Save the Rhino International

In the heart of South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal Province lies Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (HiP), a wilderness home to vital populations of black and white rhinos. However, since early 2022, rhino poaching in HiP has escalated as they are ruthlessly targeted for their horns by organised criminal networks. Simultaneously, rising costs have put extra strain on HiP’s operational budgets, making it harder to pay for ordinary items that rangers – under more pressure now than ever - need day to day.

Thankfully, due to generous fundraisers and donors, we have provided funding to expand the HiP K9 Unit, a team of dedicated handlers and dogs working tirelessly to protect the Park’s rhinos. New recruits, Chief and Captain, are Independent Tracking Dogs, trained to pick up a scent from one place (such as the smell of a poaching suspect from the scene of a crime) and follow their trail as far as possible. Chief and Captain can follow a scent for miles, potentially catching up to a suspect to enable arrest before they leave the Park, or providing crucial intelligence about the routes being used.

To read more about HiP’s expanding K9 Unit, click here.

Dinners are commonplace to celebrate special occasions: a new job, a marriage proposal, or perhaps a graduation. But in this instance, at Ol Jogi Conservancy in Laikipia, Kenya, ‘Rhino Dinners’ are occasions to celebrate the important work of the Conservancy’s rangers.

The aim of the Rhino Dinners is to provide a fun occasion and show appreciation for rangers’ daily sacrifices and hard work protecting the Conservancy’s resident rhinos. Ol Jogi’s monitoring rangers have been responsible for a more than 90% detection rate of poaching intrusions, thanks to their exceptional tracking skills and the strategic stationing of their teams.

Our recent funding is improving rangers’ daily lives, helping to make what is a very difficult and dangerous job that little bit better. This is only possible thanks to the generosity of those who fundraise for and donate towards ForRangers and Save the Rhino.

To read more about Rhino Dinners, click here.

In 2023, two Sumatran rhino calves were born at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary (SRS) in Way Kambas National Park, Indonesia!

On 30 September 2023, a female calf named Anggi was born to third time mother Ratu. Two months later, on 25 November 2023, Ratu’s previous daughter, Delilah, became a mother for the first time, having a baby boy named Indra! Delilah is the first captive-born Sumatran rhino to give birth, a significant milestone for this essential breeding programme.

Indra is the fifth calf to be born at the SRS and as we celebrate his birth, we’re also reminded of the alarming state of his species’ population. Keeping Sumatran rhinos safe and bringing them together to breed is vital for their future.

To read more about the latest birth, click here.