Rhino Ambassador

Stop firms investing in extinction Can you help us fight this deadly, destructive industry, and protect whales and other wildlife?

Please share as much as possible, let’s get this to the likes of Elon Musk to help save the Rhino

Enjoy a cup of Thanksgiving Coffee Company Protect Our Elephants coffee with Mara Elephant Project’s Erick Mepukori. As an operations coordinator, he uses the conservation software system EarthRanger to relay real time information to coordinate our rangers on the ground to maximize their efforts and effectiveness. You can support his important elephant conservation work and buy a bag today. It’s not just a cup, it’s a just cup. https://buff.ly/3tlRU8U

Well done Rhino Ambassador Steve!

Saving Rhino one red bead at a time...

Saving Rhinos

Beaded Rhino to help our rhino retain their horns

More than ever we need your support as the poaching escalates in supporting Rhino
Our focus is with Project Rhino, please every little helps

Urgent Appeal: The Zululand Anti-Poaching Wing requires a new engine:

As you all know, the Zululand Anti Poaching Wing (ZAP-Wing) is a critical tool in Project Rhino's anti-poaching toolkit, and a major aerial support to all our Zululand Reserves, but is now grounded and in urgent need of an engine replacement.

Since 2012, the Zululand Anti-Poaching Wing has played a vital role in helping to secure one of the world's largest remaining black and white rhino populations in KwaZulu-Natal. During a recent maintenance event on ZAP-Wing’s BushCat, the engine was found to have significant metal in the oil. This indicates that there may be collapse of bearings, gears or bushes within the engine which may lead to a possible engine failure. This has unfortunately grounded the aircraft until a solution can be found.

After discussions with the BushCat factory, it was decided that the best course of action would be the replacement of the engine with a Factory New Rotax Engine.

This is far from ideal as the ZAP-Wing plays a critical support function to game reserves and local law enforcement.

Since February 2022 until the middle of August, when the engine problem was detected the ZAP-Wing managed to achieve the following:

A total of 368 hours were flown of which 325 was for patrol and reaction (Plus an additional 35 hours with the Bateleurs).

12 Poached rhino were found by our air wing, 2 wounded rhinos were detected and successfully treated and 4 calves from poached adult females were located and successfully moved to a rhino orphanage to ensure their survival. The ZAP-Wing has also supported with a number of call outs where vultures have been poisoned, to look for the poisoned carcass as well as detect vultures affected by the poison. The aircraft has assisted with locating missing animals as well as locating candidates for preventative de-horning thus minimising the cost per animal.

The full replacement cost of the engine is some R420,000 (USD 23,780) of which we have managed to raise R334 000 to date.

Delivery of the engine is a minimum of two weeks and a further two weeks is required for the installation, rigging and test flights.

Unfortunately, this timeline only starts once we have fully paid for the engine and thus the quest for funding is urgent.

We are turning to our supporters, members, friends and possible donors for support in assisting to get the aircraft back in the air and back in the fight as soon as possible.

The current engine has given us 5 years of good service and we believe the new engine and accessories will give us another 5 years of exceptional service.
If any of our members have the ability to support or forward this urgent appeal for help to anyone that you think would be in a position to support it would be much appreciated.

Any and all help will make a massive difference.
We are entering the festive season, where we always see a spike in poaching, we need our eyes in the sky to keep our reserves safe and crime free!

You can make an EFT here:
Project Rhino Alliance
First National Bank
Cheque Account
Account number: 629 203 46229
Branch: Kloof
Branch code: 250 655
Swift code: FIRNZAJJ
Reference: ZAPWING ENGINE.

259 rhino poached in South Africa in first six months of 2022
01 August 2022

A total of 259 rhino have been poached for their horn in South Africa in the first six months of 2022.
“Recent trends in rhino poaching show a move away from the Kruger Park to private reserves and KwaZulu-Natal where the majority of rhinos have been killed this year. This makes it all the more important for national government to shift its focus to supporting provincial authorities and private reserves in the war on rhino poaching” said the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Ms Barbara Creecy.
The number of rhino poached between January and June 2022 is 10 more than the 249 poached countrywide in the first six months of 2021. From January to end of June 2022, 82 rhino were poached for their horns in the Kruger National Park.
2022 Poaching statistics show a loss of 210 rhino on state properties and 49 in privately-owned parks. As indicated, hardest hit during this period is KwaZulu-Natal which recorded a loss of 133 rhino. This is more than triple the 33 rhino killed in the first six months of 2021.
The demand for rhino horn remains a constant threat to our rhino populations as crime syndicates continue to operate within our borders. The number of successful arrests and prosecutions recorded over the past 6 months, can be attributed to the continued successful collaboration between the law enforcement agencies, including the SAPS, DPCI and the Green Scorpions, Customs officials and the National Prosecuting Authority. These efforts are supported by private security.
Partnerships between the public and private sector remain key to combating wildlife trafficking. In addition to work being undertaken within the seven Integrated Wildlife Zones, the partnership now includes both the financial and transport sectors, as well as transit and end user countries in Southeast Asia, especially with the People’s Republic of China, Malaysia and Vietnam.
Between January and June, 69 people were arrested in connection with rhino poaching and rhino horn trafficking. Of these, 13 alleged poachers were arrested in the Kruger National Park.
As a result of the ongoing work of integrated enforcement teams at OR Tambo International Airport, 4 alleged rhino horn traffickers were arrested between January and June this year for trying to smuggle 56 pieces of rhino horn out of the country. In one instance, cooperation between the Hawks, Malaysia and Qatar authorities led to the arrest of another alleged rhino horn trafficker and his haul of rhino horn pieces at Doha Airport in Qatar. This arrest demonstrates the success of country-to-country cooperation to combat wildlife trafficking at an international level.
The Hawks are also working with the US Fish and Wildlife service in an investigation arising from the discovery in June of a suspect parcel at FedEx that was destined for the USA. The parcel contained 8 kilograms of rhino horns pieces concealed as wooden art pieces.

A number of search and seizure operations took place countrywide, with the Hawks arresting one suspect and confiscating 29 rhino horn during an operation at storage and packing facilities in Bedfordview where rhino horns are prepared and packed for the illegal markets in Southeast Asia.

In combined law enforcement operations two suspects were arrested in June when they were stopped by the Highway Patrol in Bedfordview and found to be in possession of two fresh rhino horn. Two suspects, one an ex Ezemvelo-KZN Parks ranger, were arrested earlier this month after their vehicle was searched and two fresh rhino horn were seized. One of the accused had previously been arrested for possession of rhino horn in the Kruger National Park.

On 23 April 2022 an integrated operation was conducted to address money laundering and corruption linked to rhino horn trafficking activities within the Kruger National Park. Various search and seizure warrants were authorised and executed at multiple premises in and around the Park with the aim of effectively dismantling the operations of some of the main targets. A multi-dimensional team led by the Hawks, with the support of the Kruger National Park and Stock Theft and Endangered Species in Skukuza was assembled and premises in Limpopo and Mpumalanga were searched during the operation.

Three suspects were arrested during the operation, which included two Kruger National Park field rangers. The arrests and the success of this operation had a significant impact on the rhino poaching activities within the Kruger Park, and has sent out a strong message that corrupt and illegal activities will not be tolerated. One of the rangers was dismissed during the departmental hearing on 21 July 2022. The other ranger’s departmental hearing is ongoing pending the outcome of the court process.
In total 51 cases in which 51 people were convicted have been finalised. The heaviest sentence handed down was 34 years imprisonment, while two Mpumalanga men were sentenced to 28 year behind bars for killing rhino and being in possession of illegal fi****ms and ammunition.
In the Skukuza court, two Mozambican nationals were convicted for poaching a rhino in the Kruger National Park, possession of unlawful fi****ms and ammunition and being in the country illegally. They were sentenced to 18 years imprisonment. In another matter, two Mozambican citizens were convicted of poaching two rhino Kruger National Park, possession of unlawful fi****ms and ammunition and sentenced to 19 years imprisonment. In addition, three South Africans were sentenced on charges of rhino poaching in the Kruger National Park and firearm related charges, and sentenced to an effective 24 years in jail.
The global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), had completed an assessment in 2019 of the threats posed to South Africa, and the effort being made to fight these crimes. During this process the contribution of wildlife trafficking to the generation of proceeds of crime was found to pose a medium to high risk to the country.
Responding to the recommendations of FATF, earlier this year, the National Prosecuting Authority obtained its first conviction on stand-alone charges in terms of Section 6 of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (money laundering). In this matter, the individual was accused of laundering the money earned from, amongst others the buying of rhino horn, through a casino. Ping Wu was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment. The success of this prosecution demonstrates the importance of the government’s integrated approach to combat rhino horn trafficking, with increased focus on targeting the financial crimes involved. We are expecting numerous similar successes in the near future.
To mark World Ranger Day, Minister Creecy last week paid special tribute to field and game rangers working in conservation areas countrywide for their continued commitment to protecting South Africa’s iconic species from poaching.
“Following the murder earlier this week of well-known anti-poaching field Ranger, Anton Mzimba, at his home in the Timbavati, we are reminded of the threats that rangers face from poachers and their crime bosses on a daily basis. These are men and women that deserve our respect and support as we join hands to improve their safety,” said the Minister.
In May, Kruger National Park field ranger and dog handler, Shando Mathebula, was killed by a buffalo while on patrol in the Shangoni Ranger Section. He has been remembered by his family and colleagues as a young man who was dedicated and who served with discipline and distinction.
In recent years, the work of rangers has changed from a general focus on the conservation of species to a more militant way of operating against well-armed criminal gangs entering national parks and private and state-owned conservation areas to poaching rhino, elephant and other species. Rangers often spend weeks away from home, living in the bush in an effort to protect the country’s natural environment from plunder.
By Simon Bloch.

[0:00 pm, 30/06/2022] Paul Dutton: Article from the African Hunting Gazette.

John Ledger's column June 2022

The Natal Parks Board was once upon a time one of the most effective and admired conservation organisations in the world. With its neatly dressed, disciplined and highly motivated staff, these men epitomised the popular image of the ‘Game Ranger’, and I remember as an infatuated schoolboy writing a letter to the NPB asking how I could also become one of these superheroes. I received in return a polite typed note on an NPB letterhead, suggesting that I should go and study Zoology, which indeed I did, but my career moved in a different direction after that. The Natal Parks Board with its legendary Dr Ian Player, was responsible for saving the Southern White Rhino from the brink of extinction. So successful were they that surplus animals were spread across Southern Africa and the world. Private owners acquired breeding stock, and trophy hunting ensured that rhinos were valuable and valued animals, and their numbers continued to increase.

But the iconic Natal Parks Board is no more. The advent of a democratically elected government in 1994, and the replacement of the NPB and its senior staff by a new breed of South Africans, many motivated for all kinds of reasons other than a love of wildlife and a passion for conservation, has resulted in an organization that is mired in controversy, and a cradle of rhino conservation that is now a bloody killing ground. Now known as Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, the parks under its control have been facing an unprecedented level of poaching of both the critically endangered Black Diceros bicornis and the White Ceratotherium simum Rhinos. The onslaught has been so intense that rhino once again face extinction in this once-secure corner of Africa.

So far this year a total of 123 rhino have been poached in the province. The rhino poaching syndicates are extremely well organised, and move their operations around the country, apparently in response to intelligence about where anti-poaching activities are slack. After mainly targeting the Kruger National Park, the rhino poachers met increasingly stern resistance from the KNP’s well-organised and fortified anti-poaching staff, equipped with sophisticated remote sensing devices, helicopters, trackers and dogs. Then followed a shift to the rhino populations in the Eastern Cape, but since 2012 the KZN parks, particularly Hluhluwe iMfolozi Park (HIP), have been targeted. Numbers have escalated since 2012 (50 killed), 2014 (100 killed), 2016 (150 killed) and 2017 (200 killed).

Back in 2016, a task team was commissioned by the former KZN premier, Wi***es Mchunu, to investigate issues around rhino poaching and related criminal activity in KZN, including the role of provincial and national government departments and bodies dealing with such matters. The team comprised representatives from the following organizations:
1. Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife;
2. South African Police Services;
3. Directorate of Public Prosecutions;
4. Office of the Premier;
5. State Security Services;
6. An international Policing Expert;
7. A legal expert from the Ian Player Foundation.

Curiously, the representatives of the South African Police Services and the State Security Services were withdrawn at an early stage, and no support was received from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions. This contributed to a significant delay in the remaining members finalising this report, which was delivered to the current provincial premier, Sihle Zikalala, more than two years ago. There was considerable public interest in the findings and recommendations of the task team, but its members were forced to sign non-disclosure agreements and were sworn to secrecy.

Eventually, in May 2022, after the Democratic Alliance had made a court application for public access to the document, Premier Zikalala released Part 1 of the report. It is a shocker, and a serious indictment of Ezemvelo and its Board and senior staff members. Too long to report on fully here, a few extracts will help convey the contents of this report.

The Rhino Security Manager, while based in Durban, was appointed to manage and co-ordinate all rhino poaching matters…(he) had no control or command over other resources deployed on the ground, and in particular had no authority over any staff in the Reserves.

We were advised that Ezemvelo has its own internal Wildlife Crime Investigation Team, however Rangers that we interviewed reported that they had no interaction with this team, and as such could not express any opinion or sense of confidence in them. This lack of co-ordination appeared to us to be a major gap in anti-poaching efforts.

Of particular concern is that the most qualified and experienced investigator was withdrawn from rhino crime investigations and is now based in the Ukhahlamba Region. In the light of the poaching crisis it would be common sense for the most experienced and competent investigator to be deployed where his skills would be of most benefit.

It was also noted with concern that due to the change of companies procured for helicopter services, experienced pilots who had an intimate knowledge of the terrain were changed for new pilots who would have to gain the necessary experience.

During the investigations of the Task Team it was evident that challenges in leadership and management had a direct impact on the efficacy of anti-rhino poaching activities. Poor management practices has led to a breakdown of morale in the organization, this being felt acutely by rangers on the ground who are the mainstay of anti-poaching activities within the boundaries of the various parks.

The CEO also indicated that the working relationship between him and the Board was poor, causing adverse consequences to the wellbeing of the organisation generally. One of the complaints of the CEO, echoed by various levels of management, was that certain Board members frequently meddled in operational activities, by becoming involved in the day to day management of the organisation and directly interfering with the work of the CEO and management.

A startling example of the Board exceeding its mandate was its involvement in a potential agreement between The Royal Rhino and Elephant Reserves of Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd. Effectively, this agreement would have outsourced nature conservation in the KZN reserves to the abovementioned corporation, the Board would have abdicated its statutory obligations to protect and manage protected areas within the province, to a private company with vested financial interests.

Other leadership challenges involved the concentration of senior staff at head office in Pietermaritzburg who would be responsible for all procurement and other major decisions.

It was apparent to the Task Team on its visits to the reserves that the standard of tourism facilities had dropped significantly. In the Hilltops Resort, maintenance issues on buildings were the subject of frequent complaints by international tourists.

Until recently the Park Manager of Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Reserve did not reside in the reserve but in fact lived in Durban some 300 km away from his area of responsibility. This anomaly was allowed to continue even though this was contrary to policy which required that the Park Manager resided in the park.

The previous Conservation Manager for iMfolozi Reserve, although he did have a residence in the Reserve, reportedly was seldom found to be in the reserve and spent most of his time living outside the area.

The Conservation Manager for Hluhluwe was reported to be often absent from his post.

And so it goes on and on about a provincial conservation agency in disarray, failing in its responsibilities to safeguard the biodiversity of South Africa, in accordance with the requirements as a signatory to the Convention on Biodiversity. The low morale of the men on the ground, a park manager who did not even live in his park, the general breakdown of discipline and pride: these are fertile grounds for disaffected employees who will pass on information to the poaching syndicates, sweetened by some welcome cash, perhaps? And shipping your experienced rhino crime investigator to the Drakensberg where there are no rhinos? Just to make it a bit easier for the poaching syndicates, perhaps?

And the early withdrawal of representatives of the South African Police Services and the State Security Services from the Task Team? Well now, there’s a thing… could it be that the poaching syndicates are so powerful that they hold influence over both organizations? It would appear to be the case, judging from an exposé on Al Jazeera television news showing camera footage of a former Minister of State Security in apparent possession of a poached rhino horn.

And surely the national Minster for Forestry, Fisheries and Environment should be taking a strong interest in this festering sore in our national conservation matrix? Well, no, she seems to be very busy with her draft Climate Change Bill, which has been described as “a monstrous absurdity”.

With a caste of characters like this holding the future of a critical rhino population in their hands, what hope is there for their future prospects? Not much, I fear…

Dr John Ledger is a past Director of the Endangered Wildlife Trust, now a consultant, writer and teacher on the environment, energy and wildlife; he is a columnist for the African Hunting Gazette. He lives in Johannesburg, South Africa. [email protected]

It pains me to witness the scourge of rhino poaching in South Africa nowadays. I recall having large Square-lipped Rhino horns as door stops at our home at Charters Creek St Lucia in 1958. When we were transferred to other posts the horns remained behind . Putting an inflated price on them attracted the rhino butchers.

New Ambassador Certificate by Paul Dutton and Grant Fowlds of Project Rhino

Please urge our President Cyril Ramaphosa to take strong measures against poachers who are murdering our rhino as I write this post.

Worldwide Rhino Ambassadors let your collective voices be heard to give support to the game rangers who risk their lives to save our precious rhino.

Rhino Ambassadors of the World unite to fight the alarming scourge of poaching.