Nick Newman - The Rhino Crash

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On my first night of laying ambush to wait for poachers, my boss Ross uttered a few words that would forever remain etched in my memory: These guys arent like the criminals you have in the UK. These guys trade in body parts.

I had heard disturbing stories about the dark and dangerous world of poaching, but now I was here, in the very sordid heart of where merciless men stalked and killed the endangered rhino.

That night was the first of many nights we spent sitting quietly in the African bush, waiting for poachers who were intent on coming to seek out and kill the animals we loved and cared for on our reserve. These animal assassins came for natures gold the rhino horn. It commands an incredibly high price on the black market, and demand for the commodity continues to be driven by the historically misguided belief that the splendid animals horn contains powerful medicinal properties. Unfortunately, these historical beliefs are largely perpetuated by statements from individuals such as a former Vietnamese Prime Minister, who claimed that the horn, if administered to a seriously ill person or a cancer patient, could result in the miracle of a cure. In 2013, the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF)-SA and the wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC, conducted research and established that the misguided belief in rhino horns properties had developed to such an exaggerated degree, that the venerated commodity had become a status symbol in Vietnam anyone who could afford it was considered to be wealthy, successful and influential. Due to the unquenchable demand for rhino horn in Southeast Asia and China, the current poaching crisis has far bigger implications than just some animals being murdered in Africa. Rhino horn trafficking is now considered a transnational crime, run by sophisticated organised crime networks that have far-reaching global connections. Greedy individuals, motivated by substantial cash incentives, will stop at nothing to smuggle the prized horn from Africa to Asia, including using sealed diplomatic bags. The fact that diplomats individuals of stature, abuse their diplomatic privileges to assist with the smuggling process, is a chilling example of how far up the ladder of influence the poaching network stretches.

Shortly after I started working in Africa, Ross enquired about the perception British people had of rhino poaching. I paused, hoping to articulate that we cared about the dire reality the animals faced, but the chit-chat that was happening in Britain seemed far removed from the reality of sitting under a starry African sky, waiting for the killers to strike. While I had always been drawn to documentaries showcasing Africas amazing animals, I had to admit that rhino poaching didnt feature heavily in the British psyche or on television channels at that point. In fact, most people seemed blissfully oblivious to the annihilation that was eradicating the already low number of rhinos left in the world. I made a feeble attempt to rationalise this depressing disinterest, explaining that in a country where murders on news bulletins caused viewers eyes to glaze over, animals getting murdered on another continent were unlikely to pique their interest. Of course, I knew that rhinos are one of the worlds most iconic animals, and it disturbed me that disinterest or apathy seemed to prevent all of us as a collective from acting now. It was almost as if people didnt seem to realise that inaction would lead to us merely describing their magic to future generations if they ever were to go extinct. In Africa though, I was fast discovering people rallying together in defence of the species and warning the world about a bleak future without rhinos, observing first-hand how the poaching crisis continued to escalate and decimate the remaining rhino population.