When the farmers found the rhino calf, it was only a few days old. Without mother or food, it was standing in the Namibian bush, in the midst of one of the worst droughts in history. It was the first time the animal had fought for its life. And it was to become Annette Oelofse's task to save it from death.

When rhino cows are poached and their calf is left alone, it usually doesn't take long for Oelofse's phone to ring. The German-Namibian has been caring for orphaned rhinos on her farm for 25 years. This time, too, she did not hesitate when the call for help reached her. "In situations like this, you have to jump into your shoes and run," she says, "you can tie your shoelaces later." She housed the rhino in an enclosure next to her house and named it Tatuleki - the fragile one.

If you want to visit Annette Oelofse, you have to drive three hours north from Namibia's capital Windhoek. Thorn bushes pass by the window, dry grasses line the roadside. The drought of the past eight years has emaciated the country. After a while, the tarred road turns into a gravel track. The car bumps leisurely towards the horizon until a table mountain breaks through the seemingly endless expanse. The locals have named it Mount Etjo, Otjiherero for "place of refuge". Oelofse has found her home at the foot of this mountain.

Read more: The feature was first published in the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Click here to read the full article (German).

Pictures: Tara Mette, Mount Etjo Archive