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The desert adapted Black Rhinoceros surviving in the arid northwest of Namibia are the only rhino, worldwide, that have survived on communal land with no formal conservation status. Black Rhino have diminished from many thousands in the seventies to just over three thousand today. In the early 1980's a savage slaughter of desert wildlife was taking place. As the rhino numbers shrank to near extinction, a group of concerned people gathered together to form a Trust fund.
The aim of the Save the Rhino Trust was to stop the horrendous slaughter of rhino, elephant and other wildlife. With a few years of determination and hard work, and with the help of international funds, the Save the Rhino Trust (SRT) was born. Since the founding of Trust 20 years ago poaching has drastically declined and the rhino population has more than doubled. The project has been enthusiastically supported by the Chiefs and headmen in the area and the neighbouring farming community. Collaboration with Government and the local community has been achieved, with the aim to provide security for the rhino, to monitor the rhino population in the region, and to bring benefit to the community through conservation and tourism.
Even though all staff members of the SRT are Namibians, our international donors are the basis of our continued success in protecting the desert rhino and elephant. In the long term, SRT is aiming to make its projects self-sufficient and managed by local staff. For this reason training in eco-tourism and support for rhino based tourism is provided. The Ugab Base Camp and Training Centre already generate funds to cover some of their operational costs but it falls well short of the total. It has taken some time for the project to gain momentum and be successful and it is vital that it continues to do so. The desert adapted Black Rhino are unique in the world and are an excellent example of sustainability, eco tourism and conservation. The project is a model for the protection of other endangered species and balances the needs of the animals and their environment with the needs of the local community and eco tourism.
This project has operated on a shoe-string for many years and it is a tribute to those involved that there are any Desert adapted Black Rhino alive at all in Namibia. The Trust desperately needs funds now to continue it's valuable work and ensure the survival of the Black Rhino and support of the local community.
If you would like to help Save the Rhino Trust in Namibia continue and expand, please contact us and we will put you in touch with the relevant people. This program needs funds to pay human trackers, for the purchase of Radio Tracking Collars, Battery Packs for the Tracking Collars, and Satellite Tracking Receivers.