Seeing a rhino during your southern African safari is an immeasurable privilege and one that is becoming ever rarer, as a consequence of the ongoing scourge of poaching.
The plight of the rhino
Currently in South Africa, the birth rate of rhinos is considerably less than the losses incurred through poaching each year. Meanwhile in Botswana, poaching is at an all-time low thanks to stringent security, constant monitoring and a ‘no tolerance’ policy towards any suspected poaching activity.
These factors were the catalyst behind Rhinos without Borders who teamed up with like-minded tourism industry members to get the rhinos out of the firing line and in to a safe haven.
Blazing a trail for their peers
In a historic move, Phinda Private Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal set the ball rolling by donating six rhinos to this project. These animals were airlifted to a remote location in Botswana, fitted with monitoring collars and released. They are thriving in this protected environment.
The success of these first six animals has inspired Rhinos without Borders to set a target of 100 rhinos for translocation to Botswana, but they need all the help they can get. Road transport is out of the question due to the risk of transporting these large animals in confinement across vast distance, and the cost to airlift one rhino is in excess of USD 45 000.
The Challenge is on
Rhinos without Borders continues to campaign for conservation-minded operations and the public to join them in evacuating South African rhinos to safety. Direct donations can be made to Great Plains Foundation, Africa Foundation or Go Pro for a Cause. You can also support Great Plains Conservation initiatives by staying at one of Great Plains Conservation’s luxurious lodges, such as – Duba Plains Camp or Zarafa Camp, located in land procured specifically for conservation purposes.
Over the years Great Plains Conservation has acquired over 1,000,000 acres of the African landscape, with their view on acquiring 5,000,000 acres in future. All the profits from tourism activities on these properties go towards improving the circumstances of local communities and conservation initiatives, including Rhinos without Borders.
Get in touch with us to book your next African safari vacation and indulge yourself at one of these leading lodges.
