Jeff Muntifering, Conservation Biologist at the Minnesota Zoo, is in Namibia where he works with the Namibian government, a local conservation organization (Save the Rhino Trust), tourism operators and local communities to conserve the world’s last truly wild population of black rhino. Listed as critically endangered, only 5,000 black rhino survive in Africa and are seriously threatened by rampant poaching especially in neighboring South Africa where roughly 3 rhino are poached every day! In the remote northwest region of Namibia, where only 3 rhino have been lost to poachers this past year, rhino conservation efforts have focused more on ensuring that local people see value in keeping rhino alive. The Minnesota Zoo has spearheaded an exciting initiative that seeks to train, equip and motivate a new generation of local ‘Rhino Rangers’ to monitor the rhino on their lands. Here is his update from the the field…

Under a blanket of stars is where the day begins. It is 4:30 am and I am woken by the soft sound of muffled voices in the darkness. It is the camp staff as they open the kitchen to begin preparing breakfast for the guests that must be served before sunrise. Shortly after, I hear the unmistakable purr of a Land Rover diesel engine approach. It is a specialized rhino tracking team arriving from Save the Rhino Trust, our local conservation partner in Namibia. This team not only knows how to find the rare desert rhino on foot but also share the experience with tourists. It is time to get up. As I pull myself out of my warm sleeping bag and unzip my tent’s door I hear a lion roar off in the distance. I remember that indeed I am in wild Africa.

Actually, I am at Desert Rhino Camp. The camp is a partnership between a tourism company, Save the Rhino Trust, and the neighboring communities. The goal here seems so simple – use tourism to help save rhinos. Tourists would pay money to join our expert rhino trackers on foot to see the rare desert rhino. Part of the tourism fees would cover the rhino tracker’s critical monitoring work, to make sure each and every rhino is safe from poachers. The local people get jobs at the camp and even a cash donation every month to help with community projects. All because of rhinos. So the rhino benefit from better protection while the local people benefit from jobs and donations. Everyone is happy and the local people see value in keeping rhino alive. But of course, combining business with conservation it is not so simple.

As the trackers and I embark on our rhino patrol, we know that the day will be anything but easy! These are the last truly wild rhinos on earth and no fences means nothing controlling their movements. In this vast desert, it takes very special tracking skills (and a bit of good luck) to find them on a daily basis. Plus, special care must be taken to not disturb the rhinos since they can be very dangerous and also can easily move away and out of the tourism area. But we know that the tourists expect us to not only find a rhino but get them close enough to take good photos and enjoy the sighting. Unhappy tourists makes for bad business. And bad business leads to the camp closing leaving people without jobs and donations and the rhinos with less protection. So, the challenge is on as we begin a new day at Desert Rhino Camp. Will we find a rhino? Will the tourists be happy? Does anything else go wrong to make our safari more difficult? Join us next month to read about what happens when our rhino safari in the wild Namibian desert continues…

Learn more about Jeff’s and the Minnesota Zoo’s work in Namibia.