The world's largest captive rhino breeding farm, situated in South Africa, has been purchased by a conservation NGO.

African Parks said in a statement on Monday that it would take over the 7,800 hectare (19,274 acres) "Platinum Rhino" farm. They said their goal was to rescue the critically endangered species and release the animals into the wild by transporting them to safe and well-managed protected areas across Africa. 

Why was the farm sold?

The Platinum Rhino site which was being run by 81-year-old South African conservationist John Hume, was put up for auction due to financial stress in April of this year. The offer did not receive much interest.

Hume told the AFP news agency that over the years he had spent around $150 million (€139.5 million) on his project to save one of the world's largest mammals from extinction.

Security and surveillance were the biggest cost considerations, according to the businessman.

"I've used all my life savings spending on that population of rhinos for 30 years. And I finally ran out of money," Hume told the AFP in April.

African Parks said it was approached by "numerous concerned individuals from the conservation sector" to help find a way of averting a possible "conservation crisis."

"African Parks had no intention of being the owner of a captive rhino breeding operation with 2,000 rhino. However, we fully recognize the moral imperative of finding a solution for these animals so that they can once again play their integral role in fully functioning ecosystems,” said Peter Fearnhead, CEO of African Parks.

Fearnhead described the scale of the undertaking as "simply enormous, and therefore daunting," but added that "it is equally one of the most exciting and globally strategic conservation opportunities."

NGO says it is up to the task

According to African Parks, the organization has experience in effectively managing protected areas and has carried out wildlife translocations "at scale."

This has included bringing rhino back to Rwanda, Malawi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The NGO manages 22 protected areas across the African continent and now plans on phasing out the breeding program and returning the 2,000 southern white rhino to the wild over the next 10 years.

"We will be working with multiple governments, funding partners and conservation organisations, who are committed to making this rewilding vision a reality," Fearnhead said.

South Africa's poaching crisis

South Africa is home to around 80% of the world's rhinos and has been in the grip of a poaching crisis.

Each year poachers slaughter hundreds of rhino just for their horns, which are highly sought after on black markets in Asia. The price of rhino horn comes at an estimated $60,000 (€55,628) per kilogram, rivaling that of gold and cocaine and is used in traditional medicine and aphrodisiacs.

The horn itself consists mainly of hard keratin, the same substance found in human finger nails.

Last week the South African government said that it recorded a slight decline in the number of rhinos killed for their horns in the first half of 2023.

Poachers killed 231 rhinos in the first six months of the year compared to 259 in the same period last year, according to South African officials, representing an 11% decrease nationwide.

kb/dj (AFP, DW sources)