Charity

Every year our club chooses a charity to fundraise for, this year we have chosen Rhino Conservation Botswana. Our president Catherine Allen is studying Wildlife Conservation and has also spent a lot of time helping with conservation efforts in Botswana and so this is a charity close to our club's hearts. Take a look at the amazing work this charity do...

Rhino Conservation Botswana

Across Africa, black and white rhinos are fighting for survival as poachers decimate their numbers. Botswana could be their last safe haven and final hope. Rhino Conservation Botswana (RCB) keeps these precious animals safe from extinction. Here is a short explanation of their work...

Who are RCB?

RCB helps to increase and protect populations of black and white rhinos in Botswana. They work with partners to bring rhinos in peril from intense poaching to the safety of Botswana, where they are appointed by the Botswana government to monitor and protect them. Their aim is to build a thriving population of rhinos in Botswana so that, long-term, it can repopulate other areas of Africa from which rhinos have been lost.

Aims -

To protect a growing population of black and white rhinos in Botswana
To protect and restore the rich biodiversity of the Okavango Delta
To build perception of rhinos of one of Botswana’s “national treasures” and engage local communities in their conservation
To disseminate knowledge and best practice in rhino management and monitoring across Africa

Why is RCB so Important? - The Rhino Crisis

Rhinos were once abundant throughout Africa and Asia, but since 2008 poaching has increased dramatically, pushing them close to extinction.

Poaching is driven by demand for rhino horn in East Asia, where it is used in traditional medicine. As a result, horn is one of the most valuable natural commodities on earth today, and is worth more than gold. Yet scientific studies have proved that rhino horn is made of keratin – the same as our fingernails – and has no medical properties.

Africa’s rhinos are in at a tipping point. More are being killed than are being born and, if things go on as they are, they could go extinct by 2024.

Botswana is proud to be home to a small but increasing population of rhinos. As numbers rise, and more rhinos are moved to the safety of Botswana from other southern African countries, RCB must increase its capacity to keep them safe.

Helping officers track rhinos

To maintain constant surveillance over the vast expanse of the Okavango Delta, RCB teams require all-terrain vehicles, boats and light aircraft. The region is tough on transport, with constant attrition from water and sand, so all modes of transport require regular maintenance as well as fuel.

What does the money we raise for RCB go towards?

Building rhino enclosures

Next year, a number of black rhinos will be translocated to Botswana. On arrival, the rhinos will need to be kept in secure bomas – sturdy, wooden fenced enclosures – where they can become habituated to local smells, sounds and food before being released into the wild. These bomas will also be used to house any injured rhinos requiring medical care

Caring for rhinos

Looking after rhinos in the bomas is a full-time job, as they need water, food and medical attention, as well as cleaning out and daily assessment. RCB need to hire staff to care for and monitor the rhinos, and build a field base nearby to house them. Rhino monitoring patrols will also use this permanent camp as a base from which to keep the new arrivals safe.

Increasing the number of rhino monitoring officers

More teams of rhino monitoring officers are needed in the field. These teams require salaries, food, training, vehicles, a sophisticated communications system with GPS, binoculars, cameras, first aid kits and snake-proof boots. To monitor the rhinos closely, they also require tracking devices and darting equipment.

Rescuing rhinos

Sometimes rhinos wander out of the core protection zone and into more dangerous areas. Since every individual is precious, RCB need to dart them and bring them back to safety. For this, they need to have a specialized vehicle on call – a seven-tonne 4x4 truck with a five-tonne crane – as well as several rhino crates, so that they can bring their walkabout rhinos home safely and securely.

Tackling poaching head-on

Though Botswana’s rhinos are not currently targeted by poachers, there is no doubt that one day this will change. So RCB is being proactive in tackling all illegal wildlife crime in the region by recruiting two new rhino protection dogs to their team. These dogs will be highly trained in the UK in search, track and attack skills, and in the field they will multiply the capacity of RCB's work force, increase their levels of vigilance and act as a visible deterrent to poachers.

The new Dog Squad will require a specially adapted vehicle, while the dogs need safe and secure kennels, ongoing specialist training, bullet-proof armour and all the other things dogs

need, such as food and veterinary care.

Engaging communities

The villages that edge the Okavango Delta live close to Botswana’s wild rhinos, so their commitment to conservation is essential to keeping the rhinos safe. With this in mind, RCB is recruiting a Community Liaison Officer who will visit all the villages raising awareness about the rhinos and the importance of protecting them, and developing our new Rhino Guardians programme.

The Officer will require a vehicle, communications systems, laptop and educational materials for schools. The Officer will also develop ways in which the communities can benefit from the rhino’s presence through assistance in alleviating certain needs, and they are seeking sponsorship for this.

How can Kent Polo help RCB?

Throughout the year Kent Polo will be holding fundraising events for RCB such as our Christmas Charity Tournament, so look out for these throughout the year!

We also want to help by raising as much awareness of this charity as possible, so check out their social medias here and if you want to help yourself, share this page, give them a like on all of their social media platforms and check out their how you can help page on their website (links are all below)!