Page 16 - Dainfern Precinct Living issue 9 2022

Nature

The aim is to inform the surrounding Cloete says that events such as World richest wildlife areas. When the large
communities that a live rhino is an Rhino Day are important to focus herbivores began moving though
asset that keeps bringing employment attention on rhino conservation and what had been chicory and wheat
and income to the region. One that’s that, while poaching is an immediate fields, these ‘engineers of the bush’
killed for its horn brings little, if any, and serious threat, it is not the only began restoring the soil, fertilising
benefit to them,” adds Cloete. one. it with their manure and dispersing
seeds.
However, even well-co-ordinated “At the moment the poaching of
efforts by game reserves, national animals for their horns is rightly the As the land was restored, it could
parks and effective community- primary focus of rhino conservation, support more species. Black rhino and
engagement programmes aren’t but there’s little point in winning buffalo were brought back in 1993,
enough. To debunk the falsehoods this battle if we lose the war. Human with cheetah, lion and brown hyena
about rhino horn, an intensive, encroachment on rhino habitat is also reintroduced in 2000 and serval and
concerted international science- a problem and, over the long-term, leopard the next year.
based campaign, involving ensuring sufficient wilderness spaces A Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre
governments and global for rhinos to survive and flourish is also was established in 2019, and one of
conservation NGOs is required. important.” its missions is to raise baby rhinos
“They should use every tool at their This is an objective Shamwari has orphaned by the poaching epidemic.
disposal including influencers and championed for the past 30 years Despite the trauma experienced
social media because, while it may by these young orphans, the
be difficult to convince the older since it began buying up farms and rehabilitation centre has successfully
restoring the land to the wilderness it
generations that long-held beliefs had once been. raised and released several into safe
about rhino horn curing cancer environments where it’s hoped that
or increasing virility are untrue, Along with elephant and hippo, white they will contribute to growing the
breaking the chain that perpetuates rhino were among the first animals rhino populations to the point that
these fallacies in successive to be re-introduced to what had they are off the critically endangered
generations could be more effective.” once been one of southern Africa’s list.

14 DPL issue 9 2022