Conservation NGO African Parks plans to rewild more than 2000 Southern White rhinos within the next ten years.
African Parks ‘manages 22 protected areas in partnership with 12 governments across Africa,’ reports TravelNews. They took over ‘Platinum Rhino,’ the world’s biggest private captive rhino breeding operation. The 7,800-ha property in the North West holds 2000 Southern White rhinos, over 15% of our remaining wild population.
Platinum Rhino was at risk of poaching and fragmentation due to financial difficulties. To ensure the survival of the rhinos, African Parks, supported by the South African Government and emergency funding, became the new owners of the breeding program.
The main objective of the rewilding operation is to release the rhinos in carefully managed and secure areas, either by establishing new populations or supplementing existing ones. This will be one of the world’s biggest continent-wide rewilding endeavors for any animal.
CEO of African Parks Peter Fearnhead said, ‘The scale of this undertaking is simply enormous, and therefore daunting. However, it is equally among the most exciting and globally strategic conservation opportunities. We will be working with multiple governments, funding partners, and conservation organisations, who are committed to making this rewilding vision a reality.’
South African Minister of Forestry, Fisheries, and Environment Barbara Creecy shared, ‘Our government is guided in our approach to conservation by the UN Convention on Biodiversity and our own white paper. In this regard, we are ready to support African Parks and other partners with technical and scientific advice in developing a conservation solution that includes translocating the animals over a period of time to suitable parks and community conservancies in South Africa and on the African continent.’
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