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Edition 47: Summer 2009 The collective name for a group of rhinoceros is a crash. As charming as that may sound, it’s also unfortunately fitting given the reduction in rhino populations worldwide.
To combat the continued trade in rhino horns numerous steps are being taken: a moratorium on rhino hunting; removing horns from live animals to deter poachers; marking and regulating all stockpiled horns; increased anti-poaching units; the formation of a special Green Scorpions team designed to tackle sophisticated poaching syndicates; and even a proposal to use DNA testing on potions suspected of containing rhino horn. Unfortunately, all these programmes cost money, and when it comes to anti-poaching units specifically, the global slowdown has had an adverse effect on the revenue streams that these units usually rely on for funding.
With that in mind, the tour operator Rhino Africa thought it should get involved – and so Challenge4aCause was formed…
With a goal of cycling 300km across the desert in Namibia’s Damaraland, dealing with the sand, dust, and blistering heat, Challenge4aCause is not your average staff outing. But as Rhino Africa, the founding trustee of the new non-profit initiative, is not your average tour operator, the incredible week-long journey by 18 of their staff should come as no surprise. In taking on this challenge, the desert-cyclists’ short-term target is to raise ZAR350,000 (£26,000) for the Save the Rhino Trust – enough to sponsor a Namibian anti-poaching unit for a year. To contribute to this year’s event people can go to the website www.rhinoafrica.com/challenge4acause, read about the initiative and make donations. Whether you can donate R20, R500 or R10 000, every cent counts and will make a difference to the survival of rhinos in the wild.
If the response for donations is strong enough, the Challenge4aCause initiative will continue the trend with similar annual challenges open to members of the public as well as business representatives. Participants will experience an amazing wilderness adventure while supporting a socially conscious initiative.
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