international recognition for its pioneering work.
It began as a small centre, with an enclosure on some land opposite the main game reserve. Today, it has grown to three facilities. The original centre has been expanded, now boasting numerous enclosures that hold rhinos, elephants, buffalo, various antelope, and other game. The facilities include a fully equipped operating theatre and offices for Dr Joubert and his team.
Six years ago, another centre was opened on the main reserve. Here, guests can get a rare insight into the complex business and day-to-day realities of environmental conservation. Care has been taken to screen the enclosures so guests can see in, but the animals do not become habituated to humans.
It is from this centre that two orphaned elephant calves, that would otherwise have died, were successfully rehabilitated and eventually reintroduced to a wild herd on the reserve.
It’s also where a mob of meerkats caused many headaches for the centre staff by constantly escaping from their enclosure.
Large cages on the periphery of the centre house birds, including large birds of prey and owls. Here, the team has developed a novel way of releasing rehabilitated raptors that may have forgotten how to hunt. A door high up the side of the cage is left open. When the bird leaves, some food is left on the shelf for when it returns. As the bird learns to fend for itself, the quantity of food is gradually reduced until it is fully rehabilitated.
The third, and most recent, addition to the wildlife rehabilitation centre is Vulpro@Shamwari. It was launched in 2024, when 163 Cape and African White-backed vultures were transported from VulPro’s facility at Hartebeespoort to bespoke enclosures at Shamwari, in the largest vulture relocation ever undertaken.
It provides a safe, well-balanced ecosystem for in-situ and ex-situ conservation programmes, with Shamwari’s anti-poaching unit providing security.
VulPro@Shamwari comprises nine enclosures. These include enclosures for injured birds that require constant attention and other rehabilitation facilities. Another boasts an artificial cliff to provide optimal conditions for breeding pairs of Cape Vultures. There is a White-backed enclosure and four for Lappet-faced vultures. There is a pre-release enclosure built on high ground near the centre of the reserve, from where young, healthy Cape vultures are released.
The most recent arrivals are two highly endangered Egyptian Vultures, which were relocated to South Africa in collaboration with the World Bird Sanctuary and the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. It is hoped the pair will breed to bolster the population of this bird, of which only 20 000 mature individuals are thought to exist, a decline of between 50% and 70% over the past decades.
“Shamwari’s wildlife rehabilitation operation has and continues to play a critical role in conservation,” says Shamwari CEO, Joe Cloete.
“Our continent’s once-bountiful wildlife is under pressure as never before. Rehabilitation of sick, abandoned or injured wildlife is an important part of wildlife conservation, and the knowledge gained helps to support future efforts.”
