Shutterstock.com
baby white rhino
A baby rhino was in danger. She was alone in the wild and hungry. Her mother was nowhere to be found.
Back to Teacher View
Student View
Shutterstock.com (Baby Rhino); Jim McMahon/Mapman® (Globe); SHAMWARI TV/Shamwari Wildlife Rehabilitation (Frank the Sheep); Shamwari Wildlife Rehabilitation (All Images)
The Sheep and the Rhino
A baby rhino was scared and alone. Could a friendly sheep change her life?
By Talia Cowen
From the September 2026 Issue
Learning Objective: Students will listen to and discuss a nonfiction feature.
Lexiles: 510L
Featured Skill: Main Idea, Key Details
Vocabulary: rangers, borrow, familiar, graze
Standards
Shutterstock.com; Jim McMahon/Mapman®
This story takes place at the Shamwari Reserve in South Africa.
Luckily, some rangers found the baby. They took her to an animal rescue center. There, animal caretakers gave her warm, cozy blankets. They fed her milk from a bottle every two hours.
Three days later, the rhino lifted her head and opened her eyes. She was going to live! Her caretakers named her Ntombi (n-TOHM-bee).
At the center, Ntombi was safe. But she needed something else to get better. She needed an animal friend to love and teach her.
“A little friendship makes getting better a lot less scary,” says Lisa Strauss, one of her caretakers. But there were no other baby rhinos at the center.
Frank the Sheep
SHAMWARI TV/Shamwari Wildlife Rehabilitation
Frank the sheep
The caretakers went to a nearby farm. They asked to borrow a sheep named Frank.
Sheep are about the same size and shape as a baby rhino. They are also calm. Frank the sheep might help Ntombi feel calm too.
But sheep and rhinos are so different. Would they get along? The caretakers were about to find out.
They Meet
Shamwari Wildlife Rehabilitation
Baby rhinos drink milk.
At first, Ntombi wouldn’t even look at Frank. She was still not feeling well. But Frank stayed with her as she got better.
Later, Ntombi was moved to another part of the center. She was nervous about the new place. Then she saw a familiar woolly face. It was Frank! The little rhino ran to Frank’s side.
“They were best friends after that,” remembers Lisa.
BFFs
Shamwari Wildlife Rehabilitation
Frank and Ntombi eat together.
What did the friends do together? Frank showed Ntombi how to graze. They walked around and munched on grass. They took naps together. They ran around.
Sometimes the little rhino wiped mud on Frank’s wool. He didn’t seem to mind!
The caretakers noticed that Ntombi was getting braver. “Now she had a partner in crime,” says Lisa.
Everyone Needs a Pal
Shamwari Wildlife Rehabilitation
Baby rhinos love to take mud baths!
Frank helped Ntombi grow up healthy and happy. Eventually, the rhino was able to go back to the wild where she belonged.
And Frank? He went back to his sheep pals at the farm.
But soon the people at the rescue center called again. Another baby rhino needed help! Frank was soon on his way back, because everyone needs a friend sometimes.
Text-to-Speech