Care for Wild is reflecting on 10 years of heritage and impact as the world’s largest rhino sanctuary!
Mpumalanga, South Africa (22 September 2024) — This World Rhino Day, the community of Mpumalanga is celebrating the worldwide impact of the Care for Wild Rhino sanctuary, the largest rhino sanctuary in the world, that’s been ruining poachers’ plans and stepping up for rhinos for 10 years.
Care for Wild has seen a whole decade of relentless efforts and tireless work in conserving South Africa’s black and white rhino populations, protecting these magnificent but endangered animals from what has unfortunately become a poacher-led fate.
Founded by Petronel Niewoudt (a nominee for the Indianapolis prize, AKA the Nobel Prize of Animal Conservation along with the likes of Kerri Wolter), Care for Wild has been behind numerous rescues, rehabilitations and re-wilding moments—standing firmly as the force against the odds for Rhinos.
The reality of life as a rhino in our country is frightening. In 2023 alone, 499 rhinos were killed in South Africa, an increase of more than 10% when looking at 2022.
But teams like Care for Wild are helping lessen the blow of these numbers. In their 10 years, they have seen over 113 rhinos rescued and rehabilitated, re-wilded 51 and experienced the joy of 29 calves born right at the sanctuary.
A big reason the team’s work is possible is thanks to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Care for Wild and SANParks. This allows black and white rhinos from the Kruger National Park to be rescued and brought straight to the sanctuary.
Although rhinos are central to Care for Wild’s cause, the positive impact of their work across social spheres in local communities cannot be understated. Through conservation-driven initiatives, the team have been able to bridge previous gaps and transform the lives of communities through meaningful social development efforts.
A sustainable conservation model of impact takes this into consideration, ensuring that the basic needs of people are met so that they are out of survival mode themselves and can come from a better place to receive information and feel encouraged to defend our natural heritage.
As Petronel puts it:
“Through our mission to save the rhino, we’ve come to realise that people are truly at the heart of our conservation efforts.”
With this in mind and through the YES programme, 814 unemployed youths have been given the opportunity of a one-year paid work experience at Care for Wild. 40% have gone on to receive permanent positions at the sanctuary.
However, the job is far from done. For Petronel, resilience is key to moving forward.
“Over the years, I’ve witnessed some of the most devastating cases of rhino poaching—heartbreaking moments that kept me awake at night. Yet, this journey has taught me one invaluable lesson: resilience in the face of adversity. We cannot allow poachers to believe they have won, and for that reason, I will continue fighting this injustice.”—Petronel Niewoudt.
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