What you can do to help on World Rhino Day

Posted on 22 September 2011

 

World Rhino Day is intended to raise awareness about rhino poaching. It is intended to raise support for and encourage government initiatives as well as to show support for South Africa’s rhino warriors – the men and women at the frontline who risk their lives daily against the sophisticated, ruthless and heavily-armed international criminal gangs who run the illegal rhino horn trade.

At the time of going to press, at least 287 rhinos have been poached in South Africa during 2011 with no sign of poaching abating. The Kruger has been nailed badly, the Sabi Sands, Hluhluwe/Imfolozi, Plianesberg, Madikwe … the list goes on.

What you can do to help on World Rhino Day:

1. Dress in red, make a funky placard and generate some noise about rhino poaching! Use your Facebook, twitter or blog to spread the message.

2. We would love to see your pictures from the day so please post pictures of you or your staff in red attire on Getaway magazine’s Facebook wall and we’ll load them into a World Rhino Day album – www.facebook.com/GetawayMagazine.

3. Unfortunately there are people taking advantage of the situation and using game reserve/lodge staff and civilians to benefit their poaching syndicates and fundraising scams. Use this opportunity to educate your peers, staff and guests about the current surge in rhino poaching. The poachers are conducting a sophisticated operation – whoever it is behind this could target your staff next. Start an education and awareness campaign, encourage your staff to come forward if they are ever approached or to report anything they hear about poaching. Together we can all play a role in the fight against rhino poaching.

4. Rhino Africa Safaris along with friends from Getaway Magazine, Wildlife ACT, Africa@Heart, Green Renaissance and Aquila Private Game Reserve are calling on all concerned citizens to come down to Parliament in Cape Town and gather in front of the Louis Botha monument between 11.30am and 1.30pm on Thursday 22 September. Support the campaign by wearing red.

5. Join our rhino-themed conversation with two rhino authorities, Dr Simon Morgan and Chris Galliers from Project Rhino on Facebook and Twitter.

Post your questions onto Getaway magazine’s Facebook wall, you can also tweet questions to them by tweeting @GetawayMagazine #worldrhinoday.

Dr Simon Morgan spent five years researching and monitoring black rhino on foot; he is committed to their future preservation and co-founded Wildlife ACT, an endangered wildlife monitoring company. Simon is a trustee of the WildlIfe ACT Fund an NGO that raises funds for the protection and monitoring of rhino. Simon recently obtained his PhD in black rhino conservation.

Chris Galliers works for WESSA (the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa) in the Conservation unit as the National Biodiversity Programme Manager. Chris has a degree in the natural sciences and has always been involved in the natural environment as either a game ranch manager, game capturer, wildlife photographer, safari planner or game ranger. Chris is also the current vice-chairman of the Game Rangers Association of Africa.

 

 

Project Rhino

Project Rhino is defined as an association of like-minded organisations allowing collective coordination of rhino conservation interventions aimed at eliminating rhino poaching and securing the rhino (wildlife) population in KwaZulu-Natal. The members of Project Rhino also recognise that the work in conserving and protecting rhinos from poaching is symbolic of the threat faced by all wildlife. All wildlife will benefit from actions taken by Project Rhino. Join their Facebook page and follow them on twitter @ProjectRhinoKZN.

Some potential questions:

What do you think is the best and most practical way to tackle the current situation?

Do you think government is doing enough to address the situation?

Farming Rhinos – yes or no?

Our wildlife and their existence seems to be beholden to pure economics. Stopping hunting may devalue the price of rhinos. This may mean that many private owners will look to get rid of rhinos because the risk and cost of keeping them is to high. Do we look to stop rhino hunting or not?

Is the judiciary sufficiently capacitated to understand the seriousness of the situation and then to reflect this in their judgments against poachers and illegal traders?

Do we have enough political will in South Africa to tackle the issue at an national and international level?

Which rhino poaching intervention would you rather donate money towards-

  1. Anti poaching unit training
  2. Private intelligence in information gathering
  3. Equipment
  4. Rhino tracking technology
  5. Awareness and education programmes

Facebook  World Rhino Day event
Twitter: Follow @WorldRhinoDay @rhinoafrica @christiefynn @GetawayMagazine @SarahLeighPaul @Africaatheart

I encourge you to make educated and informed decisions about which organisations you choose to donate to. There are unfortunately people taking advantage of the situation in order to benefit their poaching syndicates and fundraising scams. I am very happy to point you in the right direction should you require further information.






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