May 2023

Six Big African Journeys

One team. One community.

With Baby Rhino Rescue founder Helena Kriel on the ground in South Africa, the SA directors hit the road with intent and intensity. We did six big journeys to our partners on the ground, progressing projects, meeting new people, and being exposed to the reality happening in the war to save the rhino from extinction.

Wildlife trafficking, which includes fisheries and timber, is the fourth biggest illegal trade in the world, amassing a staggering 10 billion dollars a year! This big business is run by dangerous international crime syndicates. As a result, working with threatened wildlife has become dangerous and the people we work with describe it as “a war they suddenly found themselves in.”

Because the South African ruling party, the African National Congress or ANC, does very little to protect the heritage of the wildlife in the country, it falls to private individuals to keep animals safe. In our case, these are the private rhino owners who we have been working with for many years now.

Meeting with these powerful, committed, and often exhausted individuals, who receive almost no funding at all, only strengthens our intent to bring the help needed!

Security is our primary task. With new BRR Director Sarah Clayton, a security expert, and new working member Ross Court, also a security expert and analyst, we are poised to do very significant things with security.

We met with the founders of Camel Thorn, the top wildlife security group, founded and manned by two ex-government intelligence operatives. After two days of brainstorming, we have arrived at what could be a game changer for security across the country. We can’t reveal more in this newsletter, but by the next newsletter we will have the details to share!

But back to the travels!

Our Rhino Travel Went as Follows:

The Waterberg

In the Waterberg we met with the Managing Director of the Waterberg Land Alliance where we are working an umbrella project to keep all the reserves and private owners in that area safe. The rollout of the security we have committed to has already begun. And, we will be funding the essential upgrading of key security points in the region.

We also met with the MD of Marataba Conservation and recommitted ourselves to the reserve as our “home” in the Waterberg. We will be funding 11 LoRa security collars for the female rhinos in the reserve. The AI collars learn the behavior of the rhinos. If there is anything unusual, the collars trigger an emergency response team to exact co-ordinates, meaning poachers at the scene will be caught!

Middle of South Africa

We were brought in to consult with private rhino owners.

The full contingent of security operatives in the area, key rhino custodians, and the Camel Thorn founders were present.

We committed to funding a strategic security system, which will not only keep those rhino properties and a provisional game reserve under watch, but will also launch countrywide security surveillance. We cannot divulge more details than this!

We were treated to the sight of extraordinary rhinos grazing peacefully under the watchful eye of 24/7 armed guards.

The truly terrifying truth is that all this is funded by private individuals and our concern is that as they run out of money, they give up on their rhinos, and sell their properties and those wild areas become beef farms!

So, rhinos are lost, bush is lost, and biodiversity suffers. In essence, the rhino keeps the bush intact in many situations. Truly we feel the frustration of private owners.

They are the ones largely keeping rhinos safe. The state has failed the rhino. Owners get no state funding, yet have no say in the rhino narrative. There is something wrong with this picture!

The Kalahari

We have been working in this vast area for 4 years. One of our strategic properties is in this area. We have already secured the property with military grade drones, and several different security systems. We cannot give additional details. After our visit, we committed to the next level of security with all funded and being rolled out.

Two teams of poachers have been operating in the area. Our system aided in the capture of one team. While we were there, an attempted poaching took place. We experienced firsthand the drama, intensity, and danger of what the heroes on the ground face. Gunshots started a hunt for the poachers, which included helicopters, dogs, anti-poaching units and intelligence operatives. We remained clustered around the radio, hoping that no rhinos were killed. Luckily bootprints were found. The South African police made casts. These will be used for evidence. Poachers always use the same shoes!

We had the incredible fortune of having a mother black rhino and her youngster reveal themselves to us, standing very close to the Land Rover. At the same moment, a rainbow detached from the ground and became a “rainbow pod” suspended in the sky and sending a cone of light to us on land! We saw this as a “good sign” that our work is indeed bringing the protection of light!

There was an exciting update a day later – three of the four poachers were caught and are now awaiting sentencing.

Northern South Africa

Unfortunately, we cannot divulge where this is, but in this remote area truly iconic rhinos live. The property is challenging, and needs added security.

Many security experts have been consulted without success.

Our security team, Sarah Clayton and Ross Court, walked the area with the Managing Director and came up with what might be a real solution, though it is expensive.

We are hopeful that we will find a way to protect this iconic property and its extraordinary rhinos!

BRR's work with Rhino Connect continues monthly.

We are pleased to announce the following updates that we funded.

• An 18-month-old calf on a private reserve was found in a critically malnourished state, but the mother was too old and unable to care for the youngster. With the help of Dr. Shaun Beverley, the calf was darted and treated.

• One of the orphans under the care of Rhino Connect fell ill. Our funds paid for medical expenses.

Photos from the Road Trip

A Custodian of Rhinos

Helena Kriel and BRR Director Karina Suter visited John Hume, who owns almost 2,000 rhinos. This makes him the biggest custodian of rhinos in the country, with more rhinos than The Kruger National Park.

Read what Helena discovered about Hume and his need to place his property and rhinos on auction! Click HERE to link to the Daily Maverick story.

Baby Rhino Rescue’s on-line silent auction – which we presented in collaboration with our friends at Conserve Earth – closed successfully.

We now have added funds to secure more LoRa collars for rhinos.

Our friend, Cindy Lee of Wags and Menace Make a Difference Foundation, has kindly donated funds for orphan milk again!

Her gift translates into 500 bottles of milk for orphans at the Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary.

With so many hungry mouths to feed, and some babies requiring 6 - 8 feedings a day, this is helpful for the sanctuary!

Thank you, Cindy!

Click HERE to learn more about the foundation.

Welcome Ross Court

Baby Rhino Rescue is thrilled to welcome Ross Court, a security expert and analyst, who has joined our working team in South Africa.

Bringing his decade-long expertise with security and technology to the fight to save rhinos is significant.

He is the perfect example of how we work – talented professionals using their skill and experience to save rhinos!

Thinking outside the box!

Poachers always consult with sangomas, African witch doctors, before they go into an area to poach.

Their processes differ slightly from area to area, but we were told that clothes are left with the sangoma overnight, and they are “washed,” which means treated with “medicines.”

When the poachers don those clothes, they consider themselves invisible.

The witch doctor waves a hyena tail around, which is considered to bring luck.

Armed with “luck” and “invisibility,” the poachers head in to kill rhinos.

We have consulted with Marilyn McDowell, a traditional healer working in Johannesburg, and we will be using traditional African medicine techniques to secure certain areas.

Using these medicines, the poacher’s intention is to plunder; our intention is to protect.

Marilyn is joining BRR!

Welcome Marilyn McDowell!

Rhino Guardians

Note from founder and President Helena Kriel:

Without our working board and our working group, who all volunteer their time and dedicate themselves with such focus and passion, none of this could be achieved. It is an honor and privilege to work side by side with individuals of this quality.

The international teams work across the world from where this crisis is taking place.

Tirelessly behind computers year after year, their dedication is nothing short of astonishing! They are the machine that tethers this organization.

Thank you:

Carla Melucci

David Walker

Helen Lunn

Chris Weatherman

Ryan Jones

The South African team ventures intrepidly into far off places, along dangerous pot-holed roads, driving far, and giving up countless weekends of their time.

Whenever we need to hit the road, this group of rhino warriors pack their bags! It is always a “yes!” from these extraordinary people.

Thank you:

Karina Suter

Sarah Clayton

Ross Court

Chane Smit

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