The Luxury of Purpose

Safari Guru in association with Pilanesberg Wildlife Trust, is offering you a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a difference to Africa's precious, yet persecuted rhino population. Join Safari Guru, Ashley Steedman on this unique hands-on event, putting you at the forefront of conservation together with a professional rhino immobilisation project team in the Pilanesburg National Park.

By sponsoring a Rhino immobilisation not only do you get to experience an amazing 'once-in-a-lifetime' event, but you also contribute to the conservation, and furthered protection, of these iconic sentient animals.

Two Rhino species are present in South Africa, the black (hook-lipped) and the white (square-lipped) rhino; both heavily poached for their horn since the 1960's. Most recently populations of these species have started to make a comeback in South Africa thanks to the efforts of Dr Ian Player, Magqubu Ntombela and others.

Elsewhere in Africa and Asia, rhino populations are plummeting and in many cases are locally extinct. The success in South Africa has been mainly due to intensive management and protection of the animals and the expansion of the physical ranges within South Africa to areas where rhinos had previously disappeared.

The effective management of wild rhino populations requires certain key elements. An individual-based identification system is core to the gathering of vital biological data from ground monitoring, such as movements, home range, birth rate, inter-calving periods, associations and aggression, to name but a few. The recent breakthrough in DNA extraction from rhino horn has led to another tool to combat poaching – this is the databasing of genetic material collected from live rhinos. All of which requires the safe capturing, sedation and checking of live rhinos in the field.

By sponsoring a hands on rhino capture experience, you get to actively take part and assist the Vet and Park crew during the operation. Where possible, guests are requested to assist the Vet and Park Management with the Rhino, with notching activities, DNA sample collection, health monitoring under sedation and horn DNA samples, under the guidance of the experienced Wildlife Vet and Park staff.

We'll combine your exciting day/s out with the veterinary team, together with superb accommodations either within the Pilanesberg National Park, or surrounding wildlife reserves offering five-star luxury and service.

Wrap your conservation initiative with a fully inclusive four or five-day wonderful safari experience in one of South Africa big five wildlife reserves. You can expect to see elephants, lions, leopard, giraffe and a whole host of other keynote species this wonderful area has to offer.