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Chipembere Rhino Foundation: Saving Rhino One at a Time

Supporting Rhino conservation on the ground – where it counts!

For 50 million years, rhinos have roamed the earth. Iconic and charismatic, these animals are part of the Big 5 and an irreplaceable part of our spectacular African natural heritage. Sadly, rhinos are being poached to the point of extinction.

“Every rhino is precious. We mourn the devastating loss of more than 9,100 rhinos in South Africa over the last 14 years,” says Brent Cook, founder and CEO of Chipembere Rhino Foundation (CRF), established in 2010 to protect Rhino in Southern Africa. “The approximately 5,500 Black Rhino left are already classified as critically endangered, while the remaining 18,000 White Rhino are classified as near-threatened. These dire statistics propels us to even greater efforts to protect these iconic species.”

Protecting the world’s last remaining rhinos – of which 80% are found in South Africa – is a mammoth task that requires multi-stakeholder involvement – from the brave conservation soldiers on the frontline to ordinary citizens, businesses and organisations like CRF that support a range of anti-poaching efforts locally and across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Making a difference

“A multi-pronged approach is needed to protect our rhino from well-equipped, armed and dangerous poachers,” says Cook. “It requires using our limited resources to provide maximum protection in areas of greatest importance.”

With the assistance of volunteers who do incredible work to raise awareness, the technical and practical experience of the trustees, partnerships with rhino custodians and the generous support from donors, CRF has made a significant contribution to the efforts to protect our rhino heritage, providing tangible equipment, intelligence, technology, education and relocation assistance to rhino custodians across Southern Africa.

These contributions have been widely recognised: CRF was nominated in the category “Best NGO” in the 2012 Rhino Conservation Awards and, more recently, CRF was a finalist in The Safari Awards for Best Wildlife Conservation Organisation and Brent Cook was a finalist for Best Personal Contribution to Wildlife Conservation.

“We thank all those who have contributed over the years,” says Cook. “I shudder to think how many more rhino we could have lost if it was not for the efforts made by local NGOs, businesses, the community and individuals in terms of continuous funding and support. Saving one rhino at a time, the donations and support from caring South Africans and the global community, no matter how small, make a massive difference. With your support, we can ensure that future generations  will be able to enjoy the magnificent sight of a rhino roaming wild, knowing that our generation did not shy away from our responsibility to protect and preserve the precious natural heritage bestowed on us.”

Join us!

We invite you to join Southern Africa’s rhino custodians in protecting these rare and iconic animals against poaching. Subscribe to receive Rhino Updates or follow us on social media via Facebook or Instagram or LinkedIn or YouTube and become part of a locally-based but global effort to save the world’s last few remaining rhinos!

Note to Editors:

For more information, please visit www.chipembere.org or contact us using the details below. All content, images, and videos can be downloaded directly from this page, see below.

Key projects

Cook notes that the most successful interventions in protecting rhino include monitoring and tracking; Anti-Poaching Units (APU) supported by specially-trained K9 units; translocating rhinos to safe havens; collaborating with likeminded NGO’s and companies; and – perhaps most importantly – raising awareness and funding.

Rhino monitoring & tracking technology – CRF specialises in sourcing, testing and funding technology for effective rhino monitoring, allowing the location and physical health of rhino to be monitored continuously and enabling anti-poaching teams to be positioned strategically for more effective anti-poaching efforts.

APU equipment and training – Brave Anti-Poaching Unit (APU) rangers on the ground patrol thousands of kilometres of bush day and night, facing wild animals and professional poaching syndicates. CRF supplies these conservation soldiers with tested anti-poaching equipment, including bullet-proof vests and first aid kits. Regular accredited ranger training courses ensures APUs are professionally trained and motivated for their vital role on the frontline.

K9 projects – CRF’s K9 deployment units, used for tracking and capturing poachers and detecting contraband, including firearms and rhino horn, have been described as a game changer in combating poaching. Chipembere Rhino Foundation’s K9 project has made a significant contribution to this sector of anti-poaching and the support structures that need to be in place to keep a successful K9 team operational. CRF’s success in this regard has also ignited international collaborations and donor funding.

Translocating rhinos to safety – CRF funds the equipment required to translocate rhino from high risk poaching areas to better protected areas. For example, in a collaboration with the ‘Rhinos Without Borders’ project, CRF assisted in the translocation of 100 rhinos to safe havens in Botswana.

Collaboration – Saving a species from extinction requires a national collaborative effort. CRF has partnered with key organizations such as Rotary, Game Rangers Association of Africa (GRAA), Masterton’s, Cause Conservation, Canines 4 Africa, ARCC, Indalo, SANParks, East Cape Parks, Rhinos Without Borders and JuMu, amongst others that contribute to rhino conservation on the ground, where it matters most.

Raising awareness and funds – Raising awareness about the plight of the last few remaining rhino and raising funding for urgently needed anti-poaching interventions are critical.

Contact Information
Founder & Project Manager
Contact: Brent Cook
Email: brent@hillsnek.com

Media contact
For more information about press releases.
Contact : Angela Barter
Mobile: +27 (0)72 3758746
Email: angela@thePRagency.co.za

Chipembere Rhino Foundation Boiler Plate

After witnessing the senseless slaughter of their two rhino breeding bulls, Brent and Chantelle Cook, along with business partner Paul Naudé, established The Chipembere Rhino Foundation (CRF) in 2010 to protect and preserve the diminishing number of rhino in Southern Africa. Their stellar efforts were later reinforced with the addition of renowned wildlife veterinarian, Dr. William Fowlds, as a trustee of the foundation after a third rhino they owned was poached in 2011. As an NGO run by volunteers, CRF specialises in continuously sourcing, testing and funding a number of conservation tools used in safeguarding rhino and supporting rangers.  Focus has been applied to technology used for rhino monitoring; K9 handlers and their tracking and apprehension dogs, vital equipment and ongoing training for rangers, translocating Rhino across Southern Africa; and also the collaboration with other like-minded NGOs and companies in Rhino preservation efforts.

National and local rhino poaching statistics:

For more information about current rhino statistics.

Brent Cook
Founder & CEO, Chipembere Rhino Foundation

Brent Cook is the Founder and CEO of Chipembere Rhino Foundation (CRF), a privately run non-profit organisation protecting and promoting rhino population growth in Southern Africa and supporting critical anti-poaching efforts in Africa.

As CEO, Cook oversees the sourcing, testing and funding of a number of conservation tools used in safeguarding rhino and supporting rangers. Focus has been applied to technology used for rhino monitoring; K9 handlers and their tracking and apprehension dogs, vital equipment and ongoing training for rangers, translocating Rhino across Southern Africa; and also the collaboration with other like-minded NGOs and companies in Rhino preservation efforts.

Cook’s passion for rhino began in his childhood in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa, living near the Hluhluwe–iMfolozi Park, home to one of the largest populations of southern white rhino in the world. His family later moved to the Eastern Cape, bought land on a reserve, and started a white rhino breeding project. Later, after tragically losing two white rhino bulls to poaching, Cook – along with his wife, Chantelle, and his business partner, Paul Naudé – established CRF in 2010 to structure conservation efforts into one organization for a multi-pronged approach to rhino protection and preservation.

In addition to Chipembere, the Cooks run a safari lodge business, Hillsnek Safari Camp, an intimate and classic tented camp on a private game reserve in the Eastern Cape of South Africa.

They also raised two daughters in the small coastal town of St. Francis Bay. Cook says it is the part of the Cape Coastline where one can completely disconnect from the modern world and experience “an immersion into the peace and solitude of nature that still to this day feeds my soul”.

Dr. William Fowlds
Trustee, Chipembere Rhino Foundation

Dr Will Fowld’s is a renowned wildlife veterinarian and rhino conservation champion. He went to school at St Andrews in Grahamstown and studied veterinary science through Onderstepoort in Pretoria. His conservation experience is rooted in the conversion of a fifth generation family owned domestic farm, along with neighbouring properties into what is now known as the Amakhala Game Reserve.
Dr. Fowlds started conveying the brutality of wildlife crime from 2011 when he was first called to the aid of rhino butchered by poaching. He travels throughout South Africa and abroad sharing his personal testimony and personal accounts of the tragedy befalling these magnificent creatures.
Dr. Fowlds strives to encourage a multi-faceted approach to the rhino crisis through increased collaboration and cohesion. He is a trustee of the Chipembere Rhino Foundation (CRF) and founder of the African Rhino Conservation Collaboration (ARCC). He also co-founded the Texas Christian University Rhino Initiative (TCU) in 2015 following his participation in their Global Innovator Program. Dr. Fowlds is also a project coordinator for Wilderness Foundation Africa on the  Medivet Saving the Rhino campaign which has enabled him to increase his work in rescue, education & awareness and prevention of poaching at both protection and demand reduction sides of the crisis. 
He spends part of his time facilitating courses which connect veterinary students from around the world with the diversity of African wildife. He spends part of his time facilitating courses which connect veterinary students from around the world with the diversity of African wildlife. These “Vets go Wild” courses aired around the world as the Safari Vet School series, via ITV and Animal Planet. He has contributed to various mainstream media channels such as Sky News, NBC, Channel 4 and the BBC.

Press Releases

Mentoring Project Empowers EC Rhino Guardians

Mentoring Project Empowers EC Rhino Guardians

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.

read more
Local Rangers Empowered By First Responder Courses
Local Rangers Empowered By First Responder Courses

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.

Keep The Five Alive
Keep The Five Alive

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).

Refresher Training For Local Counter-Poaching Teams
Refresher Training For Local Counter-Poaching Teams

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.

Non-Profit Information

For details regarding Chipembere Rhino Foundation’s non-profit organisation registration, trustees and banking details, see information to the right.

Trustees

Brent and Chantelle Cook
Paul and Debbie Naude
Derek Cook
William Fowlds

Registration Details

Trust Registration # 1T/95/2011
Non-profit and Public Benefit Organisation (PBO) # 930041354
18A Tax Exempt # 222 4891156

South African Banking Details

For donations to our South African bank account, please use the following:

Account Name: Chipembere Rhino Foundation
Bank:
 FNB (First National Bank)
Branch Code:
 210115
Branch Name:
 Humansdorp
Account Type:
 Cheque Account
Account Number:
 62330309289
Swift Code:
 FIRNZAJJ

USA Banking Details

or donations to our USA bank account, please use the following:

Rhino Alive Foundation
IRS Registered 501C3
Tax exempt #: 452107061
Bank details:
Union Bank, Harbor View Office
1666 San Miguel Drive
Newport Beach,
CA 92660
Swift Code: BOFCUS33MPK
Routing #: 122000496
Account #: 7560023299

Account details:
Rhino Alive Foundation
31072 Brooks Street
Laguna Beach,
CA 92651