Wellbeing Group - Save the African Rhino presented by Peter Panek

Dear Sheddie,

Further to the details of the upcoming talk on Rhinos on Wednesday, I just wanted to add a personal request.

You may be aware that my wife, Jomay,  and I recently travelled to Zimbabwe and attended the Savẻ Valley Conservancy for their annual Rhino Ops. During these Rhino Ops, 32 rhinos were individually, tracked, located, identified, darted, and immobilised. Once darted the veterinary team sprang into action and each rhino was monitored and operated on to notch their ears so that each rhino can be uniquely identified and recorded in their data base and reported to the government as required. The rhino was then provided with anti-biotics and the antidote and after a period it was then able to arise and trot off to find its mother.

During this period, a helicopter circled overhead to ensure the work was undertake safely and the mother did not return to her calf whilst a small fixed wing aircraft circled overhead all the time watching for other animals in the area and thus ensuring the safety of all of those on the ground.

As you can see, this is an intense and costly exercise. However, it could not take place without the initial work of the Rangers who have travelled out and found the rhinos in the first place.

My observation of the current state of Rhino protection within the conservancy (and in fact anywhere rhinos exist) is that the work of the rangers is absolutely critical to the ongoing survival of the species. The ongoing demand for rhino horn cannot be satisfied with an ever-increasing world population. Fences can be breached and the rich rewards for poachers who slaughter rhinos for their horns means that the rhinos remain vulnerable to a heartless death from a poacher’s bullets or snare trap.

I am therefore supporting the fund-raising aspects of the upcoming Rangers Challenge as detailed in the below link.

https://www.tusk.org/our-events/wildlife-ranger-challenge/

Now I cannot compete in a 21km race carrying a 22kg of kit, but I shall be undertaking my own challenge in support of the rangers and hope you will sponsor me to complete my challenge. My challenge is to ride to Ellenbrook and back from Shenton Park, a distance of about 70-75km, and whilst some cyclists out there might cry “wimp” it must be remembered that it is not the severity of the challenge, but the challenge for fund raising.

In order to support me for my chosen challenge please follow this link

https://www.givenow.com.au/cr/2024-wildlife-ranger-peterp

All moneys raised through the Givenow link in support of my challenge are fully tax deductible in Australia and will go to Western Australia’s very own home grown Save the African Rhino Foundation. This foundation was established approximately 37 years ago and is the second oldest Rhino conservation charity in the world. I personally have been a supporter of theirs for the past 12 years or so and have travelled to Zimbabwe with them both on this Rhino Op and on a previous safari trip to Zimbabwe.

If you want further details about Save African Rhino Foundation, then follow this link.

Home - SAVE African Rhino Foundation (savefoundation.org.au)

Once the funds are consolidated, they will be passed along to the Tusk Foundation who will match the funds raised dollar for dollar. So, every dollar you give will be doubled and then passed along to the rangers to help fund them in their future works.

Finally, if you want to get an understanding of the perils involved with being a wildlife ranger, please have a look at the following link. It is a talk by Bryce Clements who heads up the Antipoaching Tracking Specialist team and it is this team which I am supporting.

https://www.youtube.com//watch?v=SfSDa3s8sU0

Thank you for your consideration and support. I hope to see you at the talk on Wednesday.

Best regards

Peter Panek

_______________________________________________________________________________

As you may have noticed, The Beer and Bullshit group has merged with the Health and Wellbeing Groups and has been renamed the Wellbeing Group. Every 2nd Wednesday of the month we shall be having a guest speaker presenting on a general topic of interest and every 4th Wednesday of the month we shall have a speaker talking on a more targeted health topic.

This month, our very own Sheddie, Peter Panek, will be presenting on the topic of Save the African Rhino.

Peter has just returned from Zimbabwe where he participated in the recent Savẻ Valley Rhino Operations. He directly observed and experienced the considerable efforts being undertaken to help preserve the Rhinos. This talk will explore some of the methods used, the difficulties encountered and successes achieved in regards to Rhino conservation.

The aim of the Rhino Operations was to individually dart and immobile a total of 32 young rhinos so they could be ear notched. The ear notching uniquely identifies each rhino which then forever ensures they can be identified as a means of determining if it is still alive and has survived the perils of poaching and predators.

The talk will explore the process undertaken during the Rhino Operations and the outcomes whilst also discussing the current situation with regards to Rhino conservation.

This will be your opportunity to get first-hand knowledge about the African Rhino and the efforts and techniques being used by several groups to help Save the African Rhino. During the talk we shall cover some of the good works being undertaken by the following groups

• Save the African Rhino Foundation, also known as SARF.
• Savẻ Valley Conservancy
• Sango Wildlife Conservancy
• Antipoaching Tracking Specialists
• AWMC, African Wildlife Management and Conservation, and
• Akashinga
• Tusk Foundation – Wildlife Ranger Challenge

So come along, be educated, inquisitive, engaged and be social by enjoying the company of your fellow Sheddies. Please bring your partners along to enjoy this Sundowner. Refreshments and nibbles will be available as usual.

The Wellness Group Leadership Team thanks you for your support and we look forward to seeing you all at what should be a very interesting and lively talk.