Rhino Conservation & Protection

Introduction

The icons of conservation in Africa, both black and white rhino are under constant threat from poachers in the wild and the survival of both is of utmost concern. Efforts to save rhino from extinction range from destroying the supply chain, breaking the demand, de-horning rhinos, translocations, intelligence operations and more. Through its grantmaking and Fiscal Sponsorship Partners, Empowers Africa supports projects including anti-poaching patrol salaries, the notching of and insertion of GPS microchips in rhinos for anti-poaching purposes, funding of hi-tech surveillance equipment, medical and reproductive strategies, and rhino sanctuaries that provide rehabilitation and care for orphaned rhinos.

Why Rhino Conservation Matters

Rhinos are members of an ancient lineage that has survived for more than 50 million years, evolving through dramatic changes in climate, vegetation and the animals that shared their world. Today, only five rhino species remain worldwide, two of them in Africa, including the southern white rhino and black rhino found here in South Africa. Their survival is therefore part of a much longer evolutionary story, one that has already endured enormous change.

They also continue to shape the landscapes they inhabit in very different ways. White rhinos are specialist grazers whose feeding helps create short, nutrient-rich areas of grassland, while black rhinos are selective browsers, using their prehensile lips to feed on leaves, shoots and woody plants. Together, these different feeding behaviours influence vegetation structure and create a varied mosaic of grassland and bush that supports other species. Their dung further redistributes nutrients and provides resources for insects and other organisms, making these ancient herbivores active participants in the ecosystems they have inhabited for millions of years.