Protecting Rhinos

Thank you for supporting David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF) through GlobalGiving. As well as providing you with your bi-annual rhino project report, we would also like to inform you about an exciting new campaign to make your support go further.

This week, GlobalGiving are hosting their annual Little by Little campaign, this means that all your donations donated through GlobalGiving to David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation from Monday 13th to Friday 17^th September will receive 50% match funding from GlobalGiving. So, if you donate £20 to Rhinos today, we will receive £30 in total!

For this campaign, DSWF are seeking your generous support to help protect Namibia’s desert-adapted black rhino population. This is a vital conservation project which has seen some wonderful results in the past year. However, rhino populations are still on the decline with less than 30,000 remaining in the wild across five species and it is vital we continue our work to protect them.

Between 2018 and 2020, our ground-based conservation partners recorded almost 30 months free of rhino killings in the Kunene and Erongo regions of Namibia. An outstanding achievement. Unfortunately, four rhinos have been killed recently largely attributed to the collapse of tourism and livelihoods due to the Covid-19 pandemic. As such, DSWF funding has been directed towards enhancing anti-poaching patrol efforts and increasing team field days and foot patrols to prevent further killings. Our funding last year supported just under 35,000km of ranger patrols and led to 27 arrests including all the individuals involved in the recent poaching incidents as well as the buyer.

DSWF has also continued to fund an ongoing rhino monitoring assessment. Recent reports show a ground-breaking record of more than 4,000 individual rhino sightings over a 12-month period. This data collection is developing further understanding of rhinos in Namibia and are helping to inform and improve conservation strategies to better protect this iconic species.

In India, we have continued to support our ground-based conservation partners in and around the rhino-bearing areas of Assam. DSWF have provided essential field gear to 254 Village Defence Patrol Members. These defence patrols help to deter poachers entering national parks and contributed towards another whole year of zero rhino poaching incidents in three of Assam’s four rhino bearing areas. In addition, DSWF supported three workshops with border security and legal professionals contributing to the arrest of 37 suspects who engaged in wildlife crime and the seizure of 18 weapons.

We are hugely grateful for your support in helping us turn the tide on extinction. Thank you.

Terms and Conditions of Campaign: 

• Donations up to the amount of $50 / £36 will be match funded by 50%.
• Only one donation per unique donor will be match funded.
• Campaign runs from Monday 13^th to Friday 17^th September.