Muller Stud Namibia is one of the main supporters/sponsors of the "Rhino Momma Project", who is the largest white rhino breeding programme in Namibia.
The Rhino Momma Project – Namibia Rhino Conservation
Small steps lead to great change.
The massive rise of Rhino poaching has made waves throughout the world, as it becomes clearer by the day that if drastic action isn’t taken, our future generations may very well come to know the rhinoceros as an extinct creature. Taking action requires innovative ideas and ingenuity, and the Rhino Momma Project did exactly that, they took decisive action in an innovative manner, and as a result, they have made a significant difference in the growing numbers of Rhino in Namibia. Their story reads of passion and determination and is truly inspiring. Before delving into what exactly The Rhino Momma Project entails, let’s take a quick look at how they got started and what incited their determination to breed with these animals.
Background
The Rhino Momma Project purchased their very first rhino in September 2011; a five year old rhino bull they named Cedric.
Looking for a mate, they purchased a white rhino cow with a heifer (female) calf from a game auction in May 2012. It was at this stage that they fell in love with rhinos and decided they want to help save this iconic species from extinction by breeding as many as possible of them, in order to try re-populate Namibia and Africa with rhinos.
They turned to John Hume in South Africa, the largest rhino farmer in the world, to see why his breeding program is such a success and to acquire the necessary knowledge to avoid making costly mistakes, then went on to continue building their breeding stock with additional purchases until December 25, during which time they had 62 rhinos. So far, since January 2013 until now, 73 calves have been born on their reserve.
The objective
Their goal is to continue breeding these magnificent animals to try and repopulate Namibia, Africa and hopefully the rest of the world. They currently have 44 mature breeding cows and 9 mature breeding bulls in 3 separate, large breeding camps (3 706 acres each), which have the potential to deliver an average of 18-21 calves per year. They hope to build up their mature breeding females to 60, which will yield 24 to 28 calves per year.
Financial challenges lead to the formation of The Rhino Momma Project.
When they started this breeding program, they made predictions on income based on the "live sales" of rhinos to lodges, private rhino farmers and large reserves, but due to the poaching onslaught in Namibia and South Africa, the sales of live rhino have come to an extreme halt. People are too afraid to buy rhino due to the increase in poaching, and therefore the predicted income did not materialise.
Increased costs due to poaching have resulted in the following:
- Tripling their Anti-poaching team members,
- Performing more frequent night and day patrols,
- Performing more frequent night and day surveillance and flights,
- Paying informants for "intelligence," etc.
- They are also feeding their rhino extra nutrition (as a treat) in order to see them on a daily basis, which serves as a monitoring tool.
- In addition, they have added a K9 unit to their existing APU squad.
- They are also currently investigating the options of using drones for night and daytime surveillance which are equipped with thermal imaging cameras; however, this is very costly, and at the moment it is not an affordable option.
This has meant that their total monthly expenses have increased 5-fold since 2012 and they will also have to increase their APU team members even further as their rhino numbers increase. These challenges had to be resolved in an innovative manner so that they could continue their dream of breeding rhino for Namibia, the African continent and the world. They have come this far but have proven that no challenge is too big to handle.
The birth of The Rhino Momma Project
As noted above, there are several unique challenges that have to be overcome, but these very challenges led to the formation of The Rhino Momma Project. To sustain this vital breeding project, they are in desperate need of donor funding by any means. One of their fundraising projects is called "Rhino Momma Project," whereby a donor can "adopt" a rhino. The donor will be able to name the rhino, and they will send updates of the rhino and pictures on a quarterly basis. The money paid by the person who adopts the rhino will go directly to the healthcare, raising and protection of that specific animal. A truly phenomenal idea!
They are reaching out to everyone for their assistance in order to conserve and breed these magnificent creatures back from extinction, so that one day our children and grandchildren can still enjoy and see them in the wild, on farms and lodges Across Africa.
Conservation
Rhino Momma Project
The aim of ‘The Rhino Momma Project’ is to breed and re-populate both Namibia and the rest of Africa with a species which are on the brink of extinction. According to the research, rhinos could become extinct by 2020 if we don’t protect them. Unfortunately sustaining such a breeding program comes with a heavy cost. With the increase in poaching over the last decade, we have had to establish new ways and means to protect the rhino who play an active role in the planet’s ecosystem. Muller Stud, who took on the task to help fund The Rhino Momma Project, have to create new ways in order to finance the project which includes the adoption program and voluntourism.
When it comes to the trading of wildlife, this in itself is conservation. All trading of our rhino and other endangered species is done in accordance with the line ministry within Namibia (Ministry of Environment and Tourism) who is also part of CITES (Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). Therefore, the only way to increase the population of a species is to breed them, sell them and successfully relocate them to other reserves and African countries. This is wildlife conservation.
With the help of Muller Stud and Wildlife Vets Namibia, eight rhinos were successfully translocated to a new reserve in the Democratic Republic of Congo. These are the first white rhinos to be relocated into the Western DRC in decades, thereby making it a huge milestone and success in wildlife conservation.
Since 2013, The Rhino Momma Project has bred 75 new rhino calves, and in order to protect this dwindling species, we require an anti-poaching unit, of which the cost is astronomically high as it also requires air surveillance. There is, unfortunately, no other way to protect the rhinos. Therefore, with the above taken into consideration, the upkeep of one protected rhino is approximately US$275.00 per month. It is just too expensive and thus unsustainable to breed rhino’s, therefore the need to think “out of the box” and find inventive ways to fund these projects. Many such projects currently have to close down in South Africa due to the fact that rhinos cannot be bred sustainably because of the huge costs involved.
Muller Stud and The Rhino Momma Project have had many volunteers on site who have been thrilled with the work being done, and most have indicated they would like to return in the future. These are young people who put their money, time and effort where their mouths are and are making a difference by helping to save Namibia’s rhinos from extinction.
To every volunteer, we are eternally grateful for the time, money and effort put into the breeding project. Without each volunteer, sponsor and generous heart, the rhino population would not be growing again. With your help, we are turning the tide!
Proud to make a difference!
Muller Stud management
