If you're the kind of person who would like to see what your money does, this is a great option for you! We've set up several Wish Lists on the Takealot platform, so you can see what appeals to you and have it sent to our door.
If you'd like to support us by directly purchasing something from our Takealot Wish List for delivery to our Rehab Gate, please follow these instructions. We've also tested this method with several of our supporters abroad, and it works extremely well! (Keep in mind that the exchange rate is around ZAR18 to USD1 at the moment, or ZAR22 = GBP1).
STEP 1. Click on the relevant wishlist link, and 'heart' the items you are interested in.
Step 3. Select item(s) from Wishlist(s), and place in shopping cart.
Step 4. Proceed to check-out.
Step 5. Click on Deliver my Order:
Step 6. Fill out the next screen as follows:
Step 7. It will ask for additional address details. Copy and paste this text into the search bar: 7R88+WF Kalfontein, South Africa
Step 8. You can now pay for your order via your chosen method. Remember thatUSD 1 = +- ZAR 18,so an item of ZAR 5000 will cost approximately USD 275. and so on.
For years, Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation has been working to raise the awareness about the merciless slaughter of these Vanishing Giants, strengthening their protection, and caring for the survivors. Has it all been in vain? It certainly seems like it's over for the Rhinos in the Kruger National Park.
We are customizing an expensive hydraulic operating table for rescued Rhino Babies and you can help! Make a difference by supporting our 8th Annual Xmas Fundraiserfor The Rhino Orphanage here:
Kruger National Park, the world’s greatest refuge for rhinos, is losing them to poaching faster than they’re being born. The park’s last Rhino may already be alive. It’s time to declare an emergency.
Under the heading Progress, the 2022 SANParks Annual Report has a deeply disturbing and immensely sad target claimed as a success: only 195 rhinos were killed by poachers during 2021 – an average of one every two days. The success, it seems, is that the previous year it was one rhino every 36 hours.
In its reports and pronouncements, SANParks acknowledges poaching problems, but the overall tone is “don’t panic, we’ve got it under control”. They haven’t. Kruger is bleeding rhinos and is in need of sutures – fast.
The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE) has disclosed that in the first six months of this year, 82 rhinos were killed in the park. If the trend continues, the year will end up with a kill rate equal to 2021.
The truth is that unless Kruger does something fast, Rhinos could go extinct in the park within four years. That’s far shorter than the lifespan of most rhinos in Kruger.
Since 2009 – just 13 years – rhino numbers have dropped from 11,420 to 2,458 and this year they will continue to drop. During that time, the number of rhinos poached was double the existing population.
The cumulative numbers are shocking. There’s a good chance that Kruger rhinos are on the way to becoming functionally extinct, as these graphs clearly show.
Where do the problems lie?
What will it take to bend the curve upwards away from zero? The answer can only come from understanding the reasons for the decline.
SANParks will point to forces beyond their control – and they are considerable.
Like a snake eating its own tail, the problem begins and ends with a seemingly insatiable appetite in Asia for rhino horn, which is seen as both a status symbol and cure for various ailments (it isn’t).
This has led to a situation where highly organised international crime syndicates supply weapons and logistics to local middlemen who induce impoverished young men in communities on both sides of the park to poach rhinos.
The park is sandwiched between millions of mostly poor people – Mozambican and South African – with few prospects for employment. It’s fertile ground for poacher recruitment.
Kruger Park also has unfenced borders with a parallel park in Mozambique, but rangers following poachers cannot cross the line.
In his book, Rhino War, written with Tony Park, General Johan Jooste – who was Kruger’s head ranger from 2013 to 2016 – was told by a ranger: “They laughed at us, General. As soon as they crossed the border they stopped and started waving at us, yelling insults. They know we cannot chase after them.”
These issues alone, however, cannot be the sole reason for the precipitous decline of rhinos. There are serious internal problems as well, mostly, says Jooste, to do with ability, capacity, integrity and vision.
Buffet’s cancellation
A retired military officer, Jooste was brought in as head ranger in 2013 as rhino poaching began escalating. Donations formed the backbone of his development strategy and with them he created a highly trained paramilitary force out of the ranger corps. He also brought in high-tech surveillance equipment.
Jooste negotiated a R225-million anti-poaching grant from billionaire Howard Buffett, using it to create an efficient joint command centre to gather and coordinate intelligence against poachers.
Then, in 2016, Buffett cancelled more than half of the grant, citing the absence of a reporting structure with clearly defined roles and lack of internal capacity for project management. Millions were wasted on internal inquiries into this loss.
The collapse of Intensive Protection Zones for rhinos – set up by Jooste during his tenure and funded by Buffett – started coming apart after his departure. They did so, he says, because Kruger and ranger leadership failed “to carry them through and find a way to make them work or come up with workable alternatives”.
It was an “abdication of duty and lack of courage”.
Buffett’s bequest had been received with great fanfare, but evidently not universally within SANParks’ executive ranks.
A rhino after it is sedated on October 16, 2014 in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. Photo by Gallo Images / Foto24 / Cornel van Heerden)
Buffett’s generosity was based on his personal regard for Jooste and, according to the book, Rhino War, this rankled with those who didn’t appreciate being beholden to a rich American who had made it clear that his largesse would only be in place as long as Jooste – the white ex-apartheid general – remained at the helm.
Integrity testing
Jooste resigned under circumstances he is not willing to discuss; details of which are largely absent from his book. He alludes to “problems”. The park clearly not only lost necessary funding, but a key strategist in the rhino war. One of the problems, it seems, was integrity testing.
“Members of Exco feel you’re acting outside your mandate in pursuit of corruption after integrity testing,” he was told. Integrity testing was the euphemism for the polygraph testing of Kruger staff. From the outset, Jooste had insisted on this intervention and was the first to subject himself to the process.
Integrity testing was not popular, but Jooste felt it was necessary.
Poachers were paying some rangers to locate rhinos and a few were even involved in actual poaching. These included Rodney Landela, who Jooste had promoted to regional ranger.
Unions were also opposed to polygraph testing and it was suspended during the Covid pandemic. SANParks has undertaken to renew it, but has as yet failed to do so. It is not known whether a proposal for integrity testing was finally submitted to the SANParks board in November.
In his book, Jooste says testing without steps being taken on the results is useless. While Kruger management knows that leaks on rhino locations are coming from staff, they seem to be dragging their heels on making integrity testing happen.
Ranger shortage
Kruger also has a ranger shortage. More than 80 posts were not filled this year despite a commitment to do so obtained by DA shadow minister David Bryant.
They had not been filled for several years. SANParks explained the problem as a budget issue, despite millions being spent of anti-poaching initiatives.
It is unclear and counterintuitive that these posts are not budgeted for and filled as a fundamental step in the poaching war.
Strongholds
Beyond Kruger Park, rhino conservation is another story and is in an intensive planning stage. Although the park has the largest single population of black and white rhinos, around 60% of the national species are in private hands and many others are in national and provincial parks other than Kruger.
According to SANParks’ Annual Report, strongholds beyond Kruger are being constructed, though it doesn’t say how advanced this is or quite how this programme will work. It’s clearly not in the interests of rhino safety to say where they are or will be.
There will be pushback from conservationists. They point out that placing rhinos in private hands has led to the crisis of rhino farming for their horns, which keep “leaking” on to the black market. This fuels both Asian demand and poaching. There’s a fine line between conservation and commercialisation.
In Rhino War, Jooste writes of Kruger: “A decade into the rhino campaign, my overwhelming realisation is that we cannot afford another 10 years like this, even with our successes. We must avoid another ‘runaway train’ situation at all costs.”
If the statistics are anything to go by, that train without brakes has already left the Kruger Park station. DM/OBP
The most devastating news, as we still reminisce about #WorldRhinoDay2021.
The Daily Maverick reports:
"The new CEO of South African National Parks, said there may be fewer than 3,000 rhinos in the Kruger Park for the first time – despite the park authority spending millions on rhino protection."
Yesterday, on 22 September 2021, #WorldRhinoDay2021, the CEO of the Kruger National Park, Dr Luthando Dziba, confirmed: 'The rhino population has declined by almost 70% over the past 10 years. This is … because of relentless poaching. We have officially released the numbers up until the 2019/2020 reporting period where basically we had 3,500 rhino.”
He stated that the country’s rhino population has declined by nearly two-thirds over the past decade and highlighted that there may now be fewer than 3,000 in the Kruger National Park for the first time.
Don Pinnock from Daily Maverick said that South Africa created loopholes that were exploited by criminal syndicates through licensing of hunting and legalising internal trade, but only shutting down of all rhino horn trade, removing loopholes and stopping mixed messaging – backed up by initiatives like the Pelly Amendment – would bring down poaching.
Dziba said, “I think another way of looking at the alarming stats… is the fact that it is possible to actually do something to basically restore the species but I think it is important to know what needs to be done to basically protect rhino in the wild.”
“We might have created loopholes… in basically legalising hunting and giving permits to international hunters and it is possible, but I think right now within the context of national parks, for instance, there has never been hunting in national parks. We are experiencing the brunt of the scourge of poaching and if you look at Kruger for instance, where our largest white rhino population is at, we experience some of the most severe poaching.”
"The fact is that Rhino Poaching is not 'just the death of a Rhino', but it is a cog in the well-oiled machined which is organized crime. With corruption being rife, mixed messages with regards to legalization of trade, and the failure of effective prosecution and convictions thrown into the mix, this is a recipe for disaster, and most of us can just watch the rapid slide into extinction with frustration and deep sadness," said Paul Oxton, Founder/CEO of Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation.
The name Rhino is the short form of ‘Rhinoceros, which means ‘Nose Horn’
There are five different species of rhinoceros, three native to southern Asia and two native to Africa. They are the Black Rhinoceros, White Rhinoceros, Indian Rhinoceros, Javan Rhinoceros and Sumatran Rhinoceros.
The only land animal bigger than a White Rhino, is an Elephant.
Rhino Horn is made from Keratin, just like your fingernails and hair. Their horns are what they get killed for (poached). And it doesn’t make any sense!
Crash is the term for a group of Rhinos, like this below:
A Crash (Family) of Rhinos
Although they have thick protective skin, it is still sensitive. Rhinos take mud baths to serve as sunscreen and protect them against parasites. Rhino skin can be up to 5cm in thickness!
They can run very fast, much faster than a human when they get scared or angry, and you don’t want to be in the path of one!
Both Black Rhinos and White Rhinos are actually grey in colour. ‘White’ actually stemmed from the word ‘wide’, meaning flat and wide. They’re sometimes called ‘square-lipped’ Rhinos. White Rhinos eat grass and they are called grazers. Black Rhinos have a hooked lip enabling them to catch onto shrubs and eat the juicy leaves. They are called browzers.
Rhinos communicate through noises and poo! Baby Rhinos sound like whales when they ask for milk. Rhinos sniff their toilets called ‘middens’ to gather information about who was there. Click the Video below to watch Rhino Babies asking for Milk!
Adorable Rhino Babies asking for Milk:
White Rhinos are much more passive and gentle than Black Rhinos. Black Rhinos are so dangerous that they are the cause for Rhinos being included in the Big 5. (The five big, dangerous African Animals).
Rhinos are the oldest group of mammals, and have been around for 10 to 20 million years. They are living fossils!
Rhino Moms are pregnant for 15 to 16 months before giving birth. At two months old, Rhino Babies start to get weaned off milk. At three years old, Rhino Babies are fully independent. They live to between 10 and 45 years, depending on the species. A newborn Rhino should be up and walking within one hour after birth, but will remain wobbly for a few days
The average birth weight in Black Rhinos is 35.5 kg and 62.7 kg in White Rhinos.
White Rhino Mum with newborn Rhino Baby
Rhino babies eat their mother’s dung to acquire critical bacteria for their digestive systems to work properly.
Rhino Mommies and Babies are very close. In the case of Orphaned Rhino Babies, where the mothers had been killed, the little ones often die from stomach and mouth ulcers as a result of stress.
The Baby of a Black Rhino walks behind the Mom, and the Baby of White Rhino, in front of the Mom.
Their Magnificent horns are not only for show, they use them to defend themselves, to steer their babies, to dig up roots for nutrient and to test the depth of mud-holes before they wallow. If the hole is too deep they might get stuck and die.
To learn more about the extent of Poaching of Rhinos in the Kruger National Park, click here.
Looking for a Good Cause to Support and pay less Income Tax in the Process?
Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation is a Registered NPO and PBO. All Donations by South African Corporates and Private Taxpayers are eligible for a Section 18(a) Tax Certificate, which will assist in reducing the income tax payable to SARS.
Department of Social Development/Republic of South Africa. Registration No.: 147-339 NPO
SARS Public Beneficiary Organization Registration No : 930051372 PBO
Some of our past Success Stories with regards to WHWF's use of Tax Deductible Donations include:
The sponsoring of our Field Vehicle, and equipping of it for Emergency Wildlife Rescue (Private individuals and Corporates);
The Purchasing of an Anaesthetic Machine and Oxygen bottle system for the Rhino Orphanage;
The Equipping of Theaters for several Emergency Wildlife Rehabilitation Centers, including an Operating Table and Theater Trolley used for Pangolins;
The Purchasing of Capture and Transport Cages for various species of the Wildlife Most at Risk;
The Supply and Equipping of Rangers with specialized Equipment for Anti-Poaching Work;
The Tagging, Tracking and Monitoring of Rhinos as an Anti-Poaching Measure and much more..
We will need the following details to issue your certificate:
Date and Amount of Donation,
Full Name of Company or Individual,
Registration Number of Company or ID number of Individual,
Registered Address,
Telephone Number and Contact Details (email to send PDF of Tax Certificate).
After a drawn-out legal battle spearheaded by Naomi Engelbrecht, President of Mpumalanga Regional Court, the High Court has ruled against appeals to enforce the closure of the Court based in Skukuza, in the Kruger National Park.
The Skukuza Court handled the bulk of Rhino Poaching cases until an abrupt announcement in 2017 resulted in Engelbrecht transferring Rhino Poaching cases to the Mhala Court, in a move widely condemned by Anti-poaching Pole Players and Conservationists. The Skukuza Court is heralded as a specialist Anti-poaching Court.
In a Constitutional Court order issued on Monday, 1 February, Engelbrecht’s 2017 announcement to move the Rhino Poaching cases will remain invalid, and leave to appeal denied.
Engelbrecht’s decision was challenged in the North Gauteng High Court, opposed by both the Director of Public Prosecution and Mpumalanga’s High Court Judge President, but this did not prevent her from moving cases during to Mhala within two years. All of her subsequent appeals have failed.
Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation commends this ruling, and believes that this decision will greatly aid the effective prosecution of Rhino Poachers.
Since inception, it has always been the dream of Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation to open its own Wildlife Clinic and Rehabilitation Center, and be so much more than a Support Organization. But dreams like that come with a heavy price tag, and not one that we could even remotely afford.
Over the past 8 years, Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation has helped thousands of animals, and supported tens of ethical rehabilitation organizations with whatever they may require in order to help save wildlife. From equipping clinics, to driving thousands of kilometers to save a single animal, from doing lion vasectomies in the back of our field truck, Scooby, to catching crickets for illegally traded rescued chameleons, to educating thousands of people on the perils Wildlife face. We have done it all, and so much more that we never mention, and will continue to do, for as long as we are able to. Proudly, #DoingWhatWeSay & #ShowingWhatWeDo. You can see more of what we've done, by clicking here.
Recently, we have taken up the opportunity of a lifetime! WHWF is now situated on the most beautiful farm out in Limpopo Province, South Africa. Here we are free to pursue the dream to build our own WHWF Wildlife Clinic and Rehabilitation Center, while still carrying on our work across South Africa, assisting other Organizations and Individuals with supplies and rescuing, relocating and helping animals in any way we possibly can.
All we want to do at WHWF, is help Wildlife, as best we can.
On the farm there is a lot of work to be done - and the funding that would need to be raised to turn this dream into a reality, is substantial, but we remain positive!
The main building is old and needs a lot of repairs, but most importantly, it has a massive room which we would like to develop into the Wildlife Clinic. This room has its own separate entrance and bathroom, which needs to be repaired and upgraded. We would need to add a sterile wash station inside the clinic. There is a sunken area perfect for teaching veterinary students and volunteers hands-on.
Our aim with this entire development is to provide a practical facility for serving the surrounding community with wildlife challenges, being able to immediately stabilize wild animals in need, deal with wildlife emergencies, and allowing any Veterinarian in need of an equipped clinic to utilize the space.
An additional existing hall could easily be upgraded to into a comfortable training facility.
We would offer these facilities as a training site for various wildlife related issues, such as snake handling, rehabilitation courses and educational programs for youth groups.
The main building also has ample space in the form of a flatlet with its own bathroom that can be developed for volunteer housing. There is a big rondavel which is being used as storage for our equipment at the moment.
For the Rehabilitation part of the Center, we have adequate space to expand and build enclosures, and are currently consulting with LEDET in order to make sure that our developments comply with Nature Conservation’s legal requirements, for the benefit of the Wildlife. There is a large concrete slab, perfect for moveable cages/fixed enclosures to house temporary rescues before being transferred to speciality rehabilitation facilities, or if within our permit parameters, to be rehabilitated on site.
Unfortunately, the previous caretakers neglected to maintain the beautiful property, and there are substantial repairs & upgrading needed. Work in the form of labour is not the problem, but the development and repair of the infrastructure is what will cost the most.
And to make this dream a reality, we'll need your help to raise the funds.
There is a borehole supplying adequate water, but it is very hard water, and we are looking into water softening systems to benefit not only future patients, but also reduce the wear and tear on existing pipes and infrastructure.
As with any rural area in South Africa, security is of great concern, so we would need to upgrade monitoring, fence security and load-shedding proof security lighting. A radio base station and mobile units would ensure that we are always able to communicate.
We have excellent satellite-based wi-fi, but could use a monthly sponsor to cover those costs for us.
What are we waiting for, you may think?
This really is a dream come true, and now we need to build on it. That needs money. You can help build this Wildlife Clinic and Rehabilitation Center by making a donation, no matter how small. Donate by visiting this page ----> Build the Wild Dream.
Once our BackaBuddy Fundraiser is up, you can donate by clicking here.
We will be uploading our wish list soon. You will find it here, when done ----> Wishlist
In the meantime, if there are any Corporate Sponsors looking to invest in a very worthwhile tax write-off - this is your chance! Please Contact Us if you would like to get involved, or need more information.
WHWF is a registered NPO and PBO, which means that donations from South African tax payers and corporates may qualify for Tax Certificates, taking some sting out of the tax man’s assessment.
Meanwhile we'll keep on working actively on our Big, Wild Plans, with our Passionate Wild Hearts.
Poaching is a highly sensitive and controversial topic. From the poorest of humans poaching bushmeat for survival, to the multi-millionaire running a Rhino-Poaching syndicate with military precision, to the Sangoma (traditional healer) poaching for Muti (medicine); the result is the same - dead Wildlife. Superstition has given rise to the belief that certain animal parts contain magical powers, and the criminals of this world are cashing in.
Anti-Poaching has become big business, struggling to keep up with the constant flow of dirty money into the pockets of Poaching Kingpins. At Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation, we do our utmost to support the efforts of all who fight against Poaching. Because a lot of the focus is on Rhino (and Lion) Poaching, we have in turn, strongly supported anti-poaching efforts in this field, but not forgetting the bushmeat poaching via snares.
WHWF continues to supply food, equipment, uniforms and emergency kits for Anti-Poaching Rangers. From back-packs to water bottles, field first-aid kits, blankets, survival kits and so much more - the people doing this (mostly) thankless job need all the support they can get. We've installed countless early-warning cameras, supplied field gear, and monitored many, many hours of footage from trail cameras. We've fitted several tracking devices and collars on animals that are in sensitive areas. We've provided water and emergency assistance to rangers in the field, dehydrated after days of tracking poachers.
Most people are aware of Rhino Poaching, but do not even begin to understand the scale of the poaching of Pangolins (up to 100 000 per year), not to mention the poisoning of lions for their teeth and claws. We continue to educate the public, whether at formal talks presented by us, or impromptu meetings with strangers. We believe that children need to be introduced to knowledge of wildlife and the challenges they face so that we can raise a nation of Wildlife Protectors; and we are actively working to make this possible. (We're passionate that way!) These images show just a small portion of the Anti-Poaching work we are involved with.
At Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation we are committed to fight Poaching in any way possible, and help secure our precious Wildlife Heritage for the Future.
For years, Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation has been working to raise the awareness about the merciless slaughter of these Vanishing Giants, strengthening their protection, and caring for the survivors. Has it all been in vain? It certainly seems like it’s over for the Rhinos in the Kruger National Park. We are customizing an expensive hydraulic […]
The Rapid Slide into Extinction: The most devastating news, as we still reminisce about #WorldRhinoDay2021. The Daily Maverick reports: “The new CEO of South African National Parks, said there may be fewer than 3,000 rhinos in the Kruger Park for the first time – despite the park authority spending millions on rhino protection.” In January […]
If you want to learn more about Rhinos, read on! Did you know? The name Rhino is the short form of ‘Rhinoceros, which means ‘Nose Horn’ There are five different species of rhinoceros, three native to southern Asia and two native to Africa. They are the Black Rhinoceros, White Rhinoceros, Indian Rhinoceros, Javan Rhinoceros and […]
Looking for a Good Cause to Support and pay less Income Tax in the Process? Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation is a Registered NPO and PBO. All Donations by South African Corporates and Private Taxpayers are eligible for a Section 18(a) Tax Certificate, which will assist in reducing the income tax payable to SARS. Department of […]
After a drawn-out legal battle spearheaded by Naomi Engelbrecht, President of Mpumalanga Regional Court, the High Court has ruled against appeals to enforce the closure of the Court based in Skukuza, in the Kruger National Park. The Skukuza Court handled the bulk of Rhino Poaching cases until an abrupt announcement in 2017 resulted in Engelbrecht […]
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