Counter Poaching Efforts

Information & discussion on the Rhino Poaching Pandemic
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We need more people like him! ^Q^


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WATCH: the sanctuary where Uganda's rhinos can breed in safety

2018-09-15 13:41

Uganda's southern white rhinos

There were none left in Uganda until the Rhino Fund imported a few and started a breeding program. Now there are 24 at its sanctuary in Ziwa, protected by a large team of rangers.

Twenty-four southern white rhino roam the 70 square kilometers of the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary in Uganda, sponsored by the Rhino Fund.

"My dream is to see the rhinos put back into the National Park... and multiplying in numbers there," says Rhino Fund ranger Raymond Opio.

But it may be several decades before the sanctuary's rhino population reaches those crucial levels.

Click on the title to see the video.


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Youth tackle hot topics on World Rhino Day

The Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) recognises the critical role that young people have to play in conservation, as the guardians of our future. With this in mind, the EWT will be running its annual speech and poster contest for schools on World Rhino Day, 22 September 2018.

South Africa's rhinos are in crisis and the EWT believes that the youth can play a key role in helping to save them. This annual event, made possible by the MyPlanet Rhino Fund, invites Grade 10 learners from schools in areas that are high risk for poaching activities to prepare speeches and posters on a topic relevant to the rhino crisis. Now in its fourth year, the contest was initially held in Mpumalanga in 2015 and has subsequently taken place in the Waterberg region in Limpopo each year. This year, participants have three options to choose from:

- Preparing a speech on the topic: “You are chosen to attend the 2019 CITES Conference of the Parties. You have been requested to give a speech to the CITES member countries on the value of rhino to you as a South African youth. What will you tell them? In your speech please tell us why rhinos are important to you and explain what CITES is and why you feel the international community should help South Africa save them from poaching.”

- Preparing a speech on the topic: “The Endangered Wildlife Trust Wildlife in Trade Programme has a project called ‘Kopanang’, meaning come together. This project aims to bring communities and nature reserves together – how would you achieve this goal? In your speech please set out the importance of wildlife, why wildlife crimes must be stopped, and what activities you will do or would like to do to help under this project.”

- Designing a poster on the topic: “What rhinos mean to you/why you love rhinos.”

Twenty schools from the area are participating.

Mashudu Makhokha, Director of Lapalala Wilderness School where the contest is hosted, says: “The contest has a huge impact on the participants, as it deals with the perception amongst local communities that biodiversity does not deliver tangible socio-economic benefits, particularly to the poor. It is through this competition that communities see social upliftment and empowerment of the younger generation to attain critical thinking skills and get involved in solving real issues like rhino poaching. The incentives are greatly appreciated by all participants since our province is one of the poorest provinces in the country, often with limited resources for teaching and learning. These opportunities close the gap of lack of proper uniforms, lack of study aid and lack of access to technological equipment.”

While the contest offers valuable prizes in the form of laptops for the winning speakers, enhancing their educational opportunities, the real prize is the engagement around these critical conservation topics. The participants go on to become ambassadors for rhinos in their local communities, speaking out against poaching, and acting as eyes and ears on the ground.

The EWT has a long track record of tackling rhino poaching, and first established a targeted Rhino Conservation Project in 2010. The EWT has taken a multi-faceted approach with multiple interventions along the rhino poaching chain. These approaches include the provision of detection and anti-poaching dogs to key locations, such as airports and reserves; community engagement and awareness raising; patrol optimisation technology to improve detection and enforcement; capacity building through training for law enforcement officials, rangers, and other stakeholders; and policy engagement.


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Re: Counter Poaching Efforts

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^Q^ ^Q^ ^Q^


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\O


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EWT are one of the oldest and sharpest conservation groups in SA! \O


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China, the next generation – reconnecting, inspiring, protecting
Posted on 21 September, 2018 by News Desk in Conservation, Multimedia, News, People, Videos, Wildlife

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Students were educated on how rhino orphans are being cared for and rehabilitated for reintroduction into the wild © Peace Parks Foundation


Media release from Peace Parks Foundation

A group of three students and their professors from the College of Design and Innovation at Tongji University recently visited Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park as part of a campaign in which students utilise creative design skills to inspire change within their communities. The initiative, known as the “Xi” – meaning both rhino and cherish – campaign has been a part of the university’s formal curriculum for the past two years and is the outcome of a partnership between Peace Parks Foundation and Tongji University.

Each year, Peace Parks Foundation brings the top performing students to South Africa where they educated on the reality of the rhino poaching crisis through direct interaction with people who have been involved in rhino conservation for many years.

“This an opportunity for them to come to the South African bushveld and immerse themselves in the subject of rhino conservation. Their time here is spent gaining a deeper understanding and appreciation of that which influences and informs some of the design activities that they are engaged in China,” says Brad Poole, Peace Parks’ Chief Operations Officer.

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Dr Liu Jing, Wang Wanqiao, Hu Kai, Hao Siqi in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park where they had their first encounters with true wilderness. These students and visiting professors work to reduce the demand for rhino horn products in their communities © Peace Parks Foundation

Through workshops students heard personal accounts of the costs involved in anti-poaching operations, the sacrifices it demands and the rewards when animals are saved. In turn, the students shared a bit of Chinese conservation history and provided an in-depth overview of the research involved in creating their designs.

Jabulani Ngubane, Ezemvelo’s park manager for iSimangaliso Wetland Park, commented, “I was very happy to see people from China take the initiative to change perceptions, especially those of the youth, because if you want to make a real investment, that is where you start.”


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Prof Cai Jun of Tsinghua University (Beijing) got to see firsthand the plight of the rhino © Peace Parks Foundation

Solving the rhino crises requires multiple levels of intervention from boots on the ground, law enforcement strategies and demand management initiatives.

For Edward Goosen, Cluster Conservation Manager for the Mkhuzi section of the Isimangoliso Wetland Park, the experience of engaging with the students was memorable. He says, “At times you may feel that you are fighting this battle on your own. Coming out here and hearing other people’s perspectives and seeing how they are holistically addressing the problem is really encouraging.”

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Dr. Liu Jing and Prof Jan von Holstein with learners at a local school close to Hluhluwe iMfolozi Park © Peace Parks Foundation

A bookmark like none other

The class of 2018 created an array of innovative design concepts to convey the message of rhino protection that included a range of merchandise, educational games and interactive e-books, with one group even writing and recording a beautiful song to underscore an animated story on the issue.

The winning team this year created a beautiful reimagination of a bookmark for the modern world.

Design student Hao Siqu explains, “Our project looked at developing a range of bookmarks that people will find in bookstores. It has a pop-out panel which can be folded into a small rhino origami figurine. The figurine can then be scanned with a cell phone which will direct the user to a website containing rhino conservation information. The remaining part can be used as a beautiful bookmark and when placed correctly, it would seem as if a tiny rhino is peering from out of the book. People will also be able to donate towards the cause from the accompanying online social and interactive platform”.

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(Top FLTR) Brad Pool, and Prof Jan von Holstein and Prof Cai Jun, with (bottom FLTR) Hao Siqi, Dr Liu Jing, Wang Wanqiao and Hu Kai during a visit to Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park. The group are representatives from two Chinese universities and Peace Parks Foundation who are working together to find ways to motivate a change in the use of rhino horn products in Southeast Asian communities © Peace Parks Foundation

Reading physical books bought from bookstores rarely happens in western countries as people tend to order books online, or use e-readers. In China, however, reading books in cosy stores offer a relaxing haven from buzzing and over-crowded streets and malls.

It is still a large part of Chinese culture and with this modern rethink of the traditional bookmark design, it is hoped that a very wide audience will be reached and engaged.

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A delegation from Tongji University with rhino protection experts in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park after an intense workshop where each shared ideas on how to motivate change in cultures that would secure a better future for wildlife © Peace Parks Foundation

Reconnecting people with nature, reconnecting people with people

After listening to the students present this idea, Jeff Cooke head of KZN Wildlife’s Game Capture Unit, said, “I think the way they are tackling the problem is very innovative. It is remarkable how they are trying to get into the psyche of the Chinese people and their culture, how they’ve managed to tap into digital media, and how they can manipulate those processes to get their message across. We as game rangers are not always able to think along those lines, so it was interesting to see how they perceive the problem and the different solutions that they’ve come up with. Awareness is what it’s all about, and the long-term strategy that we must aim for is to change perceptions and make it socially less acceptable to consume rhino horn.”

This project is quickly gaining momentum. Mix Lab, which is a Tongji University-enterprise exchange and practice platform, brings together technological innovation, creative design and cultural strengths. The Lab identifies viable designs to produce and take to market, thereby increasing the awareness impact and reach of the projects. Reflecting on the road ahead, Dr Liu Jing, who heads up Mix Lab, said that her experiences during her visit here has inspired her to work even harder to secure a future for wild animals and the spaces they live in.

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Students visiting Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, for the first time, saw rhino freely roaming wide open spaces during a visit in September © Peace Parks Foundation

Several universities from other large cities in China have approached the partners to launch similar projects in their institutions. Prof Cai Jun joined the group on their visit to South Africa and will be launching a similar project at Tsinghua University, Beijing later this month.

Doug Gillings, Manager of Peace Park Foundation’s Combating Wildlife Crime programme, shared, “The programme has grown so much; it started off with one university and now we’re expanding to others who are looking at how to include this into their formal curriculum, which is really significant. I think there is huge potential to partner with even more organisations in China to share the benefits we have in Africa and thereby reconnect them with nature.”

The Xi Campaign forms part of Peace Parks’ Rhino Protection Programme under which rhino horn demand management initiatives in key consumer countries is a primary focus.

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Re: Counter Poaching Efforts

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^Q^ ^Q^ ^Q^

Very important this!


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They must repeat it and with more youngsters from all over the country :yes:


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Re: Counter Poaching Efforts

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:yes: ^Q^


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