“It is a massive privilege to be part of such a conservation initiative,” says Donovan Jooste, wildlife NGO African Parks’ Rhino Rewilding Project Manager, who is overseeing the 2,000+ rhinos. “The opportunity we have to de-risk a species at scale is incredibly exciting.”
In September 2023, African Parks bought Platinum Rhino, the world’s largest private captive rhino breeding operation. The 7,800-hectare property, 100 miles south-east of Johannesburg, has since been renamed Rhino Rewild. Platinum Rhino’s former owner, South African multimillionaire John Hume, started breeding rhinos in 1992 with around 200 animals, but after years of financial difficulties and facing bankruptcy, due to the farm’s running costs, Hume put the farm up for auction in April, 2023, with a starting bid set at $10 million (£8m).
I was expecting Hume to be some asshole trying to farm rhinos for their horns or something, but no. He actually spent his fortune trying to save them before running out of money and selling the farm.
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Swing and a miss
