Support Mounted Rangers Fighting Rhino Poaching

A huge thank you to all the GlobalGiving donors who supported the work of Project Rhino and those on the frontline of the rhino poaching crisis this quarter. Your contributions and support continue to make a tremendous difference in the battle against wildlife crime and we value each and every donation.

Project Rhino supports horse units operating in KwaZulu-Natal wherever it can, but primarily those based in the game reserves of Spioenkop and Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park (HiP). Managed by State Conservation Authority, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, these game reserves protect more than 100,000 HA and include a significant rhino population (authorities are withholding exact rhino population figures for their protection). Both horse units operate on a shoestring budget and all GlobalGiving donations go directly to essentials like supplementing feed and veterinary costs, as well as a modest groom salary.

In the past few months, horsemanship specialist Mr Gordon Bailey conducted two training sessions (one week each) for the rangers operating in Spioenkop Game Reserve. Many of the trainees had little to no prior riding experience, but participated with great enthusiasm. We believe that increasing the number of horse patrols will be of great benefit to the reserve – not only in preventing poaching, but by allowing rangers to cover much greater distances than on foot patrol, to monitor game numbers and movements, as well as conduct fence patrols and search for snares. A follow up visit to Spioenkop is planned in the next few weeks, followed by training sessions for the rangers of Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park.

Project Rhino believes that a multi-phase approach is needed to prevent poaching and our initiatives range from urgent interventions like K9-Units and aerial patrols to prevent poaching in the short term; to community engagement and education initiatives, which help build understanding of the value of wildlife and biodiversity at community level over time. These horse units are one important tool in the toolbox, responding to the complex range of factors that drive wildlife crime.

• In the past few months, a dedicated K9 anti-poaching unit has been established by Ezemvelo and a number of partners in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park. The dog unit currently consists of two handlers and two ‘cold scent’ dogs, Doberman/Bloodhound Crosses, which can follow scents up to eight hours old. The Project Rhino K9 Unit (based in Hluhluwe town) has been providing additional mentorship and the team has already had a number of successes.
• Whilst in Spioenkop, Wildlife ACT (a Project Rhino founding member) facilitated the dehorning of the entire white rhino population over three days - making it one of the biggest rhino dehorning operations in the province. Dehorning is a difficult, but necessary measure to prevent poaching threats – it is viewed as a temporary solution as horns regrow slowly over time.
• Project Rhino and partners also delivered food parcels to four communities near to Spioenkop, with a focus on mothers and children. The Feeding the Wildlife Communities relief effort has now delivered more than 1,2 million meals to hungry families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

World Rhino Day in September will mark Project Rhino’s 10^th birthday, and we remain committed to our goal of keeping South Africa’s black and white rhino populations safe. Please visit our website or follow our social media pages to find out more about our various projects and initiatives.

Our heartfelt thanks and gratitude to all our GlobalGiving friends who have so generously supported the Support Mounted Rangers Fighting Rhino Poaching Project this quarter. No matter how big or small, every donation is most gratefully accepted by the Project Rhino team, the reserves and rangers that we support, and the wildlife we are protecting. Thank you for helping us make a difference!

We are delighted to have partnered with Gordon Bailey, a highly recommended and skilled horsemanship trainer who will be facilitating two training sessions for the equine units we support. Project Rhino and Mr Bailey recently conducted a preliminary assessment of the units and we have developed a training manual in both English and isiZulu. The horsemanship training will be four to five days, in small groups to ensure each individual receives one-on-one assistance. This will be a huge benefit to the reserves because at the moment there are a number of rangers who are interested in joining the mounted patrols, but do not yet have the skills to do so. Mr Bailey is also advising on riding tack and any refurbishing of the stables that may be required and we look forward to making these improvements in the near future.

All of South Africa’s game parks continue to struggle under the impacts of COVID-19 as tourism – particularly international tourism – has come to a dead halt. The knock-on effects are felt by surrounding communities, who continue to grapple with unemployment and food insecurity. Project Rhino and partners have continued to deliver food parcels to impacted communities since April last year, to provide some relief to communities and maintain good relationships with their conservation neighbours.

We continue to fundraise and support our conservation projects in any way we can. Although a number of last year’s events had to be postponed, we were able to join NPO uBhejane X in their annual Extreme Mountain Bike Event in December last year. This year’s event proved one of the toughest yet – as cyclists had to endure strong winds, thunderstorms and many kilometres of thick mud, cycling up to 360 km all in the name of rhino conservation!

In conservation news, the South African government recently released the latest rhino poaching statistics, which thankfully showed a 33% decrease – from 594 in 2019 to 394 in 2020. This is partly a result of the extended lockdown periods, which restricted the movements of would-be poachers and rhino horn smugglers. However, after years of silence about rhino populations in South Africa’s flagship game reserve, the Kruger National Park, official statistics have revealed that populations have plummeted by between 66% and 70% over the past decade, mainly due to the unrelenting poaching crisis.

As one of the last remaining bastions of black and white rhino populations, Project Rhino remains committed to keeping our wildlife safe. Project Rhino is a collaborative of 32 members comprised of conservation agencies, NGOs, game reserves and anti-poaching specialists and we work with a number of partners and game reserves across KwaZulu-Natal. This multi-stakeholder platform enables members to pool strategies, information, technology, personnel and other resources towards a common goal, namely to dramatically decrease wildlife crime.

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