Hundreds of rhinos are killed every year in South Africa simply for their horns. The current figure is already over 500, but the unofficial figures are unfortunately much higher.
Due to the ever-increasing poaching, the rhino population is now estimated at only 11,000 - 14,000 animals. In 2012, there were still around 20,000. The horn is sold for horrendous sums, for example as a remedy, antispasmodic, sexual enhancer or status symbol, mainly to Asia. Some even believe that it helps against corona. However, there are many scientific studies that refute any alleged healing effect. The horns consist mainly of keratin, like hair and nails. Nevertheless, poaching and illegal trade continue.
The poachers' actions are brutal and ruthless. They stop at nothing, as one kilogram of rhino horn powder fetches around 50,000 euros on the black market.
When dog trainer Perdita Lübbe-Scheuermann and her husband Ralf Scheuermann heard about this, they took action. In 2012, the couple launched the “Save the Rhino” project to protect rhinos. Since then, the couple have been in Africa twice a year for at least four weeks.
The first goal was to train a sniffer dog to support the Black Mambas, South Africa's first female anti-poaching unit, which is led and trained by game ranger Craig Spencer.
In 2013, the time had come: the couple provided Spencer with Shaya, the dog they had trained. Shaya was trained to sniff out rhino horn, ivory, ammunition and weapons. Together with Craig Spencer, he checked cars at access roads to the park and searched for “hunting prey” and weapons in the surrounding villages and the African bush. Unfortunately, Shaya passed away in 2017. In January 2018, “Sosha” was flown to South Africa as Shaya's successor to Spencer.
The Black Mamba anti-poaching unit is the first of its kind. What makes it special is that the majority of the team are women. They patrol the area on the edge of the Greater Kruger National Park in South Africa every day. There they collect snares or track down the poachers' camps where they live and also hide their prey before they can smuggle it across the national park borders.
Craig Spencer, game warden at Balules, came up with the idea of using a female troop to fight the poachers. The concept: deterrence through presence.
As a sustainable premium dog food brand that attaches great importance to the protection of species, animals and the environment, we also support this great project. Through the GOOOD donation concept, we were able to make an important contribution to the training of the dogs working at the gateway to the Greater Kruger National Park. The dogs were trained on a voluntary basis by the team from the Perdita Lübbe Dog Academy.
Buy Goood and donate
You too can help protect rhinos - and it's easy: with every portion of Goood Free Range Lamb, we support conservationists and their search dogs in their daily work with food, accessories and training. So far, we have been able to contribute over 25,000 euros to the protection of rhinos. Animal welfare knows no borders and together we can achieve more and do good - for a sustainable future. Join us and become part of the #DoGoood community now.
