Support Mounted Rangers Fighting Rhino Poaching

It has been a particularly taxing period for the Horse Units operating in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), dealing with challenges of fire, drought and armed conflict with suspected poachers. Despite this, KZN has seen a slight decrease in rhinos poached compared to the same time last year, as state conservation authority, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, revealed that 113 rhinos have been killed in KZN in November - a reduction from the 121 killed during the same period last year.

Prolonged drought conditions were experienced in many of our game reserves, particularly the Spioenkop region of the KZN Midlands. Fires in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (HiP), in northern KZN, also resulted in the burning of all available grazing for the horses. This led to an urgent appeal to the public for donations of hay, red grass and other sustenance to help keep the horses from starving. We sadly lost one horse over the period due to illness, but luckily the rains have started falling again and grazing is once again available.

Two suspected poachers were killed in HiP earlier this month. Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife said that field rangers were on their regular foot patrol when they were confronted by three suspects inside the park. During the contact with these three suspects, one was fatally shot and the two managed to run away inside the park. Other field rangers were then called to the area to search for the two men who had escaped.

"One team managed to track them down and a scuffle ensued when one of the two suspected poachers tried to disarm an Ezemvelo field ranger using a knife. During that scuffle a colleague of the field ranger managed to shoot the suspect when he realised that the life of his colleague was in danger,” said spokesman Musa Mntambo. The other man was able to escape. (As reported by TimesLIVE - 13 November 2019).

Ezemvelo acting CEO Ntsikelelo Dlulane praised the commitment of the rangers.

“The loss of lives is always regrettable but at times our field rangers are left with no choice but to defend themselves when their lives are put in danger. I applaud the skills and commitment of the teams involved in this incident and commend them for protecting our assets," he said.

Project Rhino remains committed to giving these brave rangers all the tools they need to keep our wildlife safe. If you would like to support the Horse Units this festive season, then please consider donating on #GivingTuesday, the 3^rd of December, as GlobalGiving is providing up to $500,000 in matching funds! #GivingTuesday is celebrated world-wide as a day to support charity. It takes place on the Tuesday following Black Friday and is a great way to give back after all that shopping!

A huge thank you to all our partners and donors for your ongoing support, remember to follow our Facebook page for further updates on this, and our other projects.

Dear friends and supporters

We are delighted to share a brief summary of our Equine team’s activities over the last three months.

In June, Kim Isaacs and her team hosted an Equine Ride4Rhino “Paper Chase” and Country Market event at Seaton Estate in Ballito as a fundraiser for Project Rhino.  It was an incredible event, with riders having a fantastic time, dressing up and riding along a picturesque route to the beach. Quadasi and Maqhinga was the headline act, who aside from promoting Zulu culture, traditional music and social cohesion have also been actively involved in rhino conservation, working alongside the Kingsley Holgate Foundation and Project Rhino as Rhino Art Ambassadors.  Kim and her team managed to raise a whopping R40 000 for rhino conservation and the Project Rhino horse units with this fantastic event, which we are hoping to make an annual event on the  Conservation calendar.

We would like to once again thank all our donors and partners who continue to support the work of Project Rhino and those on the frontline of the rhino poaching crisis. Your contributions and support continues to make a tremendous difference to the teams on the frontline - a huge thank you!

The Equine unit that is based in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (HiP) - the oldest proclaimed nature reserve in Africa, consisting of 960 km² of hilly topography, has just completed their annual controlled burns to prevent wild fires from take place.  This year the Nqumeni Section was part of the burning plan and therefore there is no natural grass and feed left for the horses.  We are currently carting hay in for the horses to supplement their diets.  Unfortunately by the end of the winter months the horses do loose body condition as the nutritional value in the food is not high enough and we are finding that the horses’ hooves are also severely cracking.   It is therefore a priority for us to ensure that we stock up on good quality hay for the horses and get a farrier in to look after their hooves to ensure that they stay fit and healthy and good for their daily routine.  The horse unit proves to be incredibly impactful, and has made it much easier for rangers to cover long distances and reach different parts of the Park.

A lack of funding is a key challenge to the Horse Unit. The horse unit is currently receiving donations of bags of horse feed to sustain the unit from Epol. Ideally, we would like to increase the size of the horse unit and ranger team as the horses and rangers are working incredibly long hours.

Project Rhino is committed to supporting the Hluhluwe Imfolozi horse unit as much as we possibly can to help relieve some of the pressures that they are experiencing. Our fundraising focus for this period is on buying bags of feed, as well as supporting a groom with a small monthly salary.