New black rhino baby testifies to the success of protecting every animal individually – more funding required
A wild black rhinoceros, adopted by an old Namibian company, has recently given birth to a baby daughter, prompting the sponsor to continue to support the mother and her calf.
The Swaco Group of Companies announced earlier this month, it has recommitted its sponsorship of the Save the Rhino Trust, making available N$60,000 in part as an adoption fee with the remainder buying uniforms for one tracker team.
The rhinos are part of the widely dispersed black rhino population in Namibia’s Kunene region. Confirming Swaco’s commitment, the trust said this week the calf has been named Themba by its sponsors. Among the trackers, its mother goes by the name Tuta.
The trust’s chairperson, Maxi Louis conveyed her appreciation to Swaco, at the same time issuing a challenge to other companies to follow Swaco’s example by adopting more rhinos and providing funds for the tracking teams.
“Thanks to the ongoing and generous support of donor organisations such as Swaco, Save the Rhino Trust has proved its sustainability over a period of 36 years. [The] formal Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Environment and Tourism [is] recognition of the value of the work done by the trust in assisting the ministry in the protection of black rhino,” she said.
The trust’s rhino conservation work is vitally important on both national and international level. The Kunene region’s black rhinos are true desert survivors witnessed by their ubiquitous presence in ancient San rock art. However, despite strong worldwide and local support, various funding gaps remain for it takes a lot of money to protect every rhino individually.
Swaco’s symbolic adoption of Themba covers the cost of monitoring and protecting mother and calf through individual identification for the next year. Rhinos can be adopted by a person, a family, a group of friends, a school or a business.
