Meet Mandy Hicks, the woman who knits blankets for baby rhinos at Cotswold Wildlife Park in her spare time. 
As the Mail reported earlier this week, the ‘champion knitter’ has created a range of the covers for the animals.
She explained how she got involved with the ‘wonderful’ charity Blankets for Baby Rhinos. 
Mandy said: “The rhinos have no mum or no security of her smell or touch but they have this blanket which they associate with being peaceful, calm and safe. 
“Once you have seen a very young baby rhino you do realise how vulnerable they are. They are a lot bigger than other baby animals but they are still very vulnerable and close to their mum.”

Oxford Mail: A baby rhino enjoying its knitted blanket (Debbie Ryan)A baby rhino enjoying its knitted blanket (Debbie Ryan)

Mrs Hicks feels particularly touched by the charity’s work as she sees the park’s rhinos every day, including the newest addition D’ora. 
She said: “If the poaching goes on we will not have any rhinos, like a lot of other animals which are being poached. We have got to do something to try and save them.”
Blankets for Baby Rhinos says more than 7,000 African rhinos have been killed in the past decade due to an ‘increase in demand for Rhino horn in Asia’.
Like many charities, the work of Blankets for Baby Rhinos has been effected by the coronavirus pandemic.
The pandemic has had a ‘devastating impact on rhino conservation and poaching has once again escalated to serious levels’. 
Elisa Best, founder of Blankets for Baby Rhinos, pointed out the blankets are just one small part of their operation and due to Covid-19 it is currently difficult to transport blankets to Africa. 
People can support the charity by donating money or crafts which can be sold in the charity’s shop.