Benson: In northern Natal, between the banks of the White Umfolozi River and the Black Umfolozi, lies the world’s greatest rhino sanctuary. Within the borders of the Umfolozi-Lhulhuwe park, one of Africa’s most endangered creatures finds the safety denied to it across the continent, where its horn has literally put a price on its head.
Nobody knows quite how long rhinos have been here — maybe 40-million years. And for most of that time, things have gone pretty well for the rhino. In the middle of last century, Afrikaner trekkers coming through here recorded seeing 50 and more rhinos in a single day.
Since then hunting cut their numbers to fewer than 50 in total. But conservation programs over recent decades have seen them prosper again, and helped make the Umfolozi-Lhulhuwe reserve, Africa’s Ark.
Geoff Gainsford (Natal Parks Board): Since the early sixties, we have transported about four and a half thousand white rhino from the Lhulhuwe-Umfolozi park. We virtually restocked Africa in the early sixties until the late sixties. They’ve gone to zoos and safari parks all over the northern hemisphere. We’ve scattered white rhinos all over the world.
Now the Natal Parks Board is going one step further, marrying conservation and commerce by holding an annual auction, to farm out rhino and other animals for profit.
And if you want to auction a rhino, first catch a rhino. To catch a rhino you’ll need two helicopters, about 20 park rangers, and a good supply of tranquilizer darts.
Assistant Vet: You aim for the rump of the animal. Either the left or the right hand side, you wouldn’t aim for the spine obviously.
When the light chopper carrying the darting team has found its mark, it calls in the heavyweight to lift out up to two tonnes of rhino. Speed is critical and a vet is on hand to check the animals.
Vet: The vital signs are the most important things to look out for. We’re watching the respiration rate, the depth of respiration, we’re looking at the blood pressure. It’s something one just assesses in the first immediate minute that one’s there.
It’s an undignified exit for the rhinos, who’ll never see the tawny grass of home again.
Back at base the animals are given medication and their horn is drilled to take a transponder to aid tracking in the future. The still wobbly captive enters the bomas, which will be its temporary home over the weeks leading up to the big mid-year sale.
It’s the largest sale of wild animals in the world, and draws buyers from zoos and parks in Asia, the Middle East, Europe and America. But most are from South Africa, where the post-apartheid tourist boom has brought a boom in private game reserves.
Gerry Emerich is building stock numbers on a game park he’s established in South Africa’s north — a park he’s given a not so African name.
Emerich Emerich: One day we had a few bottles of wine and amongst them was a bottle of Jacob’s Creek, all the way from Down Under. And as our lodge is built on a small creek, we thought it would be very appropriate to call it Jacob’s Creek.
Jacob’s Creek already carries impala, giraffe and more. But now Gerry wants to move into the big league. Gerry wants a rhino. But his selection process reveals one of the hard truths of the sale of wild animals
Emerich: Had she had a very long horn and her size, she might have been a lot more favourable to the trophy hunters, than she is going to be without a horn.
Gerry wants rhinos for breeding, but if he can build up numbers, he admits he might sell a few to safari hunters — the international tourists prepared to pay $50,000 or more to kill a rhino.
Emerich: It’s not very nice hunting your animals, but to make the thing economically viable – although I did say that it wasn’t my main interest — one would have to hunt at the end of the day.
Park authorities defend hunting on the grounds that it provides funds for conservation, and they believe few of their animals will end up in a hunter’s sights.
Gainsford: Most of the animals that are going out of this auction are of an incredibly high quality, and most of the buyers will be using them as breeding stock. Ultimately, some of them might become hunted, but so be it.
Bidding is brisk from the start. The auction floor takes on a new seriousness when the rhinos come under the hammer.
Gerry Emerich is trying to keep pace, but there are no rhino bargains today. With white rhinos going for up to $25,000, Jacob’s Creek will have to wait for another year.
The sale ends with the star attractions — a block purchase of six black rhinos. With little more than 2,000 in existence, they can’t be hunted, but they’ll add lustre to any game park and bidding is intense.
The gavel falls at just over a million rand — $300,000 for the six black rhinos. By the end of the sale, nearly $3 million has been spent and not one animal is unsold.
The Natal Parks Board is well satisfied — most of the animals sold today will help restock land where game has been cleared.
And for those animals who remain, like the white rhino, there are now new funds to provide for their protection and survival.
Nobody knows quite how long rhinos have been here — maybe 40-million years. And for most of that time, things have gone pretty well for the rhino. In the middle of last century, Afrikaner trekkers coming through here recorded seeing 50 and more rhinos in a single day.
Since then hunting cut their numbers to fewer than 50 in total. But conservation programs over recent decades have seen them prosper again, and helped make the Umfolozi-Lhulhuwe reserve, Africa’s Ark.
Geoff Gainsford (Natal Parks Board): Since the early sixties, we have transported about four and a half thousand white rhino from the Lhulhuwe-Umfolozi park. We virtually restocked Africa in the early sixties until the late sixties. They’ve gone to zoos and safari parks all over the northern hemisphere. We’ve scattered white rhinos all over the world.
Now the Natal Parks Board is going one step further, marrying conservation and commerce by holding an annual auction, to farm out rhino and other animals for profit.
And if you want to auction a rhino, first catch a rhino. To catch a rhino you’ll need two helicopters, about 20 park rangers, and a good supply of tranquilizer darts.
Assistant Vet: You aim for the rump of the animal. Either the left or the right hand side, you wouldn’t aim for the spine obviously.
When the light chopper carrying the darting team has found its mark, it calls in the heavyweight to lift out up to two tonnes of rhino. Speed is critical and a vet is on hand to check the animals.
Vet: The vital signs are the most important things to look out for. We’re watching the respiration rate, the depth of respiration, we’re looking at the blood pressure. It’s something one just assesses in the first immediate minute that one’s there.
It’s an undignified exit for the rhinos, who’ll never see the tawny grass of home again.
Back at base the animals are given medication and their horn is drilled to take a transponder to aid tracking in the future. The still wobbly captive enters the bomas, which will be its temporary home over the weeks leading up to the big mid-year sale.
It’s the largest sale of wild animals in the world, and draws buyers from zoos and parks in Asia, the Middle East, Europe and America. But most are from South Africa, where the post-apartheid tourist boom has brought a boom in private game reserves.
Gerry Emerich is building stock numbers on a game park he’s established in South Africa’s north — a park he’s given a not so African name.
Emerich Emerich: One day we had a few bottles of wine and amongst them was a bottle of Jacob’s Creek, all the way from Down Under. And as our lodge is built on a small creek, we thought it would be very appropriate to call it Jacob’s Creek.
Jacob’s Creek already carries impala, giraffe and more. But now Gerry wants to move into the big league. Gerry wants a rhino. But his selection process reveals one of the hard truths of the sale of wild animals
Emerich: Had she had a very long horn and her size, she might have been a lot more favourable to the trophy hunters, than she is going to be without a horn.
Gerry wants rhinos for breeding, but if he can build up numbers, he admits he might sell a few to safari hunters — the international tourists prepared to pay $50,000 or more to kill a rhino.
Emerich: It’s not very nice hunting your animals, but to make the thing economically viable – although I did say that it wasn’t my main interest — one would have to hunt at the end of the day.
Park authorities defend hunting on the grounds that it provides funds for conservation, and they believe few of their animals will end up in a hunter’s sights.
Gainsford: Most of the animals that are going out of this auction are of an incredibly high quality, and most of the buyers will be using them as breeding stock. Ultimately, some of them might become hunted, but so be it.
Bidding is brisk from the start. The auction floor takes on a new seriousness when the rhinos come under the hammer.
Gerry Emerich is trying to keep pace, but there are no rhino bargains today. With white rhinos going for up to $25,000, Jacob’s Creek will have to wait for another year.
The sale ends with the star attractions — a block purchase of six black rhinos. With little more than 2,000 in existence, they can’t be hunted, but they’ll add lustre to any game park and bidding is intense.
The gavel falls at just over a million rand — $300,000 for the six black rhinos. By the end of the sale, nearly $3 million has been spent and not one animal is unsold.
The Natal Parks Board is well satisfied — most of the animals sold today will help restock land where game has been cleared.
And for those animals who remain, like the white rhino, there are now new funds to provide for their protection and survival.