Sibuya Rhino Foundation

Every Rhino saved is a victory for nature, for our heritage, and for future generations.

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Welcome to the Sibuya Rhino Foundation

At the Sibuya Rhino Foundation, our mission is to protect and preserve one of Africa’s most iconic and endangered species: the Rhinoceros. Nestled in the heart of the Eastern Cape, our game reserve is not just a sanctuary for these magnificent creatures, but also a beacon of hope in the fight against poaching. With a dedicated Anti-Poaching Unit, we stand on the front lines of conservation.

Every Rhino saved is a victory for nature, for our heritage, and for future generations. Join us in this critical mission and help ensure that these incredible animals can roam freely and safely.

Together, we can make a difference.

Did you know?

Private Game Reserves are the custodians of approximately 8,500 Black & White Rhino (2023) in South Africa, which significantly means the majority of Rhino in South Africa are privately owned.

15%

Of Rhino poached over the last year were on Private Reserves. Approximately 86 Rhino lost in 2022 & at least 14 in the Eastern Cape to date in 2023 – sadly including ours.

85%

Of poaching incidents took place on Provincial & National Reserves so it is clearly beneficial & critical for the protection of Rhino in South Africa to maintain their presence on Privately owned Reserves.

Over the last 15 years approximately 9,500 Rhinos have been poached in South Africa. Despite two billion Rand having been spent on security every year!

Why save Rhinos?

Rhinos are our heritage

  • Rhinos have existed for 40 million years – they are our heritage
  • The Rhino is an umbrella species
  • South Africa is home to 83% of Africa’s population & 73% of all wild Rhino worldwide

World-wide Rhinos are at risk

  • All 5 Rhino species world-wide are at risk
  • The White Rhino is near threatened with approximately 12,956 (2024) in total left in South Africa
  • The Black Rhino is critically endangered – with approximately 6,487 (2024) in total left in the wild
  • They are in peril because of poaching – numbers decrease daily
  • To prevent extinction stringent methods are necessary for their protection

Tourism and economy

  • The preservation of the environment to protect Rhino enables other species to survive and flourish
  • Rhinos are one of ‘The Big 5’ so generate tourism
  • Tourism generates money to boost the economy
  • Tourism generates employment which is instrumental in the upliftment of communities

Because we care

It is our duty as custodians, to play a small part in the preservation and protection of the planet’s remaining Rhino. By ensuring the safety of our small breeding herd at Sibuya, we contribute to this worthy cause.

More info and statistics available on the World Animal Foundation website.

Poaching in the Eastern Cape

Until 2010 the scourge of poaching in the Eastern Cape was virtually unheard of but since then highly sophisticated armed syndicates have plagued the area. Devastatingly in 2016/2023 Sibuya was the target.

Well-financed poaching perpetrators with automatic and semi-automatic firearms, planes, helicopters, 4×4 vehicles and dart guns with deadly schedule 6 immobilizing drugs, financed by wealthy syndicates, have made the protection of our animals more than a little challenging. Rhinos are slaughtered for their horns – keratin – which has NO MEDICINAL VALUE as it’s the same material as fingernails but is unfortunately highly desirable by an enormous avaricious Asian market.

Daily our Anti-Poaching personnel and K-9 Unit put their lives on the line in a continual effort to fight back and protect our iconic species. There is an on-going need to train manpower, upgrade and maintain weaponry and equipment – it is a constant battle to stay one step ahead.

Despite the world recession eating deeply into our Game Reserve finances, we as a privately owned Reserve, primarily the guardians of the future sustainable population of magnificent Rhinos, must expend enormous amounts of manpower and resources on fighting the rising threat of poachers.

Rhino are no longer a viable game ranching animal as the costs of protecting them are astronomical. Yet many private Rhino owners, the forgotten warriors in this fight, who are not recipients of donor funding or media exposure, choose to cover the massive human and financial costs of protecting their animals and our heritage themselves. So we appeal to all like-minded people to help us in this fight – every little bit of support we get is appreciated and of assistance…

The more sophisticated the equipment we have and the larger the number of personnel we deploy on the ground, the greater our chances of succeeding.