There is a world somewhere between reality and fiction. Although ignored by many, it is very real and so are those living in it. This forum is about the natural world. Here, wild animals will be heard and respected. The forum offers a glimpse into an unknown world as well as a room with a view on the present and the future. Anyone able to speak on behalf of those living in the emerald forest and the deep blue sea is invited to join.
Quote:John Hume, who owns more white rhinos than anyone else on Earth – about 2,000 – plans to put his entire breeding project in North West up for auction in mid-April. Hume has long maintained that the project’s costs were rendering it unviable, and attempts to woo investors have proven futile.
Known as the Platinum Rhino breeding project, John Hume made the announcement on Monday.
“South Africa’s privately owned Platinum Rhino breeding and conservation project, the largest of its kind in the world, is set to go on auction in mid-April 2023. The project has been in operation since 2009 and currently protects close to 2,000 Southern white rhinos on an 8,500 hectare savannah landscape in South Africa,” the notice said.
“Project founder John Hume says the ideal buyer is a person or foundation with a passion for conserving rhinos and the means to keep the breeding project going.”
Finding such a buyer will be no easy task, though it might appeal to someone with lots of cash – say, in the billionaire bracket – who wants to make their mark in conservation. But there are not too many ads out there on the buy side that say: “Wanted: 2,000 white rhinos. Will pay premium price.”
Hume’s previous attempts to woo investors or auction assets to pay for the project have not met with success. In 2019, an attempt to auction his 6,600ha Mauricedale Nature Estate in Mpumalanga received no bids.
“Our appeal for alternative funding and/or investment from the world at large has to date proven entirely fruitless,” Hume said at that time.
More recently, Hume has attempted to plug into the “rewilding” movement, which broadly seeks to reintroduce wild fauna to its historic ranges and landscapes. Last year, he made 100 of his rhinos available for such purposes, but this initiative has also failed to gain traction.
Below, a report from 2018 that gives a relatively balanced measure, not as much as it should.
Conservation - Rhino Horn and Ivory: a sensitive issue
