World Rhino Day 2012

It’s Time For Action

World Rhino Day – 22 September 2012

At Rhino Africa, we like to do crazy things. It keeps us feeling alive and on our toes… Like this little guy:

On World Rhino Days gone by, Rhino Africa Safaris has been at the forefront of raising awareness about rhino poaching. We have led gatherings outside Parliament in Cape Town (watch last year’s World Rhino Day video here). These gatherings partly led to government approving a $4.5million anti-poaching budget.

But now we feel that it’s time for fund-raising, not merely awareness-raising. Everyone knows that our rhinos are under threat. It’s time for action!

So this year, in addition to our annual Challenge4ACause cycling event (which has raised over R1m for wildlife conservation and community projects), we have joined forces with the Wildlife ACT Fund to raise funds for specific rhino conservation projects. By jumping out of a plane. Yip, from diving into Devil’s Pool to tracking wild mountain gorillas, we seek out new experiences like pangolins hunting for termite mounds…

From our offices Ryan Rapaport, Rhino Africa videographer, and Jo Maree, Wildlife ACT, will be taking the jump for what will be the fourth Skydive for Rhinos event. It will be held in Robertson on World Rhino Day with the objective of raising R10 Million for on-the-ground verifiable Rhino conservation and anti-poaching efforts in South Africa.

What’s more, we’ve been working hard on an exciting rhino conservation project involving the Sabi Sand and critically endangered rhinos of Uganda! It’s a long term project which we hope to bring to fruition over the next year. It’s a project that will leave a real and meaningful legacy in the battle for survival. None of the good work that we undertake at Rhino Africa Safaris would be possible without the invaluable patronage of our passionate clients.

Thank you for your continued support.

ABOUT THE EVENT

Five provinces in South Africa are holding Skydive for Rhinos events with 448 ordinary South African citizens and celebrities leaping from 10,000 feet to raise funds for rhino anti-poaching work (training and equipping rhino anti-poaching units, aerial surveillance and support and community intervention programs).

Funds will go toward Project Rhino KZN, an association of conservation NGOs, private game reserves and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife working together to eliminate rhino poaching. This association includes Wildlife ACT Fund and African Conservation Trust, the event organisers, among many other significant conservation bodies. The funds will be distributed nationally, specifically across KwaZulu Natal, North West and Kruger, as well as other hard hit areas.

* Why 448? That’s the number of rhinos killed by poachers in South Africa in 2011. 374+ rhinos have already been poached in the country this year.

Watch The Jump!

• Watch this space for our video of the event, as we send Ryan, our video man, flying out of a plane with a Go-Pro strapped to his chest… should make good TV. Unless he cries. Good Luck Team!
• Find out what the One&Only Cape Town is doing for World Rhino Day in our blog! And be sure to help support…
• Read more about our conservation and community work in the Doing Good section on our website.
• Read more about last year’s World Rhino Day here.