Building a global alliance
whereby rhinos will survive – and thrive – in the wild and
they, the rhinos, can provide financially for their own protection
as well as the long-term welfare of African parks and all that inhabit them,
while bringing meaningful sustainable benefits to rural communities.
African parks and other rhino custodians are struggling to survive. Private rhino owners in South Africa own more rhinos than the rest of Africa put together and could be a source for restocking in future – but many are now being forced to give upon their rhinos, including the world’s two biggest private rhino breeders who own over 10% of the global rhino population. Already over 200 000ha has been lost to rhino conservation, which equates to habitat for 5 000 rhinos.
Southern African nations threaten to quit wildlife trade monitor
Southern African nations are threatening to quit the global wildlife trade regulator after it refused to relax restrictions on trade in ivory and rhino horn and imposed a near total ban on zoos taking African elephants captured in the wild.
PRESS RELEASE : 18 July 2019
16 Black rhino moved from South Africa to Eswatini
Following 11 months of preparation and planning, 16 critically endangered Black rhinos were successfully captured, translocated, dehorned and released into the Kingdom of Eswatini on 9 and 10 July 2019. An entire founder breeding group of Black rhinos was acquired during 2018 by Big Game Parks, the National Wildlife Authority for the Kingdom of Eswatini. This demographically complete group consisted of adult breeding bulls and cows, sub adults and small calves.
The rhinos were acquired from a private game ranch in South Africa, where the current rhino horn poaching pressure has driven the protection costs of all rhinos to unsustainable levels, both in the private and public sectors, leaving many rhinos at risk and rhino custodians forced to disinvest in rhino conservation.
Jezebel’s Journey – A DRIVE FOR RHINO
Jezebel’s Journey is the result of an idea that was conceived by Laurie Muggleton and Big Game Parks to restore Jezebel, a short wheel base 1956 Series 1 Land Rover, then drive her across Africa and on to Solihull where she was built, in an attempt to raise much needed funding for rhino conservation, while creating an awareness of the true plight of these iconic African animals. The need for a more pragmatic approach to their conservation to enhance their chances of survival has become critical. What more fitting tribute to Land Rover and conservation in Eswatini, than to allow the vehicle that started it all six decades ago, to make one more meaningful contribution to conservation, this time for the benefit of Africa’s rhinos that are now facing extinction due to the relentless and ruthless onslaught of horn poaching by transnational organized criminal syndicates.
The Great Elephant Debate: Let’s remove emotions and pseudo-science from wildlife management and get down to scientific facts
All wild species have predators and humans are the super-predator for elephants. There is nothing ‘natural’ about a large national park dominated by elephants without a predator. The management of wild landscapes is largely an aesthetic issue. It’s called ‘The Myth of Wild Africa’, and is played out on every luxury safari and National Geographic show.
Zimbabwe demands right to sell $300m of ivory to fund game reserves
Zimbabwe has demanded the right to sell its stockpile of ivory to raise money for conservation, wildlife authorities said on Tuesday, joining other southern African nations in calling for the global ban on the trade in tusks to be relaxed.
Wildlife authorities in the cash-strapped nation estimate the country’s decades-old hoard of ivory is worth around $300 million, which they say would help plug funding gaps for game reserves.
LTRS Hosts International Conference
Conservationists from across southern Africa met in Pretoria on the 20th of February 2019 for a conference aimed at getting international support for a reversing of the Cites ban on international trade in rhino horn. Read full article
Updated rhino poaching stats – what is not being disclosed – comment from award-winning filmmakers
The latest annual rhino poaching statistics have been released by the Department of Environmental Affairs. Minister of Environmental Affairs, Ms Nomvula Mokonyane, has reported significant progress on the implementation of the Integrated Strategic Management of Rhinoceros covering the period 1 January to 31 December 2018. But Susan Scott (STROOP – Journey into the Rhino War filmmaker) cautions against too much optimism.
Contact LEGAL TRADE FOR RHINO SURVIVAL (LTRS) at conservationhq@biggameparks.org