The Australian government has confirmed holding “preliminary discussions” on plans to move up to 80 rhinos from South Africa to create a new breeding herd on the Western Plains of Australia.
If the plan gets final approval from both nations, the rhinos would be shifted in batches of about 20 animals a year to bolster an existing small breeding herd of white and black rhinos at the Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo, about six hours northwest of Sydney.
Ray Dearlove, a former South African who is raising funds for the project in Australia, said all rhinos imported from
this country would remain the property of the South African government
and could serve as an insurance policy against extinction.
“Our projections are that, by 2020, there would be a viable insurance herd of approximately 150 white rhinos in Australia
– and that providing the (poaching) situation is sufficiently stable
and that the authorities in SA agree, we could start repatriating
up to 10 rhinos per year to SA from Australia,” he wrote in the latest
newsletter of The Australian Rhino Project.
Dearlove said while the Australian government had very strong protocols to protect its environment and meat industry, it had given “in principle” support to the rhino project.
Read more in the Cape Times - October 2, 2014
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International Correspondent Scott Congdon can be reached at:
Mail: scottcpefm@gmail.com
Phone: 010 500 8203 (in South Africa) (Available 3-5pm SAST weekdays)
011 27 10 500 8203 (calling from outside of South Africa) (Available 3-5pm SAST weekdays)
*Note: Views expressed in the commentaries on this website are those of individual authors and not necessarily those of PEFM 87.6or our presenters or correspondents. Quotes are obviously the opinion of the source. A quote is just a quote and these are offered without comment. Use of a news story or commentary is not an endorsement of the source website.
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