Latest news:  

• May-June 2008

A SAVE FOUNDATION group, including Nicholas and members of the Executive Committee, are currently in Zimbabwe touring the main projects we assist with your support.  They will also be meeting with a number of key conservation people.

• Tragedy at Imire!

On 11-Nov-2007, five poachers armed with AK47s raided the rhino pens at Imire Game Ranch, intimidated and attacked the guards, and shot dead all three adult rhinos, Amber, DJ and Sprinter. To save the rhino project and the remaining rhinos, we are launching the Imire Rhino Fund, the proceeds of which will be used in the best possible way: reward money, milk powder and glucose for Tatenda the newly-born and now orphaned little male calf, and increased protection for other captive-bred rhinos. 

Please donate urgently, and 100% of your donation will go towards Imire.    For all tax deductible donations of $100 or more we will send you a DVD, "That we still have rhinos..," our world class documentary from the May trip, the story of some of our projects in Zimbabwe.

You can donate online or by direct deposit to our account, CBA, 066113, number 1004 4343, or post your cheque or credit card details to 229 Oxford Street, Leederville, WA 6007. For a direct deposit, please email your name and address for your receipt and DVD. Please mark your bank entry with your name and IRF.

• Our next major public event is now sold out: An evening with Ian Chappell, a Dinner / auction with the celebrated former cricketing great.  It will be held on Monday 10 December 2007, at the Grand Ballroom, Hyatt Regency Perth.

The SAVE FOUNDATION publishes regular Newsletters.  Our latest one was published in July 2007, and it is our 20th Anniversary Pictorial Edition.  See it here, and see all the previous ones here!

We are organising a number of SAVE Foundation safaris for 2008: read more about these safaris here.

African rhino news

• 11/2007: Carnage in Imire - 3 of the original rhinos killed by poachers.
• 10/2007: committee member Evelyn Wong and 4 other members and friends of the SAVE FOUNDATION made it to the top of Mount Kilimandjaro in Tanzania, raising in the process $10,000 to be entirely spent on rhino action in Zimbabwe. Read about it here.
• 9/2005 A good news from Zimbabwe! Government bans hunting in some areas of the West.
  7/2005 Helicopter crashes during rhino dehorning and horn implanting operation, injuring vet Chris Foggin (SAVE FOUNDATION, July-Aug-2005).
• 11/2004: horn recovered, poachers caught in Hwange thanks to SAVE FOUNDATION horn implant (SAVE FOUNDATION, 20-Nov-2004).
• 11/2004: Dead rhino found in Hwange National Park, horn had been taken away (SAVE FOUNDATION, 19-Nov-2004).
• 10/2004: Fungai, a four-year old female rhino, was killed by poachers in the Midlands Conservancy (SAVE FOUNDATION, 15-Oct-2004).
• 10/2004: Rhino hunt ban lifted at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), SAVE FOUNDATION president is there and lobbies against "unprecedented move" (SAVE FOUNDATION, 12-Oct-2004)
• 10/2004: First artificial insemination of a white rhino (The West Australian, 6-Oct-2004
• 7/2004: Baby for zoo rhino in Perth (The West Australian, 11-Jul-2004)
• 7/2004: SAVE FOUNDATION Annual General Meeting held on 7-Jul-2004 in Perth.

11/2007: Carnage in Imire: 3 of the original rhinos killed by poachers

This is how the international press reported on this horrific poaching event:

Poaching in Zimbabwe
11 November 2007
Not even a heavily pregnant rhino was spared.
Tragedy came to my home area this week and I write this letter for a family represented by three generations who have worked to save an endangered species for Zimbabwe. More specifically I write this letter for D.J., Amber, and Sprinter who were shot and killed one night this week.
These three Black Rhino were saved from rampant poaching that was ravaging Zimbabwe in the mid 1980's. Seven young Black Rhino calves, three males and four females were sent to Imire Game Park where they were hand reared. Standing chest high they were bottle fed on a carefully worked out milk formula from five litre plastic bottles fitted with calf teats. You have to see this to really appreciate it, the pushing and shoving, the loud schlurping noises and contented glugging, the vast streams of silver dribble and the look of contentment and pure delight in the eyes of the young animals.
These seven Black Rhino were part of a grand scheme by farmers and Government to save a species. Private Game Parks and Conservancies, at entirely their own risk and expense, would rear the animals, allow them to breed and then return the offspring to National Parks so that all Zimbabweans could share in this wonderous heritage.
More: http://www.moneyweb.co.za/mw/view/mw/en/page165055?oid=170124&sn

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Imire rhinos killed
11 November 2007

As KwaZulu-Natal celebrated the release last week of 11 black rhinos on to community-owned land, a highly-successful project in Zimbabwe involving the critically endangered animals was on Wednesday night dealt a death blow. John and Judy Travers of Imire Game Farm in Wedza, near Marondera, have for many years been heading an extensive black rhino breeding programme funded by the Zimbabwe government. The progeny are released into the Zambezi Valley in a successful attempt to build up the herds of the endangered species in the wild. Imire has been in the family since World War 2. At the core of the project are four breeding rhinos which have been supplying the new blood. It was these animals which were shot at 9.30pm on Wednesday. Each rhino was tended by an armed guard.
According to family member Nicola Roche, members of the Zimbabwe Army, dressed in camouflage uniforms and carrying AK-47 rifles, arrived at the lodge, where they beat up a maid and tied her up. They then forced someone to lead them to the rhino pens, where they badly beat up the guards protecting the animals and tied them up, said Roche. The men then killed the rhinos, leaving a one-month-old calf as the sole survivor. Roche said there appeared to be no motivation for this "senseless, heinous slaughter", as all the rhino had been dehorned.
More: http://www.swradioafrica.com/pages/imire121107.htm

Zimbabwe: Suspected Soldiers Slaughter Endangered Black Rhinos
13 November 2007
In a tragic incident that occurred last Wednesday night, a gang of poachers armed with AK 47 rifles and dressed in camouflage, shot and killed 3 black rhinos, one of the world's most endangered species. The slaughtered group included a pregnant female, two weeks away from giving birth. A four-week-old calf was spared.
The black rhinos were part of an important project that hopes to provide a gene pool for this highly threatened species. It is believed the slaughter was meant to intimidate the farm owners into vacating their property, to make way for a top military official who wants the farm.
More: http://allafrica.com/stories/200711130834.html

Local community has stake in black rhino reserve
13 November 2007
A northern KwaZulu-Natal community has become the first to have an ownership share in critically endangered black rhinoceroses.
Somkhanda Game Reserve, now owned by the Gumbi community following a successful land claim against five commercial game farms, is a partner in the WWF (SA) and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife black rhino range-expansion project, according to The Citizen. ‘Empowering black communities to become stakeholders is a priority in conservation, and Somkhanda is an example of where it is really starting to happen,’ said WWF’s Dr Jacques Flamand.
More: http://www.legalbrief.co.za/article.php?story=20071113085303565

Jumbos mourn black rhino killed by poachers
18 November 2007
This week three Zimbabwean elephants proved that rhinos and elephants can form close bonds, and that elephants do mourn.
Gruesome pictures flashed around the world this week of the three black rhinos shot by members of the Zimbabwe Army, dressed in camouflage uniforms and carrying AK-47 rifles. Each rhino had had a guard, but they were assaulted during the attack at Imire Safari Ranch in Wedza last week.
When elephants Mundebvu, Makavusi and Toto were taken to where their former rhino companions Amber, DJ and Sprinter were buried, they reacted in almost human fashion, touching and supporting each other and showing obvious grief. While elephants have been known to behave in such a fashion around remains of their own kind, people might be surprised to find them behaving in the same way around rhinos, which are sometimes treated with animosity.
According to Johnny Rodrigues, the chairman of the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force, since the attack, money has been pouring into a special fund set up by the Travers family - the owners of Imire.
Rodrigues said: "Four armed poachers dressed in camouflage uniform assaulted and tied up the rhino guards and opened fire on the three adult rhino in their pens."
All three were killed.
More: http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=143&art_id=

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Calf recovering from rhino Imire rhino massacre
19 November 2007
Bless you for the wonderful email we have had from you.
It's been beautiful receiving all this incredible mail...there is so much love, support,prayers and words of massive comfort, its been an incredible sharing of agony.We have also found so many special friends that have come out of the woodworks, its quite fantastic.Zimbabwe will always remain a community where ever we are, and when the chips are down our friends stand up. Thankyou for everything and still being around, even though there are seas between us.
The loss of our four rhino's, the fourth rhino being, the little unborn calf. have woken up the rest of the world ,as to how out of kilter man has become with his greed.
The world are in tears, there is an out cry for justice, there is a feeling of extreme anger from all four corners of our planet.
Those rhino have given so many people including us on Imire, the most wonderful privilege of sharing incredible moments with them.Their hugeness, their presence, their gentleness we all took for granted, it was a forever...now its gone!
I cant quite describe the feeling of loss and grief we are in...Today a week from when it happened is a very low day...there is a silence that hangs over us in a still form.
The energy of Imire has gone for now.
More: http://www.swradioafrica.com/pages/rhinocalf191107.htm
 

05/2007: An evening with Ms. Anna Merz

We were fortunate to have the visit and company of Ms. Anna Merz,  a long-time champion of rhino conservation, on Tuesday 15 May at the Perth Zoo Theatrette. Anna Merz is internationally renowned for her pioneering work in rhino conservation and is the author of the best-selling book Rhino: At the Brink of Extinction. She enchanted all by speaking about her life and work, and her views on the  current status of rhinos in Africa and worldwide, and had a lively discussion with the audience.

12/2006: An evening with David Gower 

"An Evening with David Gower", held on Tuesday 12 December 2006 at the Hyatt Regency Grand Ballroom in Perth, was a resounding success.  We thank you for your support.  Our thanks go also to our loyal auctioneer, Chris Shellabear, to two of our members, Mrs. Mac's Ltd and Karin Keighley, for their kind donations of $10,000 each and to all of our wonderfully generous guests. We raised well in excess of our $100,000 target and ended up with a clear profit of a whopping $150,000!!! Thanks also to all those who made this possible and so successful:

• Our patron David Gower for his superbly entertaining speech.

• Our sponsors West Wide Financial Services, Nederburg wines, Ferngrove wines (Leaping Lizard), Hahn Super Dry and Gage Roads Pilsner Mid Strength.

• The Hyatt Regency Perth for an outstanding evening of fine dining and service.

As this is our twentieth year as a donor to Zimbabwe's beleaguered wildlife, we have committed to spending discerningly at least $200,000 for the cause this year, our biggest effort so far. As ever, we do not send any cash funds, instead we buy much-needed goods, freight them and donate them to our contacts.

11/2005: An evening with Bryce Courtenay
This fund-raising event was held at the Perth Hyatt Regency. Bryce supplied the main entertainment with an inspirational talk, and fundraising came from our auction of African safaris, sporting memorabilia (Eagles, Australian cricket team, Tiger Woods, and other celebrities), African artefacts, paintings, and other beautiful items. We raised over A$ 70,000, and all funds will be used for our ongoing programmes of anti-poaching units, tracking equipment, field kit and other necessities on the ground in Africa.
The winner of our lucky draw prize of Christmas cheer, is Lorraine G.!  Lorraine wins 6 bottles of Nederburg wine, courtesy of Fine Wine Partners, plus a carton of Hahn Premium Light, thanks to Lion Nathan and Swan Brewery. Lorraine is a worthy winner as she hosted a lucky 13 guests to the recent Bryce Courtenay dinner event, and she also donated two travel packs of USANA skin care products. 
We gratefully acknowledge the support of our main sponsors for this event: 

The other lucky draw tickets, with your requests for information on the Foundation and the safaris, have gone AWOL!  If you were at the Bryce Courtenay event, and have not forwarded your details for periodic updates, please make contact with us. We don't want anyone to feel left out.
Please consider also becoming a member of the SAVE FOUNDATION of Australia.  Here is the membership form, for you or to pass on to a friend, please. This entitles you to all our updates, offers, events, film nights and so on. It's well worth the annual subscription of $35. If you join before 10 December 2005, we'll extend your membership through to 2007.

8/2005: Helicopter crashes during rhino dehorning and horn implanting operation, veterinary doctor injured
On 29 July 2005, the helicopter supporting the current rhinoceros dehorning and horn implanting operation crashed during operations in the Midlands area, south of Harare, with pilot John McTaggart and veterinary doctor Chris Foggin.  The WWF reports that "On takeoff from a tight landing zone, control was lost and the helicopter flipped on its side, trapping vet Chris Foggin until the ground team could extract him. He was evacuated to Avenues hospital in Harare where he is having treatment for a couple of broken ribs and general strains and contusions. The other passenger and the pilot received only minor injuries. Therefore the accident, which is of course an occupational hazard for this kind of work, was a lot less serious than it easily could have been. A major impact is the loss of this helicopter for the remainder of our 2005 rhino management programme."  
5-Aug-2005 update: Dr. Foggin is in hospital in Harare with serious bruises and needs much rest, but is expected to make a full recovery.  We all wish him a prompt one.
25-Aug-2005 update: Dr. Foggin is recovering well, and already talking about returning to the field.

12/2004: SAVE FOUNDATION represented at Leederville Street Festival (SAVE FOUNDATION, 6-Dec-2004)
The SAVE FOUNDATION was represented at the Leederville Street Festival, on Sunday 5 December 2004, in Leederville, near Perth.  Our gazebo received many visitors as our volunteers fielded questions about various the Zimbabwean artefacts we were selling to raise funds, and about the work of the Foundation.  $500 were raised, and many new people got to learn of what we do!  Thanks to the volunteers, and most of all, thanks to the visitors!

11/2004:  Horn recovered, thief caught, in Hwange thanks to SAVE FOUNDATION horn implant (SAVE FOUNDATION, 20-Nov-2004)
The dead rhino found yesterday (see report below) had a horn implant that had been donated by the SAVE FOUNDATION.  A quick-thinking field staff called for a plane to fly over the area and try to locate the horn implant.  It was detected, and a team on the ground was able to recover the horn and identify who held it.  Subsequently the poachers were identified and caught.  Sadly one was a National Parks scout, together with others involved in wildlife conservation. This attests to the people's desperation occurring due to the rapidly declining economy.

7/2004: Baby for zoo rhino in Perth (from The West Australian, July 11, 2004)
Perth Zoo's rhinoceros, Sabie, is expecting again. 
Blood tests show that nine-year-old Sabie, which gave birth to WA's first baby rhino in December 2002, is about six months pregnant and due to give birth next May. 
Her first offspring, Tamu, is 18 months old and weighs nearly a tonne.
While there is no rhino pregancy test, veterinary staff rely on regular blood tests to detect pregnancy.
For Memphis, the zoo's only male rhino, it is his second successful mating since two females were imported from South Africa in the "Mate for Memphis" campaign.

7/2004: Rhino numbers increase (from The New Scientist, July 3, 2004)
Africa's rhinos have started a slow march to recovery.  According to the latest estimates by the African Rhino Specialist Group, numbers of black rhinos have risen 15 per cent to just over 3,600.  The white rhino population, down to just 50 individuals a century ago, now stands around 11,000.

5/2004: Rhino adventure in Zimbabwe. (SAVE FOUNDATION news)
A group of 21 members of the SAVE FOUNDATION visited conservation projects and other notable nature landmarks of Zimbabwe during the 2nd half of May, led by our President Nicholas Duncan.