As White Rhino Nears Extinction, What Happened to the Rhino Charge Donations?

As news broke that one of the most rare species of the Rhinos nears extinction, questions are being asked about what the people charged with conservations are doing with the money entrusted to the. One such body is Kenya Wildlife Service and another which is a charity is the Rhino Ark Trust.

The Rhino Ark Trust has been holding annual charity events to raise funds for conservations. Using common sense, their use of a Rhino in their branding would make you think that they even focus on the endangered animals. This year alone, the trust raised over Ksh 102 million after holding the annual Rhino Charge racing.

A male white rhino, called Suni, who was “probably the last male capable of breeding,” died in the Ol Pejeta reserve in Kenya leaving behind only six of the very rare rhinos left. The animals are hunted by poachers in central and east Africa for their horns, which are highly prized for traditional Chinese medicine.

The Czech zoo is the only one in the world to have succeeded in breeding the sub-species in captivity. An autopsy is under way, but officials are certain poachers did not kill Suni, as the animal was monitored around the clock.

Suni was one of two males and two females from Dvur Kralove zoo in Czech republic reintroduced into the wild in Kenya in 2009, in an operation dubbed “the last chance of survival.” It was hoped that the females’ hormones would normalise in the wild, but even attempts at assisted conception failed.