The conservation organization African Parks has purchased the largest southern white rhino breeding program in the world. The more than 2,000 rhinos will be released into the wild over the next decade, the nonprofit said.
At the end of April, John Hume had his breeding farm ‘Platinum Rhino’ auctioned in South Africa because he had ended up in financially turbulent waters. According to African Parks, no messengers came in, putting the rhinoceroses at serious risk of poaching and fragmentation. Platinum Rhino counts over 2,000 of the endangered animals. According to African Parks, that accounts for 15 percent of the remaining wild population worldwide.
In a press release, Peter Fearnhead, CEO of African Parks, said the organization has no intention of owning a captive rhino breeding program. He does say that African Parks will find a solution for the animals, so that they can “again play their integral role in fully functioning ecosystems”. Once all animals have been released into the wild, the Platinum Rhino project will be discontinued, the CEO said.
The conservation organization will work with various governments, funding partners and conservation partners to release the animals into the wild in various protected areas in Africa.
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