AFRICA IS LOSING 10 RHINOS A DAY TO HELICOPTER-EQUIPPED POACHERS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Honolulu, Hawaii, United States of America (Free-Press-Release.com) February 16, 2012 -- South Africa has a proud history of protecting its wildlife.

35 years ago the rhino population was on the verge of extinction, but the slide in Africa was halted, largely thanks to initiatives set up by Ian Player.

But in the last three years, poaching has gone up a gear and is now once again reaching critical and unsustainable levels.

What’s most worrying is that the modus operandi of the poachers shows that they’re ruthless, sophisticated, and well-funded.

The poachers are coming in by helicopter, darting the rhino, and hacking off the horn. The rhino’s subsequent death is slow and agonizing.

The wardens and conservationists who guard the rhinos are simply outgunned, outnumbered and outmaneuvered on every level

We’re losing 10 rhinos a day. The total population of rhino in Africa, black and white, is less than 25,000.

The real danger is that the poachers actually intend to bring the rhino to the edge of extinction. This would make the rhino horns they’ve stockpiled hugely valuable. Currently, rhino horn is worth about $60,000 per kilogram on the black market.

My personal belief has always been that for conservation to be effective, it has to be broad-based and about conserving large tracts of habitat first and foremost. But every now and then, a threat comes along that requires immediate and urgent attention. This is one of them.

Michael Lorentz is passionate about wildlife, the wilderness and elephants in particular. He started his career in South Africa’s Timbavati Game reserve in 1985 and soon moved to Botswana, becoming assistant general manager of the safari company, Gametrackers. After years of guiding professionally, he established his own business consulting in ecotourism and training guides. In 1991 he met Randall J. Moore, who successfully returned elephants from zoos around the world back to the wilds of Africa. Together they formed and built Elephant Back Safaris and won the lease for an enormous concession in the Okavango Delta, half a million acres! Over the next nine years Elephant Back Safaris gained an extraordinary reputation and became a pioneer of luxury safaris in Botswana.

In early 2000 Michael moved back to South Africa and joined forces with Mike Kirkinis to develop and expand Passage to Africa. Michael now lives in Cape Town with his family and is heavily involved in ecotourism and conservation. Guiding remains his first professional love and he personally conducts privately guided safaris throughout Botswana, Zambia, South Africa, Namibia and East Africa.

ABOUT PASSAGE TO AFRICA

Passage to Africa is a premier safari company comprised of some of the most respected African safari specialists including Michael Lorentz, who started his bush career in South Africa’s Timbavati Game reserve in 1985. He gained fame for creating Elephant Back Safaris in Botswana in 1991 before starting Passage to Africa in 2000 where he and his fellow guides are legends for family and solo adventure, conservation and historical safaris to Africa and beyond.

For information and reservations, please contact Passage to Africa, at +27 15 793 0811; or visit the Web site at www.passagetoafrica.com.

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