Save the Rhino International

Save the Rhino International
Name	Save the Rhino International
Type	Non-governmental organization
Founded	1994
Founders	Donald Carr
Headquarters	Hove, East Sussex
Area served	Africa, Asia
Focus	Rhinoceros conservation

Save the Rhino International is an international charity dedicated to the conservation of rhinoceros across Africa and Asia. Founded in 1994, the organisation funds anti-poaching, habitat protection, and community projects linked to iconic species and protected areas. It works with a network of partners to support field initiatives, scientific research, and education aimed at reducing threats to black rhinoceros, white rhinoceros, Greater one-horned rhinoceros, and Sumatran rhinoceros populations.

History

The organisation was established in 1994 by conservationists responding to escalating poaching incidents following the end of the Cold War and armed conflicts in southern Africa, drawing early partnerships with entities involved in CITES negotiations and IUCN assessments. In the 1990s it supported projects in Kenya, Zimbabwe, and South Africa while engaging with research institutions such as the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and the Wildlife Conservation Society. During the 2000s it expanded to back initiatives in India and Indonesia, collaborating with reserves like Kaziranga National Park and Way Kambas National Park and with academic groups including Oxford University and University of Cape Town researchers. In the 2010s and 2020s its portfolio adapted to confront organized wildlife crime networks linked to regions discussed in reports by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and policy bodies such as the European Union and African Union.

Mission and Objectives

The charity’s mission focuses on preventing extinctions, reducing illegal trade, and promoting recovery of rhino species through targeted interventions in partnership with governance and conservation actors such as DEFRA policy frameworks and IUCN Red List recommendations. Objectives include strengthening anti-poaching capacities in landscapes like the Kruger National Park and Hluhluwe–iMfolozi Park, supporting translocation and captive-breeding programs akin to those run by the Durban Natural Science Museum and ZSL breeding initiatives, and enabling community-led stewardship models inspired by Campfire (Zimbabwe) and community conservancies in Namibia.

Conservation Programs and Projects

Programmatic work spans anti-poaching, habitat management, and captive-breeding support. Anti-poaching projects fund ranger equipment and intelligence-sharing protocols used by services comparable to Kenya Wildlife Service and Botswana Defence Force collaborations in protected areas. Habitat projects include landscape-scale approaches supporting corridors between reserves like Limpopo National Park and transboundary efforts similar to the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park. In Asia, projects have supported enforcement and protection in wetlands and grasslands exemplified by Kaziranga National Park and Chitwan National Park. The charity has also supported veterinary emergency responses modelled on protocols from Pan American Health Organization partnerships and veterinary teams trained with principles from Royal Veterinary College curricula.

Research and Monitoring

Research grants have backed population surveys using methodologies from the IUCN Species Survival Commission and technologies like satellite tracking and camera trapping pioneered in studies at Laikipia and Masai Mara. Genetic and demographic monitoring has followed standards set by laboratories collaborating with Natural History Museum, London and universities such as University of Oxford and University of Cambridge. Monitoring initiatives integrate data-management platforms similar to those developed by Zoological Society of London and reporting feeds into global assessments by the IUCN and multilateral fora including CITES and Convention on Biological Diversity dialogues.

Community Engagement and Education

Community engagement emphasizes livelihoods and education programs designed to reduce human–wildlife conflict, inspired by models from Wolf Foundation community work and community conservancies in Namibia. Education campaigns produced materials for schools and visitor centres in partnership with organisations such as Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and Wildlife Trusts and aligned with curricula from institutions like UNESCO. The charity has supported community entrepreneurship, craft markets, and sustainable tourism pilots reflecting best practices from ecotourism projects in Tanzania and Rwanda, and has engaged local leaders and traditional authorities comparable to those convened by African Wildlife Foundation.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding derives from individual donors, trusts, foundations, and institutional grants similar to those administered by the National Lottery Community Fund and private foundations such as the Sangha Foundation. Strategic partnerships include collaborations with park authorities like South African National Parks, conservation NGOs including World Wide Fund for Nature, Fauna & Flora International, and research partners at universities and museums. The organisation has liaised with law-enforcement and policy entities referenced in international frameworks like INTERPOL and the United Nations to address transnational wildlife crime and to influence policy outcomes at meetings of CITES.

Category:Conservation charities Category:Wildlife conservation organizations