A half moon rides high in the Limpopo sky. The extra light is not good for the black rhino that can be heard snorting and moving around in the boma not far from our camp.
"It is the light like this that makes it easier for the poachers," said Selomie Maritz.
The rhino in the boma is Phila, who has grabbed world wide attention after she was compared to 50 cent. Like the American rapper she has been shot nine times, in two separate incidents. Unlike 50 cent she still carries the bullets in her body.
And in the half moon light poachers have been on the move. On a farm not far from Phila's boma a trip camera, was activated by a poacher. The camera is usually used to snap pics of elusive leopard, this time it was set up to catch poachers. The flash light of the camera was triggered, a farmer believes he has an image of a poacher on film. News of the incident spreads quickly by cellphone, and Selomie is told. A team is despatched to track the poachers. We hear nothing else.
But Phila is safe. Photographer Jennifer Bruce and myself have joined the team who are looking after the wounded rhino. We are sleeping out with eblockwatch's Rhino Dream Team. Two police reservists, from Orlando Soweto who have set up camp on this isolated game farm to guard Phila. They too have grabbed the international headlines.
One of them goes by the nickname Tau, a name given to him by his colleagues in the police force. Tau means lion in Tswana, and somehow the word has gotten out in the international media that a highly trained "security lion" is looking after Phila.
Tau just shakes his head and laughs.
There have been calls from the media. They want to know about the lion that is looking after the rhino.
The camp is basic a tent and for us two stretcher beds under the stars.
As it grows late and the jackal continue to call, Selomie settles down to sleep right next to the boma. Behind the wooden fence she can hear Phila, feeding on a bale of lucerne. Selomie gently calls her name, and the rhino she has grown to love continues to feed, unconcerned of the human just metres away. - The Star