If cliches are to be believed, then beauty is in the eye of the beholder – a subjective standard upon which there can be no universal agreement. Yet of Africa’s over 70 antelope species, there can be no question that some are more bewitching than others.

On Sept. 4, African Parks, a multinational nonprofit conservation organization, announced that it had purchased Platinum Rhino, John Hume’s controversial intensive rhino breeding operation, and intended to rewild the more than 2,000 southern white rhinos (Ceratotherium simum simum) that came with it. The news was universally welcomed by those Mongabay has spoken to in South Africa’s conservation sector, but the main question now is how African Parks will find enough safe spaces for the rhinos.

“The scale of this undertaking is simply enormous, and therefore daunting,” says Peter Fearnhead, CEO and co-founder of African Parks. “However, it is equally one of the most exciting and globally strategic conservation opportunities — one of the largest continent-wide endeavours to occur for any species.”

Hume, who made his fortune developing time-share resorts, estimates he has spent $150 million over the last 30 years on intensively breeding rhinos, money he had hoped to recoup from trading in rhino horn. With no sign of the ban on the international trade in rhino horn lifting, Hume was forced into selling his operation.

After the auction for Hume’s operation in April this year failed to attract a single bid, African Parks was approached by concerned individuals in the conservation community to try to find a solution and assisted by the South African government in conducting due diligence, says Fearnhead. The exact amount can’t be disclosed due to nondisclosure agreements, but he says the purchase price, paid for with donor funding, was significantly lower that Hume’s initial reserve of $10 million.

“For me, John Hume’s project was always a bit controversial because those rhinos were being farmed. It wasn’t fair on them, it wasn’t ethical,” says Grant Fowlds, a South African conservationist and author of Saving the Last Rhinos. “I think African Parks taking it over is a very positive thing.”

Hume’s approach was focussed specifically on maximizing breeding numbers with breeding camps and intensive management that was undoubtedly successful at producing rhinos but divided opinion in conservation circles. African Parks has made clear that this intensive approach will stop, and they will now allow the herd to breed naturally. Accounting for these natural increases over the planned 10 years of the rewilding project, Fearnhead estimates that 3,000 rhinos will be translocated into the wild.

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“This is a project of epic proportion and complexity, and many of us have felt that [African Parks] are the only ones who could really do it properly,” says Elise Serfontein, founding director of Stop Rhino Poaching, a South African NGO.

African Parks plans to establish a reintroduction framework using independent rhino experts who will look at factors like what criteria an area needs to receive animals, what kind of feasibility studies need to take place, what security will be required in an area and what follow-up monitoring will look like. Fearnhead says he hopes the first rhinos will be placed by the end of this year or in early 2024, with an average of 300 rhinos a year being moved for the next 10 years.

However, the main challenge for rhino conservation over the last 10 years has not been a shortage of rhinos, but a shortage of wild spaces safe from poachers where they can live — a challenge that African Parks must now grapple with.

“We need to realize that rhinos, even in the best protected reserves, are still at risk,” says Serfontein. “Sadly, it’s no longer about maintaining a zero detected poaching rate, but about getting on top of a poaching problem as soon as it’s detected to keep losses to a minimum.”

African Parks has extensive experience partnering with governments and communities across Africa to turn around struggling national parks, including successfully strengthening anti-poaching in parks like Akagera, Rwanda, using the latest technology and canine units. They have also carried out large-scale translocations, including recently moving 500 elephants across Malawi.

“Ensuring protected areas for these animals is key to ensure the success of this project,” says Fearnhead. “While there are always risks and challenges involved with moving animals, African Parks believes the risk to the species of not rewilding 2,000 rhino outweighs the risks associated with translocations.”

While some rhinos will go to parks managed by African Parks, the organization is also open to requests from other parks and reserves that will be assessed under the framework once it is developed. The framework will also cover post-release monitoring to ensure that the rhinos are adapting to life in the wild.

“The responsibility and the scale of what we are undertaking is sobering, but we are cautiously optimistic,” says Fearnhead. “We have years of hard work ahead of us, including maintaining the highest level of security for the sanctuary, carrying out translocations over the coming years, and facing known and unknown challenges, all while continuing our core work of creating safe wild spaces across Africa.”

It’s clear that if we are to achieve our goals for nature, we need to find innovative ways to increase finance available for conservation efforts – and that can’t be done through government alone.

Seeing a black leopard in the wild is an extraordinary feat. A wild encounter that dreams are made of. But tales of this magnificent creature reverberate from a small, wild county in Kenya. Dan Peel has spent hours with this rare black panther in Laikipia. He shares his story – and incredible photos – of this famous leopard.

Africa is a continent of wonders – natural and human alike.

Nearly 9,000 tigers are being bred in more than 300 facilities in Asia for the commercial sale of their cubs, skins and body parts as well as adult tigers. The numbers for South Africa’s “tiger farms” are unknown as tigers are considered exotic in SA and do not fall under protection legislation, but they are believed to be considerable.

Cabinet has agreed to end the controversial captive breeding of lions and rhinos. It approved a Policy Position submitted by Environment Minister Barbara Creecy to close lion facilities and end commercial exploitation of lions and ‘canned’ hunts. 

Breeding wild animals for profit is cruel and poses a threat to humans, according to a report by World Animal Protection. But what’s startling is the NGO’s estimate of the numbers — about 5.5 billion animals from around 487 wild species worldwide.

A report released by the United Nations Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals has shown a drastic decline in the world’s travelling animals. The conservation status of many migratory species faces dire prospects, with those occurring in Africa facing the sharpest declines.

How did wildlife traffickers continue their trade?

Southern African nations are at it again. Journalist Nyasha Chingono reported in late May that those “hosting the largest elephant populations in the world made a fresh pitch... to be allowed to sell their $1bn ivory stockpiles”, purportedly to allocate it towards conservation. How they derive this figure is unclear, and the report doesn’t question its veracity.

Southern Africa’s wildlife economy is often hailed as a successful model. The idea behind this model is that biodiversity and wildlife are used as the basis of sustainable economic growth, through an increase in wildlife numbers and in a country’s revenue.

Overseas hunting is controversial because there are some who simply do not like it and campaign to have it stopped. When properly managed, however, hunting supports wildlife conservation. It generates revenues, enhances governance for habitat protection, creates incentives to protect wild species, and supports local communities.

s I scraped the early morning winter frost from my tent, I could not help but wonder if this was a suitable place for white rhinos. And yet, here, in the bitter cold of winter on the Highveld of South Africa, a short drive from Johannesburg, resides the world’s largest private white rhino herd. The 2,000-strong herd of Ceratotherium simum represents 12% of the remaining wild population. Also published on Mongabay. 

Grown-up giraffes just aren’t huggy, cuddling, demonstrative animals. So it took identity-recognition software grinding through five years of data to reveal that female social life matters to survival.

A group of 14 conservationists, researchers and scientists is challenging the Namibian government’s plan to cull 723 wild animals, including endangered species.

The Mara-Serengeti ecosystem, which includes Kenya’s Maasai Mara and Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park, is one of the most famous and wildlife-rich areas in Africa.

Apangolin’s defence mechanism, honed over millions of years, is a remarkable example of nature’s ingenuity. When threatened, the “scaly anteater” curls into a compact ball, its tough scales shielding its vulnerable belly from predators’ sharp teeth. 

Habitat loss and poaching have driven dramatic declines in African elephants, but it is challenging to measure their numbers and monitor changes across the entire continent. A new study has analyzed 53 years of population survey data and found large-scale declines in most populations of both species of African elephants.

The widespread use of pesticides has severe consequences for human health, the environment, and biodiversity. To address this issue, we must adopt a multi-faceted approach that involves governments, industries, farmers, and individuals.