Rhino
Protection
Trust
Wildlife
Conservation
We are dedicated to combating rhino poaching within
the independent game reserves of South Africa.
The rhino population in South Africa has been at serious risk since
the significant increase in poaching from 2008. On average, 3 rhinos
are killed every day and this is continuing to rise.
If nothing is done to stop this slaughter, the African rhino will join
its’ dinosaur relatives and be consigned to the history books,
and extinct in less than 10 years.
About Us
No one involved with the Trust receives a salary... We are all volunteers.
All money raised is used to provide protection for the rhinos.
Our mission is simple
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To combat rhino poaching within the independent game reserves of South Africa.
Our Objectives
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To help establish and support effective systems for the protection of rhinos within the independent game reserves of South Africa.
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We will provide equipment and support to both established and new anti-poaching initiatives.
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We will support initiatives for the continued tracking and monitoring of rhino.
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To raise awareness locally, nationally and internationally.
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We will promote, share and support organisations and individuals who share our visions and beliefs to raise understanding of the plight.
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We will establish NGOs in the market countries for rhino horn to educate them on the repercussions of their beliefs and traditions.
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To help educate local and international children to appreciate the need to preserve these animals for the future.
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We will visit local schools to educate them on conservation and the importance of rhino to the local communities.
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We will support organisations who educate on and promote the issues
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of rhino poaching and conservation in the wider international educational arena.
The independently-owned game reserves of today in South Africa have one clear aim and that is conservation. There is a desire amongst these land-owners to undo what has been done by their ancestors and restore the land and environment to how it used to be before it was over-hunted
or turned into farm land.
They are the caretakers of their land and the animals which live on it.
Independent game reserves have
re-introduced once endangered species such as the rhino and now spend their lives dedicated to their continued protection. The current crisis with rhino poaching has put increasing constraints
on their resources due to the high
level of security and the associated costs needed to combat the problem.
We are currently raising money
for the following initiatives and equipment
Priority List
- LoRa Equipment
- Camera Traps
- Tracking Collars for Rhino R8000 Each
- De-horning of Rhino R8000 veterinary cost
- Helicopter expenses per rhino Between R8000 and R12000
- Telemetry Equipment R24 000 Each
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A planned program of rhino darting, paying for the expensive aspects such as helicopter, vet and transmitter insertion.
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2 way radios
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Road block equipment
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Rechargeable torches
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Camera traps with SMS
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Binoculars day/night vision
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Improving fence line security
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Quad/motor bikes for fence line patrol and rapid response
We work closely with Rhino Revolution who are NPO/Tax Status Exempt! Please contact us if you are interested in this option.
We also raise funds by
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Selling merchandise such as t-shirts, caps, fleeces, lap top stickers, key rings, children’s books, water bottles.
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Merchandise is sold in a growing number of outlets in the Hoedspruit area.
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Attending festivals, where we sell our merchandise but are also able to raise our profile.
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Private individual donations, these normally are the result of one to one conversations.
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Ex volunteers from Siyafunda Wildlife Conservation are motivated to go home and hold a fundraiser. A local fundraiser could be sponsored walk/swim/cake sale etc
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Crowd funding, which is now accessible due to the NPO/Tax Exemption.
Pay by
EFT
First National Bank South Africa
Cheque Account
Account Number: 62349537582
Branch Code: 250017
SWIFT Code: FIRNZAJJ
Reference: 'Your Name'
Paypal
Just click the button below
Every cent makes
a difference !
What we have done so far
June 2020
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We have donated R10 000 to Rhino Revolution. Funds raised by Siyafunda Wildlife & Conservation.
March 2020
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We have donated R20 000 for
de-horning of a rhino.
2018 - 19
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Funded darting, ankle collars and de-horning of rhino.
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To date we have raised R250 000.
2017
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Funded darting, ankle collars and horn implants for 5 white rhino and 13 black rhino.
2016
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Thanks to your kind donations we have been able to purchase a Camera Trap (R7300) to assist K9. The Camera Trap has an instant multi media messaging (mms) facility and is proving to be extremely successful in identifying criminals and threats to a reserve.
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5 armed poachers were apprehended in our area on their way to poach rhino. One of the ringleaders (a career poacher) was shockingly out on bail having poached a white lion! The arrests were the result of excellent collaboration and teamwork between the local Task Force, K9 Conservation and the Game Wardens and key staff of 3 Reserves.
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We are absolutely delighted to announce the purchase (cost R20,000) of a motor bike for The Greater Makalali Private Game Reserve.The bike will be used to assist in the Reserve fence line patrols as well as rapid response and has already proved very useful in anti poaching initiatives.
2015
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Purchased 3 New Radios for a K9 anti-poaching unit.
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The accommodation provided for K9 lacked privacy and suitable sleeping facilities therefore the Trust used R9000 to improve the accommodation. A big "Thank you" from K9.
2014
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Honiton Community College in the UK helped share the Rhino Love on Valentine’s Day with a non-uniform day to help raise funds for the Rhino Protection Trust. They raised £270 and also have a permanent display sharing information about the Trust to help raise awareness about the current poaching crisis to the whole school.
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The Rhino Trust has been supported by online vintage clothing store Bodil Vintage. They have created a special collection, SKIN FOR SURVIVAL, which was freely donated by the Swedish director Suzanne Osten. All profits from this collection are being donated to the Trust. THANK YOU for your support Bodil Vintage – you can check out the collection: www.bodilvintage.com
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Eye Remote Solutions Demonstration: We teamed up with George Tomlin, a retired British Army Officer, Siyafunda and Eye Remote Solutions to help put together a demonstration of cutting edge technology which will help combat rhino poaching in South Africa. The Ivory Remote Solutions Approach (IRSA), demonstrated by Eye Remote Solutions, brings together both ground and airborne technology from 10 different countries which can be used for game conservation and management. The system can be used to track and monitor both humans (ie poachers) and animals and can be operated day and night in most weather conditions.Representatives from all corners of wildlife conservation have been invited to attend the demonstrations taking place across Limpopo and KwaZulu Natal in South Africa between the 24th and 30th April.
- Demo 1 took place on Thursday 24th April at the Leadwood Estate near Hoedspruit. There was a great turnout of with more than 70 attendees and the Rhino Protection Trust and Siyafunda staff and volunteers were there to help out.
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Demo 2: Following on from the initial demonstrations at the Leadwood Estate and Hluhluwe Imfolozi, a full demonstration took place on the Makalali Private Game Reserve on the 30th April\P Hosted by Siyafunda and the Rhino Protection Trust, the demo team got to show invited attendees the equipment in use during both daylight and and after dark. Siyafunda staff got to play at being poachers, hiding in the bush from the drones, while Siyafunda volunteers got to be part of the interception team to apprehend them after they were located.
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Bongis Quest Distribution: Thanks to your very generous donations, the Trust was able to help out with a distribution of Bongis Quest. In the last week of July, Bongi's Quest embarked on a HUGE educational drive along the southern boundary of Kruger National Park. 9 schools and over 9000 children were reached. Bongi's Quest is an educational, illustrated book which highlights the plight of the rhino and the importance of protecting them for the future. It was a pleasure for us to be able to contribute to this. Thanks to you all, we were able to ensure that 200 children got their own personal copy of the book. Here's a few photos taken throughout the educational drive.
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Barnyard Fundraiser: On the 30th August 2014 we held our first fundraiser at the Barnyard Rivonia in Johannesburg. With thanks to everyone who attended, bought raffle tickets and donated, we managed to make the grand total of R28,238!!!! Everyone had an amazing evening in the name of a good cause - saving our nations rhino! Here are a few pictures from the evening.
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November was very exciting as we had the first of our monthly game drives with the Green Kidz Initiative! We met the kids at the main gate in the morning and then the fun began. We started off by giving them a little bit of healthy competition - they were split into 2 teams, with each team given a list of 4 birds to look out for during the drive.We then set off to see what we could find! For many of these children, it is the first time that they have seen much of the wildlife in the wild, or at all and they were just as interested in spotting all of the general game, such as zebra and giraffe, as they they were any of the big five. About half way through the drive we stopped for a little snack break. At this point, each team had managed to spot 3 out of 4 of their birds. All that was left was Guinea Fowl and Francolin - should be easy right? We managed to make it all the way home without seeing either of them! We got back to camp for a lovely lunch and a game of guess the animal with our skull collection, finishing off the morning with some volley ball and jelly and custard! The kids then had a final short game drive as we took them back to the gate. They were unlikely to see much though due to the sing-song going on for the whole drive back!
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We managed to fit in another Green Kidz game drive before Christmas. A new bunch of kids got to see 3 of the 'Big 5', including mating lions! There were also baby impalas and dung beetles galore as summer has really set in. After a drink stop in the river bed, we headed back to camp for some lunch, followed by a bit of exercise to try to work off some of the food! We then headed back to the gate via the hippos. Before the kids got back in their bus, they treated us to a lovely Christmas carol.
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In December, we were very happy to give an amazing Christmas present to Karongwe Game Reserve. After many years of service, the motorbike they used for fence patrols had to finally be retired. However, this left them short of vehicles to use and meant that patrolling the fences to ensure that there were no security breaches was more difficult and took a lot longer. Thanks to everyone's very generous donations, the Trust was able to provide them with an amazing second-hand quad bike! The reserve manager and his team can now complete patrols in super quick time over any terrain and in all weather conditions!
Information and
Statistics
Reasons for rhino poaching
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Rhino horn has historically been used for dagger handles in Yemen and Oman, as well as in traditional Asian medicine.
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Used in powder form, it is believed to treat fevers
or hangovers. However, rhino horn is made of keratin, which is similar to the proteins which make up our
hair and fingernails, and has been scientifically proven
to have no medical benefits whatsoever.
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The trade in rhino horn was banned in 1977, howeverthere still continued to be some black market trade in the product. More recently, it is an increase
in demand from Vietnam which has fueled the boom
in its trade, leading to the significant increases in rhino poaching in South Africa.
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Rhino horn is now an aspirational product to own amongst the middle classes in Vietnam as a sign
of their wealth. As an ornament, ground up in rice wine or even snorted as the latest ‘party drug’, rhino horn is the new equivalent of a shiny sports car
parked on the drive as a demonstration of Vietnamese prosperity.
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Rhino horn is now worth more than its weight in gold and rivals the street value of cocaine. Poaching rhino horn and its trafficking across international borders
has become a billion dollar business.
Rhino species
in South Africa
Southern White Rhino
(Ceratotherium simum simum)
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The Southern white rhino is the largest of the South African rhino species and is the largest land mammal after the elephant. It is currently defined as ‘Near Threatened’. Its name comes not from its colour, but more likely from a misunderstanding of the Afrikaans word ‘weit’, meaning wide. It is also known as the square-lipped rhino.
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The white rhino is a grazer that can weigh over 2 tons. It is grey in colour with a large body and head and a pronounced bump. It has 2 horns on its nose, with the front horn usually being the longest. It is an odd-toed ungulate (it has 3 toes) and has excellent hearing and sense of smell, but very poor eyesight.
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Despite its size and weight, the white rhino can run up to 30 mph and they can live up to 50 years.
Black Rhino
(Diceros bicornis)
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The black rhino is the smaller of the 2 South African species and is ‘Critically Endangered’. It is a forager, with a narrow snout and a pointed mouth. With no actual colour difference between the two species of South African rhino, its name is believed to have been chosen to distinguish it from the white rhino.
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Weighing around 1 ton, Black rhinos are generally known as the shyer and more aggressive of the species. It has a large body, but a smaller head than the white rhino. It has 2 horns on its nose with the front horn usually being the longest. It is an odd-toed ungulate, with three toes on each foot and has excellent hearing and sense of smell, but poor eyesight.
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The Black rhino can reach speeds of up to 35mph and change direction quickly. They can live for around 30 – 35 years in the wild.
Friends of the Trust
Siyafunda Wildlife and Conservation
Siyafunda Wildlife and Conservation is
a dedicated conservation volunteering organisation and is 'home' to the Rhino Protection Trust - their expertise and
experience are invaluable to the Trust
to ensure we always stay focused!
Dream Wild Adventures
Dream Wild Adventures offers volunteers
the opportunity to work with local communities, wildlife, research and animal rehabilitation.
For every booking made through Dream Wild,
a proportion of the payment comes directly
to the Rhino Protection Trust.
Rhino Rescue Project
The Rhino Rescue Project have developed a system of rhino horn devaluation
as a deterrent for rhino poaching.
Rhino horn is infused with an animal friendly toxin and indelible dye which renders the horn unfit for human consumption and unsuitable for sale.
At the same time, additional measures such as micro-chipping, tracking technology and DNA sampling take place.
African Educational Stories
(Bongi's Quest)
African Educational Stories is the home
to Bongi's Quest. This is a rhino educational book aimed at highlighting the plight of the rhino to children aged
5 - 10 around the world.
