The Facts
- At the beginning of the 20th century 500,000 rhinos roamed freely across Africa and Asia.
- Today, that number has fallen below 29,000.
- In 2012, well over 600 rhinos were cruelly mutilated and poached for their horns.
- So far this year, that figure has already almost reached 200 – over 2 rhinos a day.
Having personally seen the devastating sight of a rhino butchered for its horn, I ask myself, how can we allow this to happen?
The Chipembere Rhino Foundation is hosting a fund-raising event on 8 June at the iconic Mount Nelson hotel in Cape Town, in their magnificent Ballroom. It will be an intimate evening of only 250 guests and the fabulous Freshlyground band providing entertainment! We hope to see you there. See details below. Otherwise you can help to make a difference through donations…
Chipembere Rhino Foundation
Chipembere means ‘rhinoceros’ in the African language, Shona. The foundation was established in November 2010 after Amakhala Game Reserve, in malaria free Eastern Cape, lost two rhinos in one night to poaching. Support for this charity goes directly towards conservation and the fight against rhino poaching.
(Source: Rhino Poaching – The Chipembere Rhino Foundation – Charity in Action from Jim Turnbull on Vimeo.)
Donations
Funds raised allow for the purchase of equipment for anti-poaching units, the supply of technology based equipment to monitor rhino populations and research into veterinary procedures that help protect rhinos, as well as:
- On the ground equipment support for anti-poaching teams that operate on wildlife reserves in Southern Africa.
- Monitoring assistance such as the supply of telemetry tracking devices, veterinary procedures involving field ID kits that include ear notching, DNA processing for the National Rhino database and micro chipping of horns and body.
- Creating a media awareness programme that would focus primarily on the youth through education based talks at schools and through the collective genre of artists associated with the Chipembere Rhino Foundation.
I have heard stories of poachers ‘testing’ an AK-47 on a rhino through a fence line in the Eastern Cape, just to see if it would work for future knowledge. I have heard stories of de-horned rhinos – as a method of prevention – still being poached out of spite by frustrated poachers, angry that they took the time to track an animal without reward. I have even heard stories of rhinos found wandering around reserves, half dead, since the poachers hadn’t even taken the time to put the animal out of its misery before running off with their prize.
Help by supporting Chipembere
- To purchase a ticket for the event: Contact Ina Viljoen – tel 0834634090, e-mail kershoff@mweb.co.za
- For all the information you need about banking and contact details, visit their website.
- For more info on our own conservation projects and donations, visit our Doing Good website.