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Balule is home.

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It's not my heart, it's my whole
life.

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It's just a part of

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me, it's my existence.

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I have such a passion for the
place.

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Not only the environment, the
nature, the

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animals, the people that are
around here,

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the entire area just becomes a
part of

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who you are. So it's lovely.

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Balule is a 55,000 hectare
nature reserve,

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and we form part of the

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Greater Kruger Conservation
Area.

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This is an almost three million
hectare

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conservation area where Kruger
National

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Park, one of the world's best
known and

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most iconic, incredible nature
reserves,

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it forms the big body in this
open

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conservation system for the
animals to

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roam free and be wild.

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Greater Kruger is iconic in
terms of

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conservation for the whole
planet, not

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just for South Africa or Africa.

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The diversity of species,

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plants, animals, everything

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is of the best in the world.

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Each and every creature is on
this earth

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for a reason and plays an
ecological

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role, and the entire ecosystem
is

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dependent on all these species.

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It's the responsibility of
humans to

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provide sufficient safe space
for these

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animals to just exist.

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Sadly, this entire Greater
Kruger area

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was hard-hit for the

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senseless killing of our rhinos.

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Balule, unfortunately,

37
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suffered severe losses.

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The dehorning of our rhino was
something

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that we were forced to do.

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The dehorning operation,

41
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it's the biggest conservation
operation

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that does take place in Balule.

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The vets, the pilots, the

44
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people on the ground, the
rangers,

45
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everybody gets involved.

46
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And it is high energy, it's
fast-paced,

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there's always a lot of
adrenaline.

48
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The dehorning operation is
coordinated

49
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from the air by our head warden,
Ian

50
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Novak, who will be in the light
aircraft

51
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with our pilot Bruce McDonald.

52
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One of our most experienced
wardens, Rian

53
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Ahlers, oversees the actual
dehorning

54
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operations on the ground.

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We're here today in the most
southern

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part of the greater Balule. So
we're

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very much in our danger zone at
the

58
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moment, very much the most
active from a

59
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poaching point of view.

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We've got the spotter

61
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plane up with Bruce and Ian.

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They're looking for most likely
white

63
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rhinos, it's mostly a white
rhino area.

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So we're just waiting for them
to spot

65
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the rhino, then we'll react,
unless

66
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they're circling in that
airplane,

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waiting for a ground crew to get
past.

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It's a vomit comet, that
machine.

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Guys, I guess, is this
everybody, eh?

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Looks like it. Just quickly, the

71
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golden rule is that the
communication

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comes from the top down, is
we'll get the

73
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ground teams right to where
those rhinos

74
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are, into that area. There's no
point in

75
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us starting to dart when the
ground

76
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team's still five minutes out.

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The ground teams are already in
the

78
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various vehicles. There's a lot
of

79
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communication that's required,
you know,

80
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a lot of pre-planning is
required, and

81
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lines of communication are very

82
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important. Imagine there's a lot
of

83
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moving elements, there's a thick
swing,

84
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there's a helicopter, there's
three

85
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vehicles on the ground, and
there's at

86
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least 15 people running around.
So we're

87
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all excited, revved up,

88
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and ready to rock and rock.

89
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The entire team is excited when
it's time

90
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for de-horning, because it's one
of the

91
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operations that we do, where
there's one

92
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goal in mind, and that

93
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is saving the rhinos.

94
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And you know that for the next
18 months,

95
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it's going to be okay. That's

96
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a hell of a rewarding feeling.

97
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Oh, yeah!... But I think it's
just

98
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watching and waiting.

99
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So we just pulled into this
grassy

100
00:05:49,620 --> 00:05:51,160
airstrip over here, just as a
bit of a

101
00:05:51,260 --> 00:05:52,640
holding spot, and as we arrived
up here,

102
00:05:52,740 --> 00:05:54,920
we bumped into this beautiful
cheetah,

103
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which is a fantastic way

104
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to start a Monday morning.

105
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With these operations?
Sometimes, you

106
00:06:00,061 --> 00:06:01,041
know, weather conditions make it

107
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difficult to spot the animals,

108
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vegetation makes it also
challenging when

109
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it's very thick. So often, you
just hurry

110
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up and wait. But that can change

111
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within a heartbeat. You can get
the radio

112
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call any second, and then we're
running

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for the rest of the day, so
absolutely.

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You've got to be prepared

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to have a bit of patience.

116
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.....If it's a small triangle, I
would have

117
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struggled to see. I don't know
if that

118
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makes sense. I know that's York.
It

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would be in York... But they can
move eh?....

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But so it's almost like those
two

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notches, like that, across....

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I'm Zala..I'm

123
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a rhino monitor in Balule. My
role in

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this is that I have to prepare
the

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individuals that we have to
dehorn, and

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then what we do is, at the
dehorning, we

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are taking off the horn, so that
we are

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devaluing the animals,
basically, so that

129
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we make them unattractive for
poaching.

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And it is working really well.

131
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..Show me the bulls that are in
this area and then

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I'll tell you, then it's very
possible

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that I missed a small notch, you
know?...

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...This guy? No. He's around?

135
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But all of these have to be
done, so I

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think you would see the regrowth
is big...

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Obviously, the dehorning itself,
you

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know, we don't want to do it. We
want to

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see these animals as they were
made

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through millions of years of
evolution,

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to just enjoy the bush and just
be

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themselves, you know what I
mean? They're

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stunning, iconic rhinos. So, in
the end

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of the day, I'm happy that
they're safe,

145
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but I'm also sad that

146
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they cannot be natural.

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Are you calling me?

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OK, copy that.

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They've got three white rhinos.

150
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Operation like this is hugely
expensive.

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One doesn't realise how much
finances get

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thrown into a day of dehorning.
It's

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helicopters, it's vets, it's the
drugs.

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It all adds up. If you cut
costs, you

155
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should rather not do it, because
you're

156
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going to run yourself short, and
that's

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where animals' lives are

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second best to the finances.

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So I thinks from a vets

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point of view, there's very
critical

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moments that happens very
quickly. The

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vet needs to decide what amount
of drugs

163
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needs to be administered while
we're talking

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in the front, and he's trying to
stay in

165
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his seat in the back while we're
throwing

166
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him around. There is so many
things that

167
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can go against the vet in that
moment in time.

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Well, they've just darted the
Rhino.

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We've had notification that the

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dart's in, and now we wait.

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Expertise that we've got from
helicopters

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and vets on site, we've probably
got some

173
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of the best in the world doing
African

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wildlife work. We haven't lost a
rhino

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yet, and I don't expect us

176
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to lose one either.

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The thing with the teamwork is
with

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anything. Everyone's got their
role to

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play, and one can't be done
without the

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other, but the ground crew,
what's

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critical with them is ultimately
the

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rhinos' safety is in their
hands, and

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the vet on the ground that gets
there

184
00:10:48,958 --> 00:10:50,259
first, he's got a hell of a

185
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responsibility because you've
got to

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stabilise that animal as quick
as

187
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possible. We don't want to be
injuring or

188
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even at worst killing any animal
because

189
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we're trying to do this
operation, so

190
00:11:01,399 --> 00:11:02,859
we're very conscious of that,
and nobody

191
00:11:02,959 --> 00:11:05,540
takes chances, and the rhino's
safety is

192
00:11:05,640 --> 00:11:07,640
paramount in all of this.

193
00:11:08,400 --> 00:11:10,260
...Try and get him...

194
00:11:10,360 --> 00:11:12,360
...Yeah, I'll just try to turn
him...

195
00:11:14,680 --> 00:11:16,100
...I'm just going to try to turn
him

196
00:11:16,200 --> 00:11:17,660
actually completely. Push him

197
00:11:17,760 --> 00:11:19,760
all the way...

198
00:11:20,280 --> 00:11:23,021
...Okay, one, two, turn. You
don't want to

199
00:11:23,121 --> 00:11:24,821
turn that's fine. I can't get
out of the way

200
00:11:24,921 --> 00:11:27,001
quick enough for this....

201
00:11:44,482 --> 00:11:45,422
....Just give him 40

202
00:11:45,522 --> 00:11:46,582
milligrams he's quite light.

203
00:11:46,682 --> 00:11:49,302
Sometimes they're not completely
stable

204
00:11:49,402 --> 00:11:51,382
and sure in their walk.
Sometimes they

205
00:11:51,482 --> 00:11:53,662
just crash down on the side.

206
00:11:53,762 --> 00:11:55,223
...Yeah, we'll have to sort the
legs out.

207
00:11:55,323 --> 00:11:57,323
I'll just let him relax full....

208
00:11:59,363 --> 00:12:00,663
If you look at a rhino in its
natural

209
00:12:00,763 --> 00:12:01,843
environment, they're going to
sometimes

210
00:12:01,923 --> 00:12:03,143
roll on their back. Like, it's
not

211
00:12:03,243 --> 00:12:04,303
something that they wouldn't do.
I mean,

212
00:12:04,403 --> 00:12:05,423
it looks a little bit rough, but
it's

213
00:12:05,523 --> 00:12:08,903
nothing bad for them. We then
quickly put

214
00:12:09,003 --> 00:12:10,384
them in an appropriate position
so that

215
00:12:10,484 --> 00:12:12,464
it's okay for their legs.

216
00:12:12,564 --> 00:12:14,144
That's good, that's good. And
now we're

217
00:12:14,244 --> 00:12:16,304
going to go back up again. Huge
bulls can

218
00:12:16,404 --> 00:12:18,944
be up to two tons. So imagine
them not

219
00:12:19,044 --> 00:12:20,464
being positioned correctly. Then
when

220
00:12:20,564 --> 00:12:22,564
they wake up, they could have a
dead leg.

221
00:12:23,964 --> 00:12:25,824
...Almost there. Well done,
guys. Lovely...

222
00:12:25,924 --> 00:12:27,945
It's beautiful. Fred legs are
fine...

223
00:12:28,045 --> 00:12:30,345
We can also cause damage in
their tendons or

224
00:12:30,445 --> 00:12:31,625
something like that. So we're
trying to

225
00:12:31,725 --> 00:12:33,585
be very careful with that.
That's why we

226
00:12:33,685 --> 00:12:35,185
always position them correctly
so that

227
00:12:35,285 --> 00:12:37,185
once they're woken up, they can
walk away

228
00:12:37,285 --> 00:12:38,425
if they want to.

229
00:12:38,525 --> 00:12:39,385
...Then I just need to

230
00:12:39,485 --> 00:12:41,485
measure this and then I'm
done....

231
00:12:42,325 --> 00:12:44,226
My role is from the Balule point
of view,

232
00:12:44,326 --> 00:12:46,786
I need to ID every animal and do
the

233
00:12:46,886 --> 00:12:48,426
measurements of the horn, the

234
00:12:48,526 --> 00:12:50,266
circumference and the length so
that

235
00:12:50,366 --> 00:12:51,906
everything is in a file for
every rhino

236
00:12:52,006 --> 00:12:54,006
so we can follow it.

237
00:12:55,966 --> 00:12:57,826
So the vets remove the horn

238
00:12:57,926 --> 00:12:59,867
simply with a chainsaw. The
cutting of

239
00:12:59,967 --> 00:13:01,347
the horn doesn't cause any harm.
It's

240
00:13:01,447 --> 00:13:02,247
actually like cutting off your

241
00:13:02,327 --> 00:13:04,307
fingernail. The vets are also
very, very

242
00:13:04,407 --> 00:13:06,827
careful how far down they go
because

243
00:13:06,927 --> 00:13:08,187
there's a growth plate that we
don't want

244
00:13:08,287 --> 00:13:10,147
to damage. It doesn't hurt them
at all

245
00:13:10,247 --> 00:13:11,007
and then it grows back. That's
why we

246
00:13:11,087 --> 00:13:13,087
have to repeat it, obviously.

247
00:13:54,690 --> 00:13:56,690
Once the horn is taken off the
rhino,

248
00:13:57,010 --> 00:13:58,590
horns will be marked, DNA will
be

249
00:13:58,690 --> 00:13:59,950
collected, a chip will be

250
00:14:00,050 --> 00:14:02,210
put inside the horn as well.

251
00:14:03,851 --> 00:14:06,591
It will be taken to

252
00:14:06,691 --> 00:14:10,351
a high-secure facility that is
like Fort

253
00:14:10,451 --> 00:14:14,631
Knox and it will be stored there
and that

254
00:14:14,731 --> 00:14:16,731
is where it will remain.

255
00:14:22,052 --> 00:14:24,112
I'd say this is just under two
kilos of

256
00:14:24,212 --> 00:14:25,472
horn and on the black market
you're

257
00:14:25,572 --> 00:14:27,032
looking anywhere between 60 and
80

258
00:14:27,132 --> 00:14:30,392
thousand US dollars per kilo. So
I'm

259
00:14:30,492 --> 00:14:34,452
looking at about 150,000 euros
right there.

260
00:14:37,533 --> 00:14:39,193
It's very difficult to
comprehend what

261
00:14:39,293 --> 00:14:40,913
kind of value humans will find
from this

262
00:14:41,013 --> 00:14:45,193
piece of horn besides rhino. It
makes no

263
00:14:45,293 --> 00:14:46,873
sense. It's absolutely
ridiculous.

264
00:14:46,973 --> 00:14:47,833
The only thing that

265
00:14:47,933 --> 00:14:49,933
needs rhino horn is a rhino.

266
00:14:52,374 --> 00:14:53,914
You know, rhino horn has
different uses

267
00:14:54,014 --> 00:14:56,674
in Far East. The main reason is
it's got

268
00:14:56,774 --> 00:14:58,114
some sort of aphrodisiac or
whatever

269
00:14:58,214 --> 00:14:59,794
properties, but the other

270
00:14:59,894 --> 00:15:01,894
thing is it's a sign of wealth.

271
00:15:04,414 --> 00:15:06,194
If you have rhino horn bowl, it
means

272
00:15:06,294 --> 00:15:08,234
you're a wealthy guy, important
person,

273
00:15:08,334 --> 00:15:10,195
so it's status and then
potential

274
00:15:10,295 --> 00:15:12,455
aphrodisiac qualities, which is
all nonsense.

275
00:15:18,015 --> 00:15:19,475
This morning I was up at
four....I was like,

276
00:15:19,575 --> 00:15:21,155
did they think of this, did they
think of

277
00:15:21,255 --> 00:15:22,595
that, and I've got to stop being
a mother

278
00:15:22,695 --> 00:15:24,696
hen.. they have thought of it
all.

279
00:15:26,256 --> 00:15:27,956
I never get used to it.
Absolutely never.

280
00:15:28,056 --> 00:15:29,636
It's emotional every single
time.

281
00:15:29,736 --> 00:15:31,316
I really got the goose flesh.
I'm still

282
00:15:31,416 --> 00:15:34,076
goose flesh... It's every single

283
00:15:34,176 --> 00:15:36,036
rhino's precious and every
single one is

284
00:15:36,136 --> 00:15:39,036
emotional. And no, four years
later...

285
00:15:39,136 --> 00:15:40,957
I'm not used to it. I'm not used
to it at all.

286
00:15:41,057 --> 00:15:43,317
We have to find a different
solution along

287
00:15:43,417 --> 00:15:44,877
the line. This is not
sustainable long

288
00:15:44,977 --> 00:15:46,477
term, but

289
00:15:46,577 --> 00:15:49,217
certainly for now we have to.

290
00:15:56,217 --> 00:15:58,078
I'm very fortunate that my
parents

291
00:15:58,178 --> 00:16:00,558
actually invested in this area
way before

292
00:16:00,658 --> 00:16:02,998
I was born. So I was basically
since birth

293
00:16:03,098 --> 00:16:04,358
exposed to it and from

294
00:16:04,458 --> 00:16:06,658
a very, very early age.

295
00:16:07,818 --> 00:16:09,278
I knew this is where I

296
00:16:09,378 --> 00:16:11,378
belong. This is where I want to
be.

297
00:16:15,219 --> 00:16:16,959
When I got here 23 years ago,
the

298
00:16:17,059 --> 00:16:17,919
dynamics of the reserve

299
00:16:18,019 --> 00:16:20,019
was totally different.

300
00:16:24,699 --> 00:16:27,079
The fence between us and the
greater

301
00:16:27,179 --> 00:16:29,360
Kruger area was still up.

302
00:16:29,460 --> 00:16:30,920
Balule is quite a fairly

303
00:16:31,020 --> 00:16:32,960
young reserve compared to the

304
00:16:33,060 --> 00:16:34,080
bigger other reserves

305
00:16:34,180 --> 00:16:36,180
adjoining the Kruger Park.

306
00:16:37,700 --> 00:16:40,200
There was rhino in the areas and
pretty

307
00:16:40,300 --> 00:16:42,300
much none in other areas.

308
00:16:43,020 --> 00:16:45,200
And I was fortunate enough to be
part of

309
00:16:45,300 --> 00:16:47,921
introducing rhino. We released
the first

310
00:16:48,021 --> 00:16:49,361
three White rhino on

311
00:16:49,461 --> 00:16:51,461
this side of the reserve.

312
00:16:52,021 --> 00:16:53,161
And White rhinos really

313
00:16:53,261 --> 00:16:55,261
started thriving in the area.

314
00:16:57,781 --> 00:16:59,881
During the same time, we also
had a

315
00:16:59,981 --> 00:17:01,962
project with WWF, the Black
Rhino

316
00:17:02,062 --> 00:17:05,122
Expansion Project, that we
reintroduced a

317
00:17:05,222 --> 00:17:07,122
number of Black Rhino in here.
And it's

318
00:17:07,222 --> 00:17:08,322
really one of those projects
that

319
00:17:08,422 --> 00:17:10,322
everybody dreams about, being
part of

320
00:17:10,422 --> 00:17:12,042
something like that and being
here the

321
00:17:12,142 --> 00:17:13,922
whole time, seeing the
population grow

322
00:17:14,022 --> 00:17:16,682
and stabilise and start moving
into areas

323
00:17:16,782 --> 00:17:18,923
is really, really nice from the
White and

324
00:17:19,023 --> 00:17:21,023
the Black Rhino point of view.

325
00:17:23,103 --> 00:17:25,563
It was a nice time to sit

326
00:17:25,663 --> 00:17:27,003
at a waterhole and see rhino.

327
00:17:27,103 --> 00:17:28,683
Mud bathing in the areas where

328
00:17:28,783 --> 00:17:30,363
they should have been, but for
years

329
00:17:30,463 --> 00:17:32,243
wasn't. It's a nice feeling that
knowing

330
00:17:32,343 --> 00:17:34,784
you were part of making that
happen.

331
00:17:41,384 --> 00:17:44,824
I moved up here to live here
permanently in 2010.

332
00:17:46,704 --> 00:17:47,964
It was always a dream,

333
00:17:48,064 --> 00:17:50,064
absolute dream come true.

334
00:17:50,585 --> 00:17:54,245
And it truly was unbelievable.
Every day

335
00:17:54,345 --> 00:17:57,145
just became better than the
previous day.

336
00:17:59,305 --> 00:18:00,885
We knew about the poachings
happening in

337
00:18:00,985 --> 00:18:03,685
Kruger, some in other private
reserves,

338
00:18:03,785 --> 00:18:05,605
but there were no rhinos poached
in

339
00:18:05,705 --> 00:18:08,166
Baluli yet. And I distinctly

340
00:18:08,266 --> 00:18:10,406
remember a friend of mine who's
in

341
00:18:10,506 --> 00:18:13,326
conservation asking me, "Have
you had any

342
00:18:13,426 --> 00:18:15,406
rhinos poached?" And I was like,
"No, not

343
00:18:15,506 --> 00:18:19,726
at all. No rhinos poached." It
was so at

344
00:18:19,826 --> 00:18:22,086
that stage of 2010, it was so
far from

345
00:18:22,186 --> 00:18:24,227
our frame of reference.

346
00:18:25,587 --> 00:18:28,027
I think I had a sense of what
was coming.

347
00:18:28,427 --> 00:18:30,127
I think I had a sense. Also
because of

348
00:18:30,227 --> 00:18:31,807
what was happening in the rest
of the

349
00:18:31,907 --> 00:18:33,087
country, there was no way

350
00:18:33,187 --> 00:18:35,187
we were going to be exempt.

351
00:18:49,308 --> 00:18:51,308
We lost our first rhino in 2012.

352
00:18:53,948 --> 00:18:55,329
It's like crime in town. It
never happens

353
00:18:55,429 --> 00:18:58,149
to you. It then came with a wave
of note.

354
00:19:01,709 --> 00:19:03,729
It was just too quick, too quick
on us.

355
00:19:03,829 --> 00:19:05,929
Nobody was prepared for the
onslaught

356
00:19:06,029 --> 00:19:08,909
that was...was hitting our
rhino.

357
00:19:11,349 --> 00:19:13,170
Our wardens were all people that
came

358
00:19:13,270 --> 00:19:15,450
into this for love of nature and
for

359
00:19:15,550 --> 00:19:17,550
wanting to contribute to
conservation.

360
00:19:18,190 --> 00:19:21,050
They had to become military
commanders to

361
00:19:21,150 --> 00:19:23,210
protect the rhino because they
are the

362
00:19:23,310 --> 00:19:24,490
last line between the

363
00:19:24,590 --> 00:19:26,590
rhino, its life and death.

364
00:19:28,671 --> 00:19:30,171
Every single thing that we
revolved

365
00:19:30,271 --> 00:19:32,651
around on a day-to-day basis
revolved

366
00:19:32,751 --> 00:19:34,751
around the security of rhinos.

367
00:19:35,751 --> 00:19:38,171
So it was a major change for us.
To the

368
00:19:38,271 --> 00:19:42,851
extent by 2017, 2018, we
literally

369
00:19:42,951 --> 00:19:44,932
couldn't keep our heads above
water, hey?

370
00:19:45,032 --> 00:19:47,032
That's how bad it was, yeah.

371
00:19:48,472 --> 00:19:50,852
We lost 17 rhinos that year.
Imagine

372
00:19:50,952 --> 00:19:52,952
dealing with 17 carcasses in one
year.

373
00:19:53,752 --> 00:19:55,012
And that's, you know,

374
00:19:55,112 --> 00:19:57,112
one, two, three a month.

375
00:20:00,193 --> 00:20:02,133
Annual census indicated a
population of

376
00:20:02,233 --> 00:20:03,893
around 60. And if you're losing
17 a

377
00:20:03,993 --> 00:20:05,933
year, it would have been a
matter of

378
00:20:06,033 --> 00:20:07,253
years and we would have

379
00:20:07,353 --> 00:20:09,353
lost our entire population.

380
00:20:19,474 --> 00:20:22,214
That's a map of Balule, and
every red dot

381
00:20:22,314 --> 00:20:24,314
there is a dead rhino, a poached
rhino.

382
00:20:26,234 --> 00:20:28,094
There's no natural mortalities
on there.

383
00:20:28,194 --> 00:20:30,194
That's.. all of them are
poached.

384
00:20:32,995 --> 00:20:34,455
You know, there wouldn't be a
week going

385
00:20:34,555 --> 00:20:37,655
by that you did not end up at an
autopsy

386
00:20:37,755 --> 00:20:39,915
somewhere along the line. So it
really,

387
00:20:40,355 --> 00:20:42,675
you know, it felt like you lost
control.

388
00:20:57,436 --> 00:20:59,056
We were finding carcasses of
about three

389
00:20:59,156 --> 00:21:01,336
to five days old, and those
carcasses

390
00:21:01,436 --> 00:21:03,456
were generally located by
vultures, and

391
00:21:03,556 --> 00:21:04,737
that's probably the

392
00:21:04,837 --> 00:21:06,837
worst place you want to be.

393
00:21:07,317 --> 00:21:09,457
It means that first of all, you
didn't

394
00:21:09,557 --> 00:21:11,457
detect a gunshot,you haven't

395
00:21:11,557 --> 00:21:13,977
detected an incursion, and you
haven't

396
00:21:14,077 --> 00:21:16,077
even picked up an exit.

397
00:21:17,197 --> 00:21:18,977
So it literally means that
you're in a

398
00:21:19,077 --> 00:21:21,078
bad space right now.

399
00:21:37,199 --> 00:21:39,219
At that point, these guys were
like

400
00:21:39,319 --> 00:21:41,379
ghosts, you know. We
could....all we would

401
00:21:41,479 --> 00:21:43,639
see is footprints and carcasses,

402
00:21:44,039 --> 00:21:45,739
footprints and carcasses. You
would get

403
00:21:45,839 --> 00:21:48,339
little signs of them, but you
would never

404
00:21:48,439 --> 00:21:51,339
get the whole picture, and, you
know,

405
00:21:51,439 --> 00:21:53,340
they would get in carcass and
get out.

406
00:21:53,440 --> 00:21:56,620
There was no in-between.You just

407
00:21:56,720 --> 00:21:59,220
couldn't get them or get a hold
on them

408
00:21:59,320 --> 00:22:01,320
or get any information about
them.

409
00:22:03,160 --> 00:22:06,240
I remember those days that it
was insane.

410
00:22:08,440 --> 00:22:10,341
We tried to just do what we can
to try

411
00:22:10,441 --> 00:22:12,061
and protect these animals, but
sometimes

412
00:22:12,161 --> 00:22:13,461
it just gets to a point where
whatever

413
00:22:13,561 --> 00:22:15,181
you try and do, they just keep
on coming

414
00:22:15,281 --> 00:22:17,141
and coming, and we're trying to
do

415
00:22:17,241 --> 00:22:18,281
something, but it's clearly not
working...

416
00:22:18,361 --> 00:22:20,341
but what else do we do?

417
00:22:20,441 --> 00:22:21,481
You know, when you ask yourself
questions

418
00:22:21,561 --> 00:22:23,461
like that, you just sit and you
look at

419
00:22:23,561 --> 00:22:26,062
how bad people can be, how cruel
people

420
00:22:26,162 --> 00:22:28,762
can be, and, yeah, it's...

421
00:22:34,842 --> 00:22:36,182
If you had to ask me what was
the biggest

422
00:22:36,282 --> 00:22:38,302
sort of thing that gets to you,
that sort

423
00:22:38,402 --> 00:22:41,342
of eats away at you, is the
potential of

424
00:22:41,442 --> 00:22:43,443
thinking there has to be other
answers.

425
00:22:48,283 --> 00:22:49,703
I picked up the phone and I said
to

426
00:22:49,803 --> 00:22:51,423
Sharon, she had just taken over
as the

427
00:22:51,523 --> 00:22:53,223
chairperson of Balule at that
point in

428
00:22:53,323 --> 00:22:54,903
time, and I said, "Sharon, have
you got

429
00:22:55,003 --> 00:22:56,143
an hour for me? "I want

430
00:22:56,243 --> 00:22:58,244
to show you something."

431
00:23:11,484 --> 00:23:12,744
There was a rhino carcass

432
00:23:12,844 --> 00:23:14,845
discovered on one of our
regions.

433
00:23:17,045 --> 00:23:18,945
It's one of the most beautiful
parts of

434
00:23:19,045 --> 00:23:21,385
Balule , large, large wilderness
area

435
00:23:21,485 --> 00:23:23,625
There are no commercial lodges.

436
00:23:23,725 --> 00:23:25,725
There are hardly any roads.

437
00:23:27,485 --> 00:23:28,945
Just the day after it happened,
he says,

438
00:23:29,045 --> 00:23:30,906
"I want to go and show you
exactly what

439
00:23:31,006 --> 00:23:32,466
happened, "so that you can
understand."

440
00:23:32,566 --> 00:23:33,866
I've never...I've been to
carcasses, but I've

441
00:23:33,966 --> 00:23:35,266
never kind of walked

442
00:23:35,366 --> 00:23:37,366
through an entire process.

443
00:23:41,206 --> 00:23:43,826
And you could see the rhino came
down to

444
00:23:43,926 --> 00:23:46,907
drink water at this little pan,
and they'd

445
00:23:47,007 --> 00:23:49,507
sat there waiting for him, and
when

446
00:23:49,607 --> 00:23:51,607
he came down to drink, they shot
him.

447
00:23:54,807 --> 00:23:58,907
We followed these tracks, and on
the

448
00:23:59,007 --> 00:23:59,947
grass, you could just see

449
00:24:00,047 --> 00:24:02,207
this dark, horrible blood,

450
00:24:04,048 --> 00:24:06,668
on the bushes and on the ground,
and this

451
00:24:06,768 --> 00:24:08,768
animal was running away.

452
00:24:11,168 --> 00:24:13,268
He ran away probably one and a
half, two

453
00:24:13,368 --> 00:24:16,928
kilometres before he dropped and
died,

454
00:24:18,328 --> 00:24:20,729
and then this horrifically
hacked face.

455
00:24:23,809 --> 00:24:26,069
It's a site that is

456
00:24:26,169 --> 00:24:28,169
incredibly difficult to deal
with.

457
00:24:32,249 --> 00:24:35,710
We both stood there, and said to
each other,

458
00:24:35,810 --> 00:24:36,990
"There's definitely

459
00:24:37,090 --> 00:24:38,950
internal involvement, "because
there is

460
00:24:39,050 --> 00:24:41,310
no way that strangers would come
in here,

461
00:24:41,410 --> 00:24:42,910
find that pan, "and know a rhino
is going to

462
00:24:43,010 --> 00:24:44,950
come and drink there." So we
acknowledged

463
00:24:45,050 --> 00:24:48,110
that we definitely had
unfortunately

464
00:24:48,210 --> 00:24:51,430
compromised individuals amongst
ourselves

465
00:24:51,530 --> 00:24:53,711
that we're working with in this
reserve

466
00:24:53,811 --> 00:24:55,811
that's involved.

467
00:24:58,931 --> 00:25:01,191
And I'll tell you...

468
00:25:01,291 --> 00:25:03,291
her and I sat crying there.

469
00:25:04,451 --> 00:25:06,911
But Sharon said to me that
weekend, which

470
00:25:07,011 --> 00:25:08,912
was one of our meetings,

471
00:25:09,012 --> 00:25:11,012
she would change things.

472
00:25:11,492 --> 00:25:13,492
And that's where it started.

473
00:25:15,012 --> 00:25:16,672
Colin, for many years, a

474
00:25:16,772 --> 00:25:21,712
strong, amazing, dedicated
warden,

475
00:25:21,812 --> 00:25:25,713
was a broken man, seeing the
tears

476
00:25:25,813 --> 00:25:28,353
in Colin's eyes and tears
rolling down

477
00:25:28,453 --> 00:25:30,453
his cheeks and the raw emotion.

478
00:25:31,533 --> 00:25:33,513
And Colin asked me, "Sharon,
please can

479
00:25:33,613 --> 00:25:35,633
we dehorn our rhinos?"

480
00:25:35,733 --> 00:25:37,593
They are being dehorned, and
this is the

481
00:25:37,693 --> 00:25:39,193
result. They're being killed. If
we

482
00:25:39,293 --> 00:25:41,234
dehorn them, they'll be alive.

483
00:25:41,334 --> 00:25:43,074
That was the day I decided I'm
going to

484
00:25:43,174 --> 00:25:44,674
drive two things. It's the
integrity

485
00:25:44,774 --> 00:25:46,434
management within this reserve,
and

486
00:25:46,534 --> 00:25:48,534
motivate for the dehorning.

487
00:25:49,334 --> 00:25:52,194
One of the boldest decisions we
made was

488
00:25:52,294 --> 00:25:54,874
to basically start immediately,
to

489
00:25:54,974 --> 00:25:56,675
literally start polygraph
testing, I

490
00:25:56,775 --> 00:25:58,075
think it was two weeks

491
00:25:58,175 --> 00:26:00,175
after we made the decision.

492
00:26:04,295 --> 00:26:07,235
And that was critical, to be
able to weed

493
00:26:07,335 --> 00:26:09,835
out the people that are working
within

494
00:26:09,935 --> 00:26:12,115
the reserve but are actually
involved in

495
00:26:12,215 --> 00:26:14,236
poaching. Through information
sharing or

496
00:26:14,336 --> 00:26:16,336
even in the actual killing of
our rhinos.

497
00:26:16,736 --> 00:26:18,036
..."Have you been approached by
any poachers

498
00:26:18,136 --> 00:26:19,196
to assist them with the

499
00:26:19,296 --> 00:26:20,956
illegal killing of a rhino?"

500
00:26:21,056 --> 00:26:23,236
"No."

501
00:26:23,336 --> 00:26:24,916
Unfortunately, we had a lot of
failures.

502
00:26:25,016 --> 00:26:27,096
We had a lot of compromised
individuals.

503
00:26:27,496 --> 00:26:33,077
It was a very hard and harsh
process to

504
00:26:33,177 --> 00:26:35,457
manage and to deal with the
results.

505
00:26:38,857 --> 00:26:41,157
Dehorning took a bit longer to
be able to

506
00:26:41,257 --> 00:26:43,957
implement with Kruger and our
neighbours, etc.

507
00:26:44,057 --> 00:26:45,878
It was a difficult period, but
six

508
00:26:45,978 --> 00:26:47,978
months later we dehorned.

509
00:27:02,539 --> 00:27:04,239
What's really exciting is that
it's a

510
00:27:04,339 --> 00:27:06,879
collaborative effort amongst the
Greater

511
00:27:06,979 --> 00:27:08,959
Kruger. Multiple reserves all

512
00:27:09,059 --> 00:27:11,059
participating in this.

513
00:27:12,379 --> 00:27:14,359
The stress levels are
exceptionally high

514
00:27:14,459 --> 00:27:17,320
and we need to just do something
drastic

515
00:27:17,420 --> 00:27:20,260
to get better control over the
situation.

516
00:27:22,460 --> 00:27:24,360
There was a lot of scrutiny on
us because

517
00:27:24,460 --> 00:27:26,040
it was with us in Klaserie

518
00:27:26,140 --> 00:27:28,200
being the first to do it,

519
00:27:28,300 --> 00:27:29,960
there was a lot of attention
and, you

520
00:27:30,060 --> 00:27:32,480
know, every aspect of the
project

521
00:27:32,580 --> 00:27:34,581
had to be planned and double
checked.

522
00:27:38,701 --> 00:27:40,241
I'll never forget that day in my
life,

523
00:27:40,341 --> 00:27:43,361
because the first day of
dehorning and we

524
00:27:43,461 --> 00:27:46,681
found this big bull known to
York, our

525
00:27:46,781 --> 00:27:48,781
prime bull, now numbered A1.

526
00:27:51,262 --> 00:27:53,682
A1. The sad thing is it was
extremely

527
00:27:53,782 --> 00:27:56,102
exciting. We were trying
something new.

528
00:27:56,422 --> 00:27:58,082
We were convinced it's going to
make a

529
00:27:58,182 --> 00:27:59,482
difference, but we were doing

530
00:27:59,582 --> 00:28:01,402
it for all the wrong reasons.

531
00:28:01,502 --> 00:28:05,202
So the entire process I had
this, you

532
00:28:05,302 --> 00:28:08,523
know, this absolute sadness that
we got

533
00:28:08,623 --> 00:28:10,623
to do what we got to do.

534
00:28:12,303 --> 00:28:13,883
We're a little bit apprehensive
really

535
00:28:13,983 --> 00:28:16,163
because the last thing you want
is to be

536
00:28:16,263 --> 00:28:18,963
now adding to the death toll
because

537
00:28:19,063 --> 00:28:21,363
you're doing an intervention. So
we also

538
00:28:21,463 --> 00:28:23,724
were confident, based on the
knowledge

539
00:28:23,824 --> 00:28:26,084
that we had, that it wouldn't
make an

540
00:28:26,184 --> 00:28:28,244
impact on their social structure
and or

541
00:28:28,344 --> 00:28:30,484
their ability to defend
themselves. You

542
00:28:30,584 --> 00:28:32,584
don't know until you've actually
done it.

543
00:28:51,945 --> 00:28:55,166
I just cried when that first
horn came off.

544
00:28:55,266 --> 00:29:02,206
That chainsaw to us.... It
really

545
00:29:02,306 --> 00:29:06,446
was an unbelievably emotional
time that

546
00:29:06,546 --> 00:29:08,366
for all those reasons that we
have to do

547
00:29:08,466 --> 00:29:10,686
this and then that we had gotten
where we

548
00:29:10,786 --> 00:29:14,367
were and then that just that
relief when

549
00:29:14,467 --> 00:29:16,907
you believe.... it's going to be
safe.

550
00:29:17,427 --> 00:29:19,467
For the next year, year and a
half.

551
00:29:29,868 --> 00:29:32,368
It was actually a very
interesting feeling.

552
00:29:32,468 --> 00:29:36,208
I was expecting to be overcome

553
00:29:36,308 --> 00:29:39,848
with emotion and, you know,
there was a

554
00:29:39,948 --> 00:29:42,048
lot of tears all around me. But
for me it

555
00:29:42,148 --> 00:29:44,149
was a different feeling.

556
00:29:46,989 --> 00:29:48,969
To see those horns off and in a
bag and

557
00:29:49,069 --> 00:29:50,969
getting locked away and out of
the hands

558
00:29:51,069 --> 00:29:52,289
of potential poachers

559
00:29:52,389 --> 00:29:54,389
was a great feeling.

560
00:29:55,029 --> 00:29:57,369
It was a very happy feeling
because

561
00:29:57,469 --> 00:29:59,450
something dawned on me when A1

562
00:29:59,550 --> 00:30:02,370
stood up because that's the
first time

563
00:30:02,470 --> 00:30:05,170
I've seen a rhino without its
horn alive.

564
00:30:05,270 --> 00:30:08,270
.. And that was something.

565
00:30:10,750 --> 00:30:13,650
To see an animal breathing and
walking

566
00:30:13,750 --> 00:30:16,451
off and happy with its horn off,
that's

567
00:30:16,551 --> 00:30:18,551
something that will be with me
forever.

568
00:30:22,351 --> 00:30:23,891
We actively did it until the end
of the

569
00:30:23,991 --> 00:30:25,651
year basically with every rhino
that came

570
00:30:25,751 --> 00:30:27,931
in. And we put it out there, you
know, we

571
00:30:28,031 --> 00:30:30,171
made sure that everybody knew we
were

572
00:30:30,271 --> 00:30:33,132
doing it. And there was a

573
00:30:33,232 --> 00:30:35,232
mark difference immediately.

574
00:30:38,552 --> 00:30:40,132
It was just incredible how all
of a

575
00:30:40,232 --> 00:30:42,612
sudden you kind of got out of
that

576
00:30:42,712 --> 00:30:45,132
frantic mode and you started
realising we

577
00:30:45,232 --> 00:30:46,652
haven't got a carcass this week.
Two

578
00:30:46,752 --> 00:30:47,933
weeks we haven't got a carcass.
Three

579
00:30:48,033 --> 00:30:49,613
weeks we don't have a carcass.

580
00:30:49,713 --> 00:30:52,113
Unfortunately we did lose rhinos
again.

581
00:30:52,753 --> 00:30:56,973
But then you realise, you know,
it's

582
00:30:57,073 --> 00:30:58,253
not the silver bullet.

583
00:30:58,353 --> 00:31:00,353
It's not the only answer.

584
00:31:01,953 --> 00:31:04,214
At that time the regions within
Balule

585
00:31:04,314 --> 00:31:07,854
were fragmented and everybody
was trying

586
00:31:07,954 --> 00:31:09,954
to protect their own backyard.

587
00:31:11,114 --> 00:31:13,894
So as long as they're breaking
in in my

588
00:31:13,994 --> 00:31:16,014
neighbour's house, it's okay. But
I'll

589
00:31:16,114 --> 00:31:18,114
only protect my situation.

590
00:31:19,714 --> 00:31:21,255
There were some regions that
were better

591
00:31:21,355 --> 00:31:24,015
at anti-poaching than others. I
want to

592
00:31:24,115 --> 00:31:27,255
see some hand signals, Morris.
Keep your

593
00:31:27,355 --> 00:31:29,935
formation nice. All right. The
Rian

594
00:31:30,035 --> 00:31:31,735
section was very, very good at

595
00:31:31,835 --> 00:31:33,835
anti-poaching. The Rian lost no
rhino.

596
00:31:37,836 --> 00:31:39,456
But then we had regions that,

597
00:31:39,556 --> 00:31:40,896
they were chasing poachers,

598
00:31:40,996 --> 00:31:43,796
but no results.

599
00:31:49,156 --> 00:31:50,456
There was quite a bit of

600
00:31:50,556 --> 00:31:53,657
conflict, differences of
opinion. At that

601
00:31:53,757 --> 00:31:57,697
time the head warden then
decided to step

602
00:31:57,797 --> 00:32:01,137
down and resign. And we
appointed Ian

603
00:32:01,237 --> 00:32:03,237
Nowak as head warden of Balule.

604
00:32:06,237 --> 00:32:08,737
And we all brought in to the
concept of

605
00:32:08,837 --> 00:32:10,658
working as a collective.

606
00:32:10,758 --> 00:32:13,018
...."So I think what we'll do is
we'll split

607
00:32:13,118 --> 00:32:15,218
up into two teams. Then we've
got that

608
00:32:15,318 --> 00:32:16,978
drainage now and that drainage
now"....

609
00:32:17,078 --> 00:32:18,618
When I first took over there was
a lot of

610
00:32:18,718 --> 00:32:20,858
islands. My job was with the
warden

611
00:32:20,958 --> 00:32:22,958
corps, the guys at the coal
face.

612
00:32:23,398 --> 00:32:26,459
My job was to get these
individual armies

613
00:32:26,559 --> 00:32:28,379
to roll their workers' divisions
of the

614
00:32:28,479 --> 00:32:32,219
same army. The goal is to
protect the

615
00:32:32,319 --> 00:32:35,539
animals and to apprehend the
suspects

616
00:32:35,639 --> 00:32:37,699
irrespective of where it's
happened. And

617
00:32:37,799 --> 00:32:39,379
once they're on this

618
00:32:39,479 --> 00:32:41,480
reserve it's all of our problem.

619
00:32:45,800 --> 00:32:49,020
We started to work in terms of
the

620
00:32:49,120 --> 00:32:51,120
anti-poaching of rhino.

621
00:32:52,360 --> 00:32:54,420
And we started to look at how we
could

622
00:32:54,520 --> 00:32:58,181
better the situation. We got rid
of

623
00:32:58,281 --> 00:33:00,701
all of our service providers for

624
00:33:00,801 --> 00:33:03,261
protection of rhino. And we took
it back

625
00:33:03,361 --> 00:33:06,021
in-house and we did it
ourselves.

626
00:33:06,121 --> 00:33:07,901
Whether we like it or we're not,
it's a

627
00:33:08,001 --> 00:33:10,001
reality, is that it's a war.

628
00:33:12,041 --> 00:33:14,482
And when those poaching teams
come in,

629
00:33:15,282 --> 00:33:19,302
you'll have two operatives with
AK-47s.

630
00:33:19,402 --> 00:33:21,342
One with a 458 and the other one
with an

631
00:33:21,442 --> 00:33:24,302
axe or a knife. And the AK-47s
aren't for

632
00:33:24,402 --> 00:33:26,402
the animals. Those are for the
rangers.

633
00:33:28,362 --> 00:33:31,863
So it was critical that our team
was

634
00:33:31,963 --> 00:33:33,963
trained correctly to protect
themselves.

635
00:33:34,523 --> 00:33:36,463
And also that the equipment that
they had

636
00:33:36,563 --> 00:33:39,143
protects them to the best of our
ability.

637
00:33:39,243 --> 00:33:41,143
When you start considering that,
how

638
00:33:41,243 --> 00:33:44,343
do you send anybody out into
this

639
00:33:44,443 --> 00:33:46,984
environment? Where you can bump
into

640
00:33:47,084 --> 00:33:49,084
any one of the big five any
time.

641
00:33:49,604 --> 00:33:52,744
And you bump into a lot of
poachers and

642
00:33:52,844 --> 00:33:54,844
they open fire on you.

643
00:33:55,484 --> 00:33:57,484
..."Okay, let's go."...

644
00:34:01,844 --> 00:34:02,905
..."Okay, make safe."...

645
00:34:03,005 --> 00:34:04,185
Those operatives that

646
00:34:04,285 --> 00:34:06,305
are doing their job are fathers.
They're

647
00:34:06,405 --> 00:34:08,705
also sons of mothers. To send
them out

648
00:34:08,805 --> 00:34:10,665
there without protection and
correct

649
00:34:10,765 --> 00:34:12,765
training, it's just
irresponsible.

650
00:34:18,005 --> 00:34:19,146
We then started with all these
new

651
00:34:19,246 --> 00:34:21,346
interventions. The guys trained

652
00:34:21,446 --> 00:34:23,906
themselves up to be extremely
effective

653
00:34:24,006 --> 00:34:26,006
with their canines.

654
00:34:31,726 --> 00:34:32,946
The situations that

655
00:34:33,046 --> 00:34:34,546
we're involved in that are
potentially

656
00:34:34,646 --> 00:34:36,947
extremely dangerous. This dog
can

657
00:34:37,047 --> 00:34:40,427
save your life on most
operations.

658
00:34:40,527 --> 00:34:42,227
Colin spearheaded some nighttime

659
00:34:42,327 --> 00:34:44,187
capabilities because poaching
happened at

660
00:34:44,287 --> 00:34:46,147
night. How do you respond if you
have to

661
00:34:46,247 --> 00:34:47,227
wait until first light? It's

662
00:34:47,327 --> 00:34:49,327
too late. Poachers are gone.

663
00:34:49,967 --> 00:34:52,228
We started changing our tactics
so we

664
00:34:52,328 --> 00:34:53,628
could detect gunshots when they
were

665
00:34:53,728 --> 00:34:55,908
taking place. And then we
started

666
00:34:56,008 --> 00:34:58,008
aggressively reacting to those
gunshots.

667
00:35:00,088 --> 00:35:02,028
Added to that we added the
canine aspect.

668
00:35:02,128 --> 00:35:03,748
We added the dog aspect and the
dog

669
00:35:03,848 --> 00:35:05,908
aspect brought a momentum to it.
We now

670
00:35:06,008 --> 00:35:07,309
could track at higher speeds at

671
00:35:07,409 --> 00:35:09,669
nighttime. Previously they had
told us

672
00:35:09,769 --> 00:35:11,669
it's impossible to track at
nighttime.

673
00:35:11,769 --> 00:35:13,769
But in the Balule, we were
forced to do it.

674
00:35:14,849 --> 00:35:16,849
A lot of technology got
deployed.

675
00:35:17,889 --> 00:35:19,869
This thermal drone is an
absolute game

676
00:35:19,969 --> 00:35:22,109
changer for us. Not only from a
wildlife

677
00:35:22,209 --> 00:35:23,870
monitoring perspective but also
from a

678
00:35:23,970 --> 00:35:26,110
security perspective. You can't
hide a

679
00:35:26,210 --> 00:35:28,030
heat signature in the bush.

680
00:35:28,130 --> 00:35:29,990
We fly this drone at about 150
meters

681
00:35:30,090 --> 00:35:32,870
above the ground. And as you can
see, it

682
00:35:32,970 --> 00:35:34,910
pops up very vividly. We've

683
00:35:35,010 --> 00:35:37,170
discovered something very unique
here.

684
00:35:37,490 --> 00:35:38,950
For the first time we were on
the front

685
00:35:39,050 --> 00:35:40,751
foot and not permanently on the
back

686
00:35:40,851 --> 00:35:42,991
foot. It was a very, very
progressive

687
00:35:43,091 --> 00:35:45,191
phase for Balule in

688
00:35:45,291 --> 00:35:47,291
combating the onslaught.

689
00:35:48,971 --> 00:35:50,391
We had never gone any sort of
length of

690
00:35:50,491 --> 00:35:52,571
time without a loss.

691
00:35:54,371 --> 00:35:56,112
We started talking about it and
said,

692
00:35:56,212 --> 00:35:57,872
"Geez, you know what? We might
actually

693
00:35:57,972 --> 00:36:00,152
make a year." And then we

694
00:36:00,252 --> 00:36:02,892
had a loss in October of 2020.

695
00:36:10,892 --> 00:36:12,893
A rhino went down in one of our
regions.

696
00:36:14,493 --> 00:36:19,113
And with the agreements between
all the

697
00:36:19,213 --> 00:36:21,633
wardens and what we agreed to
do, the

698
00:36:21,733 --> 00:36:25,353
security protocols, that is what
assisted

699
00:36:25,453 --> 00:36:30,194
us in arresting the poacher who
took that

700
00:36:30,294 --> 00:36:32,914
rhino down. The poacher that we
arrested

701
00:36:33,014 --> 00:36:35,434
used to be one of the

702
00:36:35,534 --> 00:36:37,534
employees of one of the regions.

703
00:36:41,574 --> 00:36:43,314
He was actually dismissed for
failing his

704
00:36:43,414 --> 00:36:45,115
polygraphs. And we knew

705
00:36:45,215 --> 00:36:47,215
he was involved, obviously.

706
00:36:49,655 --> 00:36:52,115
That incident just was actually

707
00:36:52,215 --> 00:36:54,635
everything coming together that
we've

708
00:36:54,735 --> 00:36:56,735
been working so hard for.

709
00:36:58,775 --> 00:37:01,196
Trespassing is not the charge
you want to

710
00:37:01,296 --> 00:37:03,396
get these guys on. We made a
very crucial arrest.

711
00:37:03,496 --> 00:37:05,676
You want to get them for what
they've been doing.

712
00:37:05,776 --> 00:37:09,116
And that arrest, we arrested
them with the

713
00:37:09,216 --> 00:37:11,556
horn. And we DNA'd that horn to
the

714
00:37:11,656 --> 00:37:14,956
carcass. And for me, that was
the one

715
00:37:15,056 --> 00:37:17,057
that didn't die in vain.

716
00:37:32,537 --> 00:37:34,438
An arrest means nothing because
there's

717
00:37:34,538 --> 00:37:36,638
a million more people. Yes,
that's right.

718
00:37:36,738 --> 00:37:38,158
But there's a million more
people that

719
00:37:38,258 --> 00:37:40,278
know if they come in here,
you're going

720
00:37:40,378 --> 00:37:42,038
to get arrested. You're going to
get

721
00:37:42,138 --> 00:37:44,138
caught. And that's our mission.

722
00:37:47,138 --> 00:37:49,959
We managed to go from that for
two years

723
00:37:50,059 --> 00:37:52,959
without a loss, which is
something we

724
00:37:53,059 --> 00:37:55,059
never thought possible.

725
00:38:28,781 --> 00:38:30,001
When we hit the two-year

726
00:38:30,101 --> 00:38:32,881
milestone, it was a little bit
unreal for

727
00:38:32,981 --> 00:38:34,961
me. I was like, wow, it's really
an

728
00:38:35,061 --> 00:38:36,041
accomplishment to get

729
00:38:36,141 --> 00:38:38,142
to that point.

730
00:38:40,502 --> 00:38:42,282
That's a huge, huge turnaround
when one

731
00:38:42,382 --> 00:38:44,162
considers where we were before.
We've

732
00:38:44,262 --> 00:38:46,362
gone from literally from the
worst

733
00:38:46,462 --> 00:38:48,522
performing reserve in the open
system to

734
00:38:48,622 --> 00:38:50,782
the best, not close to the top,
the best.

735
00:38:53,142 --> 00:38:55,163
It does feel nice. And yes, you
can feel

736
00:38:55,263 --> 00:38:56,643
proud that you're part of that
process,

737
00:38:56,743 --> 00:38:59,263
that there's now no more
carcasses.

738
00:39:00,303 --> 00:39:01,763
It doesn't mean there won't be
any more

739
00:39:01,863 --> 00:39:04,283
carcasses. But the point is,
what we said

740
00:39:04,383 --> 00:39:06,523
is we said we have to find other

741
00:39:06,623 --> 00:39:08,683
solutions to this and move
forward

742
00:39:08,783 --> 00:39:10,784
together.

743
00:39:15,744 --> 00:39:17,924
Thank you all for joining us on
this very

744
00:39:18,024 --> 00:39:18,924
special day in the

745
00:39:19,024 --> 00:39:20,764
history of our reserve.

746
00:39:20,864 --> 00:39:22,484
That's extremely sad that in
South Africa

747
00:39:22,584 --> 00:39:25,324
we have to resort to taking

748
00:39:25,424 --> 00:39:29,125
conservationists and ecologists
who are

749
00:39:29,225 --> 00:39:32,165
our reserve wardens and adding a
military

750
00:39:32,265 --> 00:39:34,285
aspect to their roles.

751
00:39:34,385 --> 00:39:36,525
This should never have had to
happen, but

752
00:39:36,625 --> 00:39:38,965
we had no choice. The war on
rhino

753
00:39:39,065 --> 00:39:43,006
crime engulfed our lives
completely. It's

754
00:39:43,106 --> 00:39:45,286
consumed our working hours.

755
00:39:45,386 --> 00:39:47,566
It consumed our family time. And
it put

756
00:39:47,666 --> 00:39:49,666
good men and women's lives at
risk.

757
00:39:51,226 --> 00:39:52,726
People say the rhino belonged to
South

758
00:39:52,826 --> 00:39:55,306
Africa, so it's their problem.

759
00:39:57,026 --> 00:39:58,326
I differ on that.

760
00:39:58,426 --> 00:39:59,887
The Kruger National Park

761
00:39:59,987 --> 00:40:02,007
is a World Heritage Site.

762
00:40:02,107 --> 00:40:03,567
So everything within the borders

763
00:40:03,667 --> 00:40:05,667
therefore belong to the world.

764
00:40:05,987 --> 00:40:07,807
And therefore it should be a
world problem,

765
00:40:07,907 --> 00:40:09,907
not just ours.

766
00:40:10,787 --> 00:40:12,727
It is not for you the wardens,
all of you

767
00:40:12,827 --> 00:40:16,448
guys. We would have lost this
species

768
00:40:16,548 --> 00:40:18,548
from the African landscape.

769
00:40:19,828 --> 00:40:22,688
And I think that would have been
one of

770
00:40:22,788 --> 00:40:24,248
the worst tragedies the

771
00:40:24,348 --> 00:40:26,348
world could have experienced.

772
00:40:29,388 --> 00:40:31,529
Thank you and let us maintain
our dedication

773
00:40:31,629 --> 00:40:33,729
to the open system.

774
00:40:33,829 --> 00:40:36,569
As later today the sun will set
and

775
00:40:36,669 --> 00:40:38,929
tomorrow it will rise

776
00:40:39,029 --> 00:40:41,029
and bring another day.

777
00:40:41,549 --> 00:40:43,929
But our wildlife will still have
the

778
00:40:44,029 --> 00:40:46,569
expectation of being

779
00:40:46,669 --> 00:40:48,670
kept safe by you guys.

780
00:40:50,350 --> 00:40:52,290
Well done. Thank you all.

781
00:40:52,390 --> 00:40:54,390
Thank you so much.

782
00:41:22,752 --> 00:41:23,892
Well, you know, it's

783
00:41:23,992 --> 00:41:25,652
difficult for us from the air to
know

784
00:41:25,752 --> 00:41:28,252
who it is. We can't see notches,
but we

785
00:41:28,352 --> 00:41:31,012
kind of guess and I said to
Bruce, I

786
00:41:31,112 --> 00:41:32,972
think, that's A1 because he's an
absolute

787
00:41:33,072 --> 00:41:34,772
tank. And that's his territory
and

788
00:41:34,872 --> 00:41:36,533
there's not going to be another
tank in

789
00:41:36,633 --> 00:41:38,633
his territory.

790
00:41:51,553 --> 00:41:53,294
It makes you happy because on
the law of

791
00:41:53,394 --> 00:41:54,934
averages had we not done what we

792
00:41:55,034 --> 00:41:57,034
did. Maybe he wouldn't be
around.

793
00:42:03,794 --> 00:42:05,414
You know, four years down the
track and

794
00:42:05,514 --> 00:42:07,514
most of them are still here
which is great.

795
00:42:07,874 --> 00:42:11,175
....Ah, come on....He's going to
point down here

796
00:42:11,275 --> 00:42:12,295
which is not ideal, but it's not
the end

797
00:42:12,395 --> 00:42:14,015
of the world....

798
00:42:14,115 --> 00:42:15,415
This was the very first

799
00:42:15,515 --> 00:42:16,895
bull we ever did. When we did it
the

800
00:42:16,995 --> 00:42:18,735
first time, we hoped it would
have the

801
00:42:18,835 --> 00:42:20,175
effect that it has in

802
00:42:20,275 --> 00:42:22,295
terms of reducing the poaching.

803
00:42:22,395 --> 00:42:24,896
And it's been overwhelmingly
positive. So

804
00:42:24,996 --> 00:42:25,896
now we're doing it with

805
00:42:25,996 --> 00:42:27,996
a lot more conviction.

806
00:42:28,836 --> 00:42:31,496
"One, two, three. One, two,
three."

807
00:42:31,596 --> 00:42:33,256
..That's perfect. Okay, now back
up.

808
00:42:33,356 --> 00:42:35,356
Okay, when you're ready...

809
00:42:38,476 --> 00:42:40,796
...Well done, guys. Good
job.Perfect...

810
00:42:41,277 --> 00:42:43,297
..That's nice. Good effort...

811
00:42:43,397 --> 00:42:46,537
The rhino's plight is my mantra.
It's my

812
00:42:46,637 --> 00:42:49,497
everything. It's everything I
love, eat

813
00:42:49,597 --> 00:42:52,977
and breathe for. And people
don't realise

814
00:42:53,077 --> 00:42:55,317
what's happening to this iconic
species.

815
00:43:02,798 --> 00:43:05,538
I don't think any human could
have a need

816
00:43:05,638 --> 00:43:07,578
for a product if you know that's
the

817
00:43:07,678 --> 00:43:09,678
origin. This is not possible.

818
00:43:24,519 --> 00:43:26,419
Fundamentally, we're not solving
the

819
00:43:26,519 --> 00:43:29,540
problem. We are saving that
rhino's life.

820
00:43:29,640 --> 00:43:30,940
That's what we're doing. We're
not

821
00:43:31,040 --> 00:43:33,060
solving the problem. And that's
why every

822
00:43:33,160 --> 00:43:34,940
time we dehorn, I'm like, when
are we

823
00:43:35,040 --> 00:43:37,040
going to get to the next point?

824
00:43:41,000 --> 00:43:42,340
When will we get to the point
where we

825
00:43:42,440 --> 00:43:44,500
don't have to deal anymore?

826
00:43:44,600 --> 00:43:46,601
That will be a real success.

827
00:43:48,681 --> 00:43:50,261
There's no one specific thing
that works

828
00:43:50,361 --> 00:43:53,141
against the onslaught of killing
of

829
00:43:53,241 --> 00:43:54,661
rhinos. We just always have to
be

830
00:43:54,761 --> 00:43:59,181
prepared and be prepared to take
each day

831
00:43:59,281 --> 00:44:01,281
as it comes and address it as
such.

832
00:44:03,442 --> 00:44:05,782
We are doing as much as we can
to look

833
00:44:05,882 --> 00:44:08,222
after them. And we will carry on
doing as

834
00:44:08,322 --> 00:44:09,982
much as we can to look after
them every

835
00:44:10,082 --> 00:44:14,022
day. And that's our job out
here. And

836
00:44:14,122 --> 00:44:16,122
that will stay our job.

837
00:44:21,163 --> 00:44:23,163
I don't think rhinos will die
out.

838
00:44:23,883 --> 00:44:25,943
I think our society is such that
we can

839
00:44:26,043 --> 00:44:27,103
protect a species

840
00:44:27,203 --> 00:44:29,203
that it won't go extinct.

841
00:44:30,123 --> 00:44:32,303
But in the natural situation, in
a

842
00:44:32,403 --> 00:44:34,184
natural environment, in an open
system,

843
00:44:34,284 --> 00:44:36,284
our rhinos are in trouble.

844
00:44:38,604 --> 00:44:41,344
There's a time when we hit rock

845
00:44:41,444 --> 00:44:44,344
bottom, and we are fortunately
riding

846
00:44:44,444 --> 00:44:46,984
a wave right now. The real
question is for

847
00:44:47,084 --> 00:44:48,744
how long? How long

848
00:44:48,844 --> 00:44:50,845
before the onslaught is back?

849
00:44:52,485 --> 00:44:54,145
If you had to ask me, what would
I say to

850
00:44:54,245 --> 00:44:56,025
a reserve that is sitting where
we were

851
00:44:56,125 --> 00:44:58,585
five or seven years ago? Because
make no

852
00:44:58,685 --> 00:45:00,345
mistake, we were all in the same
boat.

853
00:45:00,445 --> 00:45:01,665
We are just on different

854
00:45:01,765 --> 00:45:03,765
parts of our journey.

855
00:45:04,165 --> 00:45:05,065
We should support and

856
00:45:05,165 --> 00:45:07,166
learn from each other.

857
00:45:07,606 --> 00:45:09,786
So if a reserve has done
something and it

858
00:45:09,886 --> 00:45:12,466
has been successful, and we can
employ it

859
00:45:12,566 --> 00:45:13,786
under our circumstances,

860
00:45:13,886 --> 00:45:15,986
then we should do that.

861
00:45:16,086 --> 00:45:17,986
For the benefit of the rhino, in
this

862
00:45:18,086 --> 00:45:20,086
case, and conservation.