FOOTPRINTS

“Take only memories, leave only footprints...” Chief Seattle (c. 1786 – June 7, 1866)

Going on safari provides an experience that lives with one forever. Watching a herd of elephants romp in a dam, seeing a pride of lions preparing for a hunt or catching sight of a mother rhino nudging her little calf along, are magical memories that only Africa can provide. Whilst tourists leave footprints when on safari, the income received from these global travellers helps conservation in the hope that these animals can survive for generations to come.

Although trophy hunting still occurs today - and controversially so - it isn’t the biggest challenge faced by conservation. That challenge is illegal poaching.

At current poaching rates, Rhinos, elephants and lions may be gone within our lifetime www.AWF.org

Sadly, Rhino poaching is a very real issue in South Africa, with the Black Rhino already on the ‘Critically Endangered’ WWF list and the White Rhino on the ‘Threatened’ list. Although there are a number of organisations who are active in anti-poaching unites and or caring for orphaned Rhinos, more help is needed. Whether it is actively trying to close down the illegal trade at source, or increasing anti-poaching units, or monitoring Rhino’s 24/7 by drones, or on foot, more funding, donations and volunteers are required.

The Qui Vado team is active in spreading the word against poaching and informing our clients as best we can, as well as making a donation on behalf of every booking we do. For more information, please do click on the links below, or contact us. Humans have become these precious animal’s greatest threat and together we need to fight against bad and educate, support and protect.

For more information please do click on the links below.

 

STATISTICS
  • 394 Rhinos lost forever 2020
  • 594  Rhinos lost forever 2019
  • 892  Rhinos lost forever 2018
  • 1124  Rhinos lost forever 2017
  • 1175  rhinos  lost forever 2015
  • 1218 rhinos lost forever 2014
  • 1004 Rhino lost forever in 2013

**Please Note: These are recorded poachings in South Africa alone, the unaccounted number of Rhino deaths and the poaching in neighbouring countries, increases these numbers.

 

About the Rhino Horn

Rhino horn cannot be legally sold on the international market. The international trade in rhino horn was banned in 1976 by signatories to the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Unfortunately, a flourishing black market trade has led to widespread rhino poaching.

South African poaching explained
https://www.savetherhino.org/rhino-info/poaching-stats/
South Africa has by far the largest population of rhinos in the world and is an incredibly important country for rhino conservation. From 2007-2014 the country experienced an exponential rise in rhino poaching – a growth of over 9,000%. Most illegal activity occurs in Kruger National Park, a 19,485 km2 of protected habitat on South Africa’s north-eastern border with Mozambique. Kruger consistently suffered heavy poaching loses, and so in the last few years, the government and international donors have channelled ever more funding and resources into securing the Park. In recent years, Kruger has continued to be a critical poaching area, though the number of rhinos poached in the Park is going down.

Unfortunately, this positive – and very welcome – decrease does not mean rhinos are now thriving. On average in the country, a rhino is killed every 15 hours. This is a significant downward trend since 2015, when more than three rhinos were poached every 24 hours.

It is extremely encouraging that more people were arrested and prosecuted than previous years; stopping corruption and speeding up prosecution processes continues to be critically important if we are to truly tackle this horrific illegal trade.

Care For Wild Africa
https://www.careforwild.co.za
Baby rhinos that are orphaned in the wild rarely survive. The mission of Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary is to rescue every rhino that is orphaned, to heal them and to provide a totally secure environment where they can grow, roam free, and breed to ensure that there will always be rhinos in Africa. Despite intense counter poaching efforts, rhinos poaching is on-going throughout South Africa. Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary NPC is developing a concise strategy to ensure the safety and security of the rhinos under the centres care, and is committed to maintaining the highest level of protection. Such security measures will include (but are not limited to) 24/7 monitoring of individual animal groups, highly trained armed game scouts, mobile response units, communications network, crime intelligence, intense surveillance and live video monitoring, trained counter poaching dogs and their respective handlers, watch towers, electrified fencing, and aerial support.

 

Unite Against Poaching
https://www.uniteagainstpoaching.co.za/
Despite intense counter poaching efforts, rhinos continue to be poached at unprecedented levels throughout South Africa. In the heart of the South African bush, poachers are waging war on our national pride and raping our natural heritage. Gangs of armed insurgents butcher our hapless wild animals. Attacking under cover of darkness with weapons of war, they kill, drug or maim our precious rhinos, hacking off their horns with callous disregard and utmost savagery. Some leave wire snares in place which will strangle or maim any animal it captures. Unite Against Poaching together with Unitrans and Volkswagen & Audi Group are raising funds to equip our field rangers and dedicated counter poaching teams with the necessary equipment to stop these poachers. 100% of the money donated is used to buy equipment such as night vision equipment, back packs, radio equipment, binoculars, tents and GPS receivers.