JOHANNESBURG – A new umbrella wildlife organisation with a masterplan to create a rapid-response team and ten safe havens across Africa, was launched earlier this month. It aims to save every single rhino and elephant victim of poaching.
Board chairman, Mr Dex Kotze, founder of Youth 4 African Wildlife, said that the launch was the springboard for the marketing and fund-raising of the non-profit organisation, the Now or Never African Wildlife Trust (NNAWT).
A website and range of social-media platforms went live in January, as well as a Google Ads campaign which forms part of the Google for Nonprofits programme.
NNAWT also secured the first of two stronghold reserves of over 30 000 hectares. These will be home to rhino orphans.
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Bloodline: Now or Never is described as “a hard-hitting fictional take on the international rhino horn trade. It is the first fictional action movie centered around the rhino poaching crisis. A percentage of the film’s proceeds will go towards helping NNAWT to save calves orphaned by poaching.
Kotze told Lowvelder that involving influential role players and having committed global alliance partners gave momentum to the vision of rescue, rehab and release.
This vision includes raising funds for the leasing of Bell helicopters and skilled pilots who can be ready at all times should there be a rhino orphan that needs to be rescued and transported to one of the orphanages.
This would be done from a central operations hub where a team of vets and trackers can be managed from.
Once rescued, animals will be transferred to medical-care and rehabilitation centres like Care for Wild and The Rhino Orphanage. When they are old and strong enough, they will be released.
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Kotze has extensive experience in saving rhinos and elephants. He a former strategist of the Global March for Elephants and Rhinos.
Partners in the trust are a concerned group of people already intricately involved in rhino and elephant conservation.
NNAWT’s directors are Ms Petronel Nieuwoudt of Care for Wild, Mr Arrie van Deventer of The Rhino Orphanage and rhino surgeon, Dr Johan Marais of Saving the Survivors, Mr Thomas Ropel from Germany and Mr Chris de Bruno Austin, a well-known Lowveld businessman and CEO of Kishugu.
NNAWT has a Kenyan alliance partner, the Tsavo Trust.
Ropel is an advocate of rhino orphanages and based in Hamburg.
He offered pro-bono support to a range of rhino-focused charities in his capacity as a global digital-marketing expert.
Ultimately, other organisations will be able to apply for funding to NNAWT.
Van Deventer said that the trust was one of the best things that could have happened to the saving of rhino and elephant orphans.
“It is good for all these organisations to take hands. In the past there was too much politics involved between these organisations. It is unnecessary. Now there is unity of purpose and of will. I can see this initiative succeeding,” he said.
