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Supporting our anti-poaching efforts and rhino safety programme is achieved by donating to Saving Private Rhino, with a minimum of R250 making a significant impact.

Donate to Saving Private Rhino.

For valid donations, a section 18A donation certificate will be provided. This certificate contains essential details, such as your name, donation amount, date, and relevant information.

However, please be aware that there might be limits on the percentage of taxable income that donors can claim as deductions (usually no more than 10% of one’s annual income). It’s essential to familiarise yourself with the current SARS regulations to understand the applicable limits.

For specific advice on tax deductions and the eligibility of your donation, we recommend consulting a tax professional or reaching out to SARS directly. 

Privately owned rhinos play a critical role in conservation and population recovery, as more than 60% of Africa’s rhinos are owned by private game reserves and non-government funded conservancies. 

Recent data highlights the ongoing recovery of the private sector following a poaching surge in 2021. In 2020, there were 394 recorded rhino deaths linked to poaching, with only 37 occurring on private game reserves and farms, accounting for less than 10% of the total. However, in 2021, the situation worsened as 124 of the 451 illegally killed rhinos in South Africa were privately owned, representing more than a 300% increase and making up 27.5% of the total. In 2022, the toll of illegal animal poaching on private reserves decreased while it increased on state-owned land, showcasing the effectiveness of funding private rhino conservation initiatives.

One significant factor is the decline of the Kruger Park rhino population, which has plummeted from an estimated 11,000 rhinos to possibly only 2,000 to 3,000 over a decade due to relentless poaching. 

Very few rhinos survive in the wild as a result of persistent poaching and habitat loss over many decades. Poachers kill rhinos for the price they can get illegally trading rhino horn to foreign markets (used for traditional Chinese medicine and high-status gifts in Vietnam).

In South Africa alone, a staggering 1,215 rhinos were killed by poachers in one year – that is one rhino killed every eight hours. However, the horrors of animal poaching are not isolated to South Africa; rhino poaching has seen a drastic surge across the entire African continent, and is a constant threat to smaller rhino populations living on private game reserves and communal land.

It is important to note that the current rhino horn trade is senseless, as rhino horns are composed of keratin and hold no medical or medicinal value.

For millennia, rhinos have roamed Africa’s grasslands, remaining relatively unchanged since prehistoric times. In the past century, Africa’s two surviving rhino species (black and white rhinos) have teetered on the brink of extinction, with the Northern White Rhino being declared functionally extinct. Poaching, trophy hunting, and the Asian medicine trade, driven by misguided beliefs in their horns’ medicinal properties, have pushed rhino populations to the edge.

Rhinos, as keystone species, are vital to Africa’s delicate ecosystems. Their grazing habits maintain vegetation structure, fostering new growth and offering food for other herbivores like elephants, zebras, and antelope. Built like a tank, they create beneficial pathways across African savannahs and grasslands, enhancing plant biodiversity and acting as natural plows.

Local communities benefit from rhino-based tourism, a major income source that outweighs illegal trade from poaching. Saving Private Rhino work tirelessly to protect and monitor these remarkable creatures, using advanced technology and rapid response teams to combat poaching. 

Donations can make a real difference in the fight against illegal wildlife trade and rhino poaching. All proceeds go towards Saving Private Rhino’s conservation efforts, rhino orphanage, habitat preservation, and anti-poaching training programmes.