Rhino protection in the Eastern Cape recently received a boost as field rangers from local game reserves participated in an important mentoring project that is an ongoing collaboration between the Game Rangers Association of Africa (GRAA) and the Chipembere Rhino Foundation (CRF), funded in part by Mastertons Coffee & Tea Specialists.
Between 23 and 27 September 2021 at Amakhala Game Reserve, local rangers from Addo National Park, Great Fish River Nature Reserve and participating Indalo reserves received crucial training empowering them with the knowledge and skills to handle a trauma emergency confidently while patrolling.
September 22 is World Rhino Day, a global conservation initiative to raise public awareness of for the five rhino species in the world. All five are facing the threat of extinction if not protected: Black Rhino (Africa), White Rhino (Africa), Javan (Asia), Sumatran (Asia), and Greater One-Horned (India and Nepal).
To enhance their capabilities, counter-poaching unit rangers from three local reserves – Shamwari, Amakhala and Lalibella – along with their senior team leaders, dog handlers and the counter-poaching dogs, took part in counter-poaching refresher training sessions between the 6 and 21 June.
After more than six years on the frontline of rhino conservation, K9 Sammy has retired. She is the Eastern Cape’s (EC) first Anti-Poaching Tracking and Apprehension Dog funded by an EC-based NGO and played a significant role in the local Anti-Poaching Units (APUs) and community patrols safeguarding our wildlife.
Every December since 2014, the caring team at Radue Optometrists give their boss, Dean Radue, the gift of a conservation donation to show their appreciation – a great gift for someone who is passionate about conservation. “We wanted to give Mr Radue a meaningful gift that meant something to him,” says Di Morris, Radue Optometrists. “Our boss is passionate about conservation and the preservation of wildlife, and what better gift than to donate to a cause close to his heart while also contributing to keeping our rhinos safe in the Eastern Cape.”
Meg Turner is a 23-year-old final year vet student at the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom. She recently raised £1200 for rhino conservation by running a 42km marathon. A massive thank you from all of us at Chipembere Rhino Foundation to Meg for her incredible contribution! Watching the Lion King as a child ignited Meg’s passion for African wildlife. Since then, she has dedicated her life to helping animals big and small.
A massive thank you from all of us at Chipembere Rhino Foundation to our friends at JuMu Rhino Fund for another incredible donation of R50,784.00! Dedicated to protecting and preserving the diminishing number of rhino in South Africa, Chipembere Rhino Foundation has allocated the funds towards the purchase of 13 rhino tracking collars that were donated to two private rhino reserves in the Eastern Cape so that they may better monitor and protect their rhino.
On 22 September, we celebrate World Rhino Day. Driven to protect our rhino and inspired by the conservation efforts of Chipembere Rhino Foundation, Mastertons donates R5 for every 250 grams of ‘Chipembere’ coffee purchased by retailers and coffee-loving rhino supporters to Chipembere Rhino Foundation, contributing significantly to their rhino conservation efforts. Indulging in a cup of ‘Chipembere’ coffee is just one of the ways you can contribute to this worthwhile cause.
Well-trained and competent field rangers with an advanced skill set that includes the efficient tracking of humans, are an increasingly vital tool for Anti-Poaching Units (APUs) to successfully manage and counter the escalating threat of poaching of rhino and elephant for their horn and ivory. Eight highly skilled APU rangers from three private game reserves recently attended an advanced eight-day SASSETA (Safety & Security Sector Education Training Authority) accredited Combat Man Tracker Training course at Kwandwe Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape, thanks to a Chipembere Rhino Foundation funded and Game Rangers Association of Africa (GRAA) coordinated collaboration.
Globally, the plight of our precious few remaining rhinos touch the hearts of those who care about saving our heritage for future generations. “The sad truth is that poaching really affects all of us selling safari experiences. At GoHop.ie, we took the decision to donate to conservation from every booking made to South Africa”.
Mastertons Coffee and Tea Specialists in collaboration with Chipembere Rhino Foundation awarded one lucky coffee-loving rhino supporter an all-expenses paid* trip to Hillsnek Safari Camp. A national campaign to drive sales of the #roastedforacause coffee blend encouraged customers to purchase a 250g bag of Mastertons Chipembere Rhino Blend, R5 from every purchased is donated to the Chipembere Rhino Foundation (CRF) to aid their rhino conservation efforts.
The CRF team was recently delighted to receive a R14,000 donation from SAMBA Motorcycle Tours, which will support CRF’s ongoing projects to create rhino conservation awareness and fund critical anti-poaching interventions.
Every year on 16 November, our Chipembere Rhino Foundation team, and the guides and guests at Amakhala Game Reserve, gather at ‘’God’s Window’’ for a moment of solemn silence around three Remembrance Crosses. These three white crosses – bearing the names of Chippy, Isipho and Geza – pay tribute to and remind us of these three magnificent Rhinos, as well as the 7,000 other Rhinos lost in South Africa since 2010, and renew our commitment to ensure the survival of this iconic species for generations to come.
Eastern Cape’s rhinos enjoy enhanced protection from the poaching crisis, with the deployment of Ziggy, a cold scent tracking dog. Ziggy’s deployment was made possible through an international partnership between Wilderness Foundation Africa (WFA) and Chipembere Rhino Foundation (CRF), as part of the Forever Wild Rhino Protection Initiative. The project is solely supported by Medivet and the Medivet Save the Rhino campaign.
Just before sunrise on 24 May, Kosta Papageorgiou summited Lions Head Mountain in Cape Town for the 250th time since 11 September 2017, reaching the half way mark of an inspiring goal to complete 500 summits by the end of 2018 for the Lion 500 Fund Raising Challenge....
The growing threat of rhino poaching in the Eastern Cape has sparked a remarkable international collaboration which has resulted in the first ‘cold scent’ tracker dog funded for use throughout the Eastern Cape. A dog so unique that her presence and skill set will be...
Rhino conservation efforts took a glamourous turn recently when Chipembere took to the catwalk at the Fairview Horse Racing Derby in Port Elizabeth on 13 May 2017. Chipembere is both a special All African Arabica coffee blend, roasted for a cause by Port...
Riley Devan, a 13-year-old boy in Grade 8 at Selborne Primary School in East London, has already helped to raise more than R25,000 for organisations that work to save his favourite animals: the critically endangered rhino. Riley’s Rally for Rhinos started in 2014...
To salute and support our brave conservation soldiers and show appreciation of their crucial role in the battle to save our rhino, the Chipembere Rhino Foundation in collaboration with RAGES (Rotarian Action Group for Endangered Species), undertook a mission to collect bonus rations for the men of the Eastern Cape Rhino Anti-Poaching Units (APU).
Jules Murray, a South African-born young lady has been living in Hong Kong for over nine years and recently returned to South Africa, attending DSG School in Grahamstown. Jules’ Save the Rhino journey started after hearing about the plight of the rhino, and deciding to do what she could to make a difference. When Jules Murray recently addressed the World Youth Rhino Summit, the most amazing thing was not the R160, 000 she has raised to date for rhino conservation. The most amazing thing is that Jules was just 13 years old! So, on her 11th birthday, Jules skipped the traditional birthday party and instead asked her friends to join her in painting Save the Rhino pictures, which were auctioned, raising R30, 000. Jules donated the money to the Chipembere Rhino Foundation (CRF), a local NGO dedicated to protecting and preserving the diminishing number of rhino in South Africa. CRF bought three radio tracking collars for rhinos in the Eastern Cape reserves. When Jules and her family later visited South Africa, the CRF team invited Jules to join them in the helicopter and to help collar the rhino. “The day had a huge impact on me. To be up close, and to see and touch these gentle giants was a truly humbling experience,” says Jules. “Meeting the CRF team was so inspiring; I knew I had to carry on doing what I could to raise money and awareness to save these beautiful creatures. So I started the JuMu Rhino Fund, determined to raise more money.”
Excerpt from Dereck Joubert, Chairman, Great Plains Foundation: It was very much like a blood moon as Beverly and I drove towards Duba Plains Camp and my mind toyed with the fact that for some rhinos it would literally be a blood moon. The red full moon was, in this case, setting before dawn as we mobilized; and somewhere in South Africa poachers were washing their hands after a hard night’s work, as they do most full moons now.
This is exactly what happened in the second week of September this year shortly after a friend of mine, Markus Jenson, who owns land in South Africa, contacted me about his rhinos. We’d been debating whether he should sell his rhinos and fund some anti-poaching on his land or give them to us (you no doubt know my feelings on this). A few days after our discussion he called me and said that the night before on a wonderful full moon, he’d heard gunshots. Four of his rhinos were dead.
On a lay day during the recent 2015 J-Bay Open, Stop No. 6 on the 2015 Samsung Galaxy World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT), top surfers Kelly Slater, 11-time world champion from the US and Australian WSL Title Contender Owen Wright, joined renowned wildlife veterinarian Dr William Fowlds and the Chipembere Rhino Foundation (CRF) on a special operation to dart and fit a tracking collar to the leg of a threatened white rhino. Exposing these top athletes to the vital tracking components applied in protecting this iconic species allows them to share in some of the work that the Chipembere team and those under the rhino conservation are doing to better protect rhinos from poachers.