On a recent trip to the Kruger National Park we spotted vultures circling on the road leading to Satara Rest Camp. Excited, we thought there’d been a kill and kept our eyes peeled for lion or wild dog. This is what we spotted instead.
The really crushing sight of two dead rhino surrounded by vultures just metres from the tar road. Rhino poaching is reaching crisis point and it’s said that rhino deaths will start to outnumber rhino births, paving a bloody road to extinction.
The most effective way of managing this crisis is by:
- Managing rhino populations
- Compulsory interventions (proactive anti-poaching measures)
- International and national collaboration and cooperation
- Long-term sustainability measures
Also read: In photos: rhino tracking in Somkhanda
Here’s the good part: you can help at the Gauteng Getaway Show. We are looking for second hand camping goods to support the anti-poaching rangers doing the work out there in the field. There are many Anti-Poaching Rangers on the Mozambique side of Kruger, trained and supported by StopRhinoPoaching.com (SRP), who do not receive the same level of funding as our rangers on the South African side do. They desperately require basic camping equipment, used or second hand, and in good working condition.
There will be drop-off points outside the Ticketpro Dome during the Gauteng Getaway Show where you can donate old camping gear and, in exchange, we’ll give you a free ticket into the show (saving you R70 at the gate) plus a three-month digital subscription for each person who donates to this cause.
Here is a list of basic needs
- Canvas tents, preferably in traditional camouflage or bush colours (although anything helps)
- Ground sheets
- Gas bottles, cookers, and lights
- Chairs, tables, sleeping bags and blankets
- Trommels
- Water bottles or water containers
- Eating utensils – plates, cutlery, etc.
- Multi-tools
- Torches
- Communication devices – old cell phones, smart phones, etc.
Anything at all you can donate will be very much appreciated!
Also read: Shadowing rhino rangers: three days on the front line
