The largest rhinoceros farm in the world, located in South Africa and which houses 2,000 specimens of the species decimated by poaching, has been bought by the NGO African Parks, the organization announced on Monday in a press release.
“African Parks has become the new owner of Platinum Rhino, the largest private captive rhino breeding company in the world”, welcomed the NGO to which Prince Harry is linked and which manages around twenty parks on the continent.
“No offers received” before
The wealthy South African businessman, John Hume, 81, opened this farm in 2009 on a 7,800 hectare property, less than 200 km southwest of Johannesburg.
Bending under the exorbitant costs of his project to save the endangered species, he put his property up for auction in April, saying he was looking for another “millionaire” to take over.
“But no offers have been received, putting these rhinos in great danger of poaching”, according to African Parks, which explains that it was “approached by many people in the conservation sector to find a solution” and received government support. South African.
Horns more expensive than coke
South Africa is home to nearly 80% of the world’s rhino population. The country has become a hotspot for poaching, driven by Asian demand, where the horns are used in traditional medicine for their supposed therapeutic or aphrodisiac effects.
In 2022, 448 rhinos were killed in the country, according to the government, despite increased anti-poaching measures taken in national parks. Rhino horn, made of keratin, fetches $60,000 a kilo on the black market, more than cocaine.
Put a “gradual end” to breeding
In an interview with AFP ahead of the auction, Hume said he had shelled out $150 million over the years, without making a profit, on his ambitious project to save large land mammals.
African Parks plans to reintroduce farmed rhinos back into the wild over the next ten years, including relocating them to protected areas in Africa. “This is one of the largest species rewilding projects on the continent”, underlines the NGO, specifying that the objective is to “reduce the risks for the species in the future and gradually put end to the breeding project”.