Conservation organisation African Parks plans to f...

Conservation organisation African Parks plans to free 2000 rhinos from Platinum Rhino

The non-profit conservation organisation, African Parks has announced plans to free 2 000 southern white rhinos that are currently confined at Platinum Rhino, the world’s largest rhino farm in South Africa.

The NGO made the announcement after buying the 7 800-hectare (19 274-acre) rhino-breeding farm, which is in North West Province and borders Botswana.

The farm currently has 2 000 southern white rhino.

“African Parks has purchased the world’s largest captive rhino breeding operation in a bid to rescue and re-wild the rhino to safe and well-managed protected areas across Africa,” the organisation said in a statement on Monday.

The re-wilding project, which will run more than 10 years, will be one of the largest re-wilding projects ever undertaken in Africa.

The organisation also said that it would end rhino-breeding activities at the farm.

It added that the re-wilding of the rhinos would not only free them from captivity but also secure the future of the endangered species by protecting them from poaching.

African Parks secured emergency funding to buy the financially struggling rhino farm after its owner, John Hume, put it up for sale in April.

He has been hailed as a conservationist, but also faced criticism for advocating for trade in rhino horn, which he said was necessary to shield his rhinos from poaching and raise funds to sustain the farm.

Some Hume family members told the UK’s Guardian newspaper that the farm, which is licensed to trim rhino horns, cuts them but does not sell them on.

African Parks currently works with 12 governments to run 22 protected wildlife areas across Africa.

It is estimated that there are about 18 000 southern white rhino left in the wild. - BBC News Africa