Proteas star Quinton de Kock has partnered with Rockwood Conservation to raise awareness for the plight of rhinos in a comical must-watch video.
De Kock is partnering with Rockwood Conservation, a private conservation aimed at housing, feeding, and protecting over 300 rhinos.
Rockwood and De Kock are collaborating in an exciting and fun way to drive awareness and funding towards guarding and protecting the rhinos at Rockwood. This enables them to breed and increase their herd numbers, bringing them ever closer to getting off the critically endangered list.
This work is performed against the backdrop of extreme challenges, the worst of which is poaching. It is a cruel and senseless act that results in some of the largest national parks in South Africa losing more than 50% of their rhino herds.
Thankfully, private rhino conservations such as Rockwood, have been able to improve these figures and achieve a higher success rate. In fact, Rockwood grows its herds by 15% each year and has had zero poaching incidents in five years owing to its high-tech, 24/7 security measures and vital wildlife research.
While security is key to protecting the rhinos at Rockwood from poaching, even going so far as to include rangers on horseback to follow the herds daily, it is also the research projects at Rockwood which are essential to physically increasing their population numbers.
These projects include initiatives like rhino milk nutrition with the University of the Free State and rhino genetic preservation with the Hemmersbach Rhino Force Cryovault Project – both of which make a tremendous amount of sense when you think about it.
Wicus Diedericks, founder of Rockwood Conservation, says: ‘We handrear orphaned rhino calves or calves whose mothers are ill and unable to nurse, and are still trying to fully understand the properties of rhino milk to ensure that our babies get the nutrition they need to grow strong and healthy. That’s why we’re extremely proud to be a part of the research in rhino milk nutrition, which continuously looks for ways to improve the health of these orphans and the species in general.’
Additionally, researchers at Rockwood are striving to achieve genetic diversity within the population of southern white rhinos in South Africa. They do this by obtaining and studying a detailed DNA profile of each rhino at Rockwood, after which they can select which males and females to breed in order to create a diverse and healthy gene pool. Under this project, the team at Rockwood is working with world-leading scientists from the notable Hemmersbach Rhino Force Cryovault Project, which aims to create the largest genetic reservoir for southern white rhinos in the world.
In spite of this progress, Rockwood still needs all the helping hands it can get if they are going to continue their work to save over 300 endangered southern white rhinos from extinction. That’s why it’s so exciting for the reserve to partner with Quinton de Kock, whose reputable hands still hold the record for being the fastest wicketkeeper to complete 200 dismissals in the history of Test cricket – of which 191 of those dismissals were catches in 45 Test matches.
De Kock adds: ‘The truth is that you can’t live in this beautiful country without understanding even a little bit about the plight of the rhino. And knowing that we have the power to take these majestic creatures off the critically endangered list hit home for me. I didn’t hesitate when I heard about the opportunity to get involved with Rockwood and do my part to help.’
Quinton is now appealing to all of us to join him on his hero’s quest to make a difference and save the rhinos. Of course, he’s putting a bit of a spin on it – one that cricket, wildlife, and nature lovers are sure to love.
Win a weekend with Quinton and his new team
To celebrate their newly founded partnership, Quinton is inviting members of the public (in this very funny video) to join him on his quest and stand a chance to win an exhilarating VIP rhino adventure with him at the five-star Rockwood Conservation Lodge.
The main prize will have you and three friends enjoying a life-changing, four-day stay in deluxe accommodation at Rockwood’s exclusive lodge, dining on the finest cuisine, and treating yourself to a restorative treatment at the lodge’s renowned spa. Quinton will also personally accompany your group as you head out on wild adventures that include up close encounters with the rhinos, cracking jokes, sharing his passion for rhinos, and protection initiatives with qualified rangers on horseback.
Buy your ticket by visiting the Rockwood Conservation website. There is no limit on how often you can enter and donate, so the more you enter, the more the rhinos will receive, and the better your chance of winning! You can also earn more entries by inviting friends to help raise more funds and awareness for this cause.
Entries close on 6 June 2021 and all entries will be added to a computer-generated random selector. Importantly, all proceeds will go directly to rhino conservation at Rockwood.
