Orphaned SA rhino has successful cataract surgery

An orphaned South African rhinoceros blinded by poachers who hit it on the head in the same attack that killed its mother has regained its vision after cataract surgery, its owners said Monday. Roccy the rhino underwent the surgery on January 3 in the University of Pretoria's veterinary hospital and has now returned to his native Elandela game reserve in the country's northeast. "His character has changed. He's now less dependent on humans," owner Rocco Gioia told AFP. "He's now more and more acting like a rhino." After the attack by poachers in June, the reserve's owners created a foundation to save Roccy, then three months old. They also acquired Clova, a young female rhino that was also orphaned by poachers. Roccy has been spending much of his time with her since regaining his sight, Gioia said. South Africa is home to some 20,000 rhinos, between 70 and 80 percent of the world population. At least 448 of the animals were killed by poachers last year, breaking the previous record of 333 the year before and up from just 13 in 2007. Experts say the poaching explosion has been driven by demand for the animals' horns in Asia, particularly Vietnam, where the substance is wrongly believed to cure cancer.