On auction – Hume’s Mauricedale

MALALANE – In what seems a desperate last roll of the dice, a world renowned rhino breeder is selling off his beloved nature estate in an effort to save over 1 700 rhinos.

John Hume, owner of the world’s largest private rhino population, has run out of finances to maintain his herd. Mauricedale Nature Estate, just outside of Malalane and only 15 kilometres south of the Kruger National Park, will go under the hammer on Wednesday. The estimated value of this property was between R490 million and
R523 million in 2008.

Hume, who allegedly sits on a stockpile of five tonnes of rhino horn from his dehorned rhinos, said it costs millions a year to safeguard and maintain the animals. He now claims bankruptcy. The rhino horn was harvested from his herd over the years during dehorning operations.

Hume confirmed that the sale is an effort to raise funds to save his 1 732 white rhinos and also to secure the future of this near-threatened species for generations to come.

“The buyer of Mauricedale Nature Estate will play a key role in securing the future of the iconic white rhino – a legacy that any nature lover can be proud of,”

read a statement issued by Claremart Auction Group on behalf of Hume.

It is no secret that Hume’s rhino project on Buffalo Dream Ranch in North West has been in dire financial straits for some time. This 6 600 hectare estate is Hume’s last remaining asset. Claremont Auction group confirmed that previous attempts to sell the property for R400 million to raise money to support the rhino project were unsuccessful.

Hume allegedly spends approximately R5 million a month in security costs alone to look after his rhinos. This, along with paying for feed, veterinary care and staff, has seemingly made it impossible to continue with de facto situation.

Hume has repeatedly said that being able to sell off his stockpile would allow him to pay for the costs of keeping rhinos. He confirmed that his current situation is not sustainable and added that if he doesn’t get money to protect his rhino that they will be dead.

“I am using my life savings and it can’t last.”

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Hume is probably best known for challenging the government’s 2009 moratorium on the domestic trade in rhino horn, an extended legal case that he eventually won in 2017. He also appeared in the 2017 documentary, Trophy, in which he shared his views on legalising the trade in rhino horn.

Hume, on several occasions, stated that he believes a legal trade is the only way to stop the poaching crisis, claiming that the escalating security costs for rhino owners and managers of wild rhino populations are unsustainable. He said that sourced rhino horn could one day meet demand from Asia, and that better law enforcement is unlikely to end the trade alone.

In August 2017 Hume held an online auction to sell an advertised 264 rhino horns. This was widely publicized and was even translated into Mandarin and Vietnamese. Although the details of the auction were never made public, Hume stated he was disappointed with the sales. His lawyer, Izak du Toit, issued a statement that read: “The auction yielded fewer sales and fewer bidders than anticipated.” Hume blamed the government and adverse publicity for this.

In January 2019 Hume issued an urgent appeal through the Rhinos of Buffalo Dream Ranch Facebook page for assistance, as his rhino faced starvation due to the drought that has gripped the North West province during that time. Hume said that funds reached “Day Zero” and called the situation “really dire”.