Tel. +44 (0)1273 600030 (UK)
The money raised by participants will be split between Save the Rhino, Hluhluwe- iMfolozi Park and Project Rhino.
Project Rhino is an initiative by Wildlands Conservation Trust to place every rhino in South Africa under 24 hour GSM-based monitoring by fitting GSM transmitters into their horns. The rhinos can then be monitored using a local GSM network and protected in order to stem the tide of rhino poaching. The Project is already underway in Somkhanda Game Reserve in northern KwaZulu-Natal and has proven critically valuable. The plan is to expand the system to other reserves in KwaZulu-Natal and later beyond the province to North-West Mpamalanga and Limpopo where poaching continues unabated.
Hluhluwe–iMfolozi Park is renowned for dramatically increasing numbers of white rhino in the past. This is where rhino conservation started, and where all white rhinos across Africa and in zoos have come from. Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park now aims to duplicate its success by shifting its focus on the more endangered black rhinos, which are intensively monitored and managed at the Reserve by ranger patrols that guard the rhino’s home range.
The event will be based on the principles of a wilderness trail, in terms of which the group will camp en-route in temporary camps, leaving no permanent footprint. The group will be in walking parties of 8, to minimise impact and maximise sense of place and experience. In addition, Wildlands Conservation Trust, who are organising the ground logistics for the trek, are in the process of embedding the “Leave no Trace” principles and will make a point of taking the participants through a Leave no Trace orientation process, on their first night.
About us
We are a UK-registered charity that raises funds to: protect rhino populations and increase numbers in the wild; and to educate and find positive opportunities for impoverished communities living in areas of high biodiversity. With funds raised via our fundraising we are currently supporting 15 field projects across Asia and Africa (in Kenya, Tanzania, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Indonesia and India); and to raising public awareness of the need for rhino conservation.
The money raised pays for:
- Anti-poaching and monitoring patrols, which detect and deter poachers and gather information about rhino ranges and numbers
- Translocations i.e. rhinos from established populations are reintroduced to former habitats
- Research into the threats to rhino survival and alternatives to the use of rhino horn - Veterinary work, such as the implanting of transmitters into horns, or removal of snares
- Environmental education programmes that teach children and adults about the importance of preserving natural resources and address human-wildlife conflict issues
- Community conservation programmes that develop sustainable methods by which local communities can creatively manage natural resources
And it's not just about the rhino either: rhinos share their home with numerous other wildlife species that benefit from environmental protection too, and local communities find opportunities for poverty reduction through wildlife tourism or better livestock management.
Why rhinos are critically endangered (ie. facing an extreme high risk of extinction): The fundamental problem for the rhino is its horn, which is made of keratin, a substance found in human hair and nails. Rhino horn is used extensively in Traditional Chinese Medicine and to make ornamental dagger handles in the Yemen. In addition, rhino habitat is being lost as a result of the clearance of land for rapidly increasing human settlement and for agricultural production and / or as a result of logging, both authorised and illegal. Political conflict and, more recently, climate change have added further pressure on the species and the habitat they share with numerous other flora and fauna.
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