Save the rhino auction closes tomorrow!

Hurry up! It’s your last chance to bid in our auction to raise funds for Save The Rhino – bids close tomorrow on 15 March…

We’re closing our 2018/19 auction for Save The Rhino International on 15 March, so if you’ve been thinking about bidding, now’s the time. Though a couple of the lots have already closed, most are open to a last-minute bid – but bear in mind that if you literally leave it to the last minute, our phones might be busy…

Don’t forget, our all-time fundraising figure for Save The Rhino International is now over £100,000. Our total for the 2018 auction stands at £10,630 – added to £90,000 raised since we started running auctions in 2010, that means a six-figure sum overall.

Our 2017 auction raised £17,036 for rhino conservation. The money raised has been split equally between Borana Conservancy in Kenya and Big Game Parks in Swaziland. In addition, Sporting Rifle editor-in-chief Peter Carr took on a tandem skydive with the Parachute Regiment Red Devils in July 2017, raising £3,081 for Big Game Parks.

Right now, those funds are being put to use. Josephine Gibson of Save The Rhino gave a further insight: “Your support comes at an important time. Rhino poaching has reached crisis point, and across the globe, rhino habitat is shrinking. In just a decade, more than 7,245 rhino have been lost to poaching in Africa.

At the end of 2015, there were an estimated 30,000 rhino in the wild. Today, three of the five species of rhino (black rhino, Sumatran rhino and Javan rhino) are Critically Endangered, meaning they face a high chance of extinction in the wild.

“At Save the Rhino International, we believe we can halt the twin threats of poaching and habitat loss so that, by 2036, black rhino, Sumatran rhino and Javan rhino will no longer be classified as Critically Endangered. We really value your support in generously bidding in the auction to raise such an amazing amount for black and white rhino conservation in Kenya and Swaziland.

“Last year, your generous bids in the auction raised an amazing £8,515 for Borana Conservancy, Kenya. Borana is one of Africa’s newest rhino conservancies, and one of its most successful. Your support will help Borana Conservancy to support the welfare of rangers, who are working tirelessly to protect black and white rhino. The funds will buy essential equipment for rangers to use on patrols, aiding their work on the frontline of rhino conservation.

The type of equipment Borana Conservancy could buy, with funds from the Sporting Rifle auction and other donors, includes trauma kits, comprehensive medical kits for patrol medics, Camelbaks, wet weather gear, sleeping bags, socks and boots for rangers. Having well-equipped rangers helps them carry out the important but at times dangerous task of protecting rhino.

“Big Game Parks, comprising three wildlife reserves – Mkhaya Game Reserve, Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary and Hlane Royal National Park – is home to black and white rhino in Swaziland. Thanks to your help bidding in the auction last year and Peter Carr’s sky dive, an incredible £12,036 was raised for Big Game Parks.

These funds will directly support rhino conservation, by installing a double axle to a rhino capture trailer that is used to transport rhino in a crate on the trailer. The money you raised will also help erect security watch towers and enable upgrades to other towers for protection of the rangers stationed at the towers.

“With rhino at risk from armed poachers, your support is valuable, and Big Game Parks share their thanks: ‘Big Game Park Rangers have long, hard and often dangerous days in remote areas of our Parks. They are often required to make decisions with serious and lasting consequences, both for themselves and our organisation, and normally under pressure.

Knowing that they are not alone at times like this and that there are people who support their work in other parts of the world is reassuring. For this, we are very grateful to Sporting Rifle and your readers.’”

For more information about Save the Rhino International (UK registered charity 1035072), visit www.savetherhino.org.

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