About Endangered Rhino Conservation
ERC works to ensure the protection and survival of rhinos in the wild through raising awareness, education, funding conservation, anti-poaching and research to ensure the preservation of a core population of white rhinos in South Africa.
Giving Life and Hope by Trimming/Dehorning Our Rhinos
While we support every initiative to safeguard the future of the species, we have been forced to implement local solutions to a local (and now global) problem. A vital part of this is ensuring the preservation of a core population of rhino. To this end, we have invested heavily in stringent security measures and in response to increased pressure from poachers, the time had come for drastic measures.
In 2014, tragedy stuck when we sadly lost five of our beloved rhinos to poaching. This accelerated the difficult decision to trim (dehorn) all rhino as part of our strategy to preserve the species. Trimming is an annual event since the horn grows back, similar to our fingernails and hair. By trimming horns, we give rhinos an 85% better chance at life.
We believe in a story of hope for rhinos, where conservationists and individuals can roll up their sleeves and do something positive for a species that cannot speak for themselves and cannot protect themselves from greed, corruption and abject lunacy.
If we counter every atrocity against nature with an equal and opposite proactive move to protect these gentle giants, we will slowly win the battle to save rhinos!
Rhino Horn is NOT Medicinal.
Every day in South Africa 3 rhinos are brutally killed for their horn, more than are being born. This is due to the high demand from countries like China and Vietnam where it is believed that rhino horn can cure everything from hangovers to cancer. There is NO truth to this belief as rhino horn is made from Keratin, the same substance in our fingernails or hair.
In response to the global crisis in rhino conservation, ERC protects threatened rhino populations in the wild by educating people about the rhino and its plight, while also supporting applied research that can help to improve the chances for long-term survival of all rhino species.
Travel with Purpose. Visit ERC’s Wildlife Reserve in South Africa.
ERC recognizes one of the best ways to raise money to fight poaching and to promote education is to welcome groups of like-minded, compassionate people to assist with field research, thus our partnership with Africa 360 Travel began.
Africa 360 Travel plans every aspect of a group’s visit to ERC where guests play an active role in conservation and often have the opportunity to touch and interact with these majestic creatures.
The beauty of this partnership is that 100% of profits generated by Africa 360’s group and individual visits are donated directly to ERC.
Relentless Commitment.
Dr. Lynne MacTavish is Operations Manager of Endangered Rhino Conservation. She has been working in conservation for the past 20 years and was recently awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science by the University of Brighton in England in recognition of her major contributions to wildlife conservation and promotion of conservation science at the highest level.
Lynne’s main focus turned to rhino conservation since the tragic rhino poaching that took place on her reserve in 2014. She vowed that her five rhinos did not die in vain and promised to be their voice in the hope that their deaths would perhaps one day save the rhino from extinction.
Ever since the tragedy, Lynne works with the media to spread awareness and was recently appointed to the Rhino Alive Board. She has also presented to the South African Government and was asked to speak on behalf of the Private Rhino Association at the C.I.T.E.S convention in 2016.
Her story has been featured in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Reddit, 9GAG and several others. She has been interviewed by the BBC, ABC News, Nightline, Inside Edition, AFP, NHK among others and has participated in several rhino documentaries.
Lynne is also a lecturer in Ecology and teachers approximately 300 students a year about the importance of managing an entire ecosystem and has co-authored many publications.
South Africa is home to 80% of the world's 25,000 rhinos.
Hamstrung by corruption and security lapses, 3 rhinos are lost a day to poaching, 85% of them in state run reserves. Private reserves have become important to the species’ survival, nurturing around 6,000 rhinos on an estimated 330 private game reserves, spanning 5 million acres (2 million hectares), that provide a relative degree of safety.
80% of private reserves have had rhino poaching incidents.
This includes 180 incursions that endangered human life. The people working on these reserves are conservationists trained in nature conservation and ecology and yet every day they face heavily armed soldiers who will go to any length to take rhino horn, which due to the illegal black market has become the most valuable commodity in the world. As a result, in recent years the number of rhinos killed for their horns outnumbered those who were born.
Last year in South Africa, 1.1M acres of rhino habitat was lost.
In addition, 30 previously successful rhino reserves have been forced to throw in the towel, which is catastrophic to the global rhino population.
Private rhino owners have a vested interest in protecting the species.
We are pouring millions into anti-poaching measures. As a last resort, we are trimming (de-horning) rhino horns to give them an 85% better chance of survival.
Rhino horns grow back, making trimming a continual process.
Rhino horns are made of keratin, the same as fingernails, and like fingernails, rhino horns grow back, making trimming horns annually a necessary and costly practice for private reserves.
Thank You!
Without our cherished partners and dedicated board directors, ERC would not exist. Thank you all for all that you do!
Cherished Partners
Board Directors
Rob Fuller
Cathryn Gabor
Casey Cole McKee
Thank You!
Without our cherished partners and dedicated board directors, ERC would not exist. Thank you all for all that you do!
Cherished Partners
Board Directors
Rob Fuller
Cathryn Gabor
Casey Cole McKee