INTERNATIONAL RHINO FOUNDATION
201 MAIN STREET NO 2600, FORT WORTH, TX 76102 www.rhinos.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: TO ENSURE THE SURVIVAL OF RHINOS THROUGH STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS, TARGETED PROTECTION, AND SCIENTIFICALLY SOUND INTERVENTIONS.

RHINO PROTECTION UNITS (RPUS) RIGOROUSLY PATROL FORESTS TO DESTROY SNARES AND TRAPS (THE MAIN METHOD OF POACHING FOR THESE SPECIES) AND APPREHEND POACHERS. BY MAINTAINING GOOD RELATIONSHIPS WITH LOCAL COMMUNITIES, RPUS ALSO CAN PROACTIVELY PREVENT POACHING ATTEMPTS BEFORE THEY TAKE PLACE. RPUS HAVE BEEN VERY EFFECTIVE IN PROTECTING THE RHINO FROM POACHERS - ONLY FIVE SUMATRAN RHINOS HAVE BEEN LOST TO POACHERS SINCE THE INCEPTION OF THE PROGRAM IN THE MID-1990S, AND NO JAVAN RHINOS HAVE BEEN KILLED. THE RPUS' CONSISTENT PRESENCE AND PATROLLING ALSO BENEFITS THE ENTIRE ECOSYSTEM, INCLUDING OTHER SPECIES SUCH AS SUMATRAN TIGERS AND ELEPHANTS. NINE PATROL UNITS OPERATE IN BUKIT BARISAN SELATAN NATIONAL PARK IN SUMATRA, ONE OF THE HIGHEST PRIORITY AREAS FOR SUMATRAN MEGAFAUNA. APPROXIMATELY 5-16 SUMATRAN RHINOS INHABIT THE PARK, ALONG WITH 40-50 SUMATRAN TIGERS AND AROUND 300 ASIAN ELEPHANTS. ELEVEN PATROL UNITS OPERATE IN WAY KAMBAS NATIONAL PARK, WHICH HAS A RESIDENT POPULATION OF APPROXIMATELY 20 SUMATRAN RHINOS. THE PARK ALSO CONTAINS THE SUMATRAN RHINO SANCTUARY. SIX TERRESTRIAL AND ONE MARINE RPUS PROTECT JAVAN RHINOS IN UJUNG KULON NATIONAL PARK, WHERE THE ONLY VIABLE POPULATION OF THE SPECIES EXISTS BETWEEN 73 ANIMALS. IRF WORKS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH YAYASAN BADAK INDONESIA (YABI), ITS IMPLEMENTING PARTNER IN INDONESIA, NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITIES, AND THE LOCAL, PROVINCIAL, AND NATIONAL GOVERNMENT TOWARDS THE INDONESIAN RHINO CONSERVATION.SUMATRAN RHINO SURVIVAL ALLIANCE - IRF IS ONE OF THE FIVE MEMBERS OF THE SRSA, A GROUNDBREAKING APPROACH TO CONSERVATION THAT BRINGS TOGETHER THE GOVERNMENT OF INDONESIA, LEADING INTERNATIONAL CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS, LOCAL EXPERTS AND CONSERVATION PRACTITIONERS, AND SUPPORTERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD TO SAVE A SPECIES FROM EXTINCTION.

ZIMBABWE BLACK RHINO CONSERVATION - THE IRF-SUPPORTED LOWVELD RHINO TRUST (LRT) MANAGES RHINO MONITORING AND ANTI-POACHING UNITS IN SOUTHEASTERN ZIMBABWE. THE LOWVELD RHINO TRUST (LRT) IS A ZIMBABWEAN-REGISTERED TRUST (DEEDS REGISTRY NUMBER 0006019/09) CONCENTRATES EFFORTS IN BUBYE VALLEY CONSERVANCY (BVC). THESE ACTIVITIES INCLUDE EFFORTS TO HELP MAINTAIN AN ENABLING ENVIRONMENT (IN TERMS OF HABITAT, LAND-USE, STAKEHOLDER ATTITUDES, ETC.) FOR THE LONG-TERM GROWTH OF POPULATIONS OF BOTH SPECIES OF RHINOS, WHILE ALSO TACKLING IMMEDIATE CONSERVATION NEEDS (MONITORING, MANAGEMENT, PROTECTION, AND COMMUNITY AWARENESS). THE LOWVELD CONSERVANCIES, INCLUDING SAVE VALLEY CONSERVANCY AND MALILANGWE WHICH UNDERTAKES INDEPENDENT RHINO CONSERVATION, HAD POPULATIONS OF 443 BLACK RHINOS AND 296 WHITE RHINOS AT END DECEMBER, 2018. IN ADDITION TO DIRECT INVOLVEMENT IN THE MONITORING, MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION OF RHINOS IN SVC AND BVC, LRT COORDINATES WITH MALILANGWE ON RHINO CONSERVATION NEEDS THAT REQUIRE JOINT EFFORTS, AND WORKS WITH THE GONAREZHOU CONSERVATION TRUST TOWARDS CREATING A NEW RHINO SANCTUARY IN GONAREZHOU NATIONAL PARK. THE LRT CONTINUED WORKING WITH COMMUNITY LEADERS AROUND SVC TO IDENTIFY AND PROMOTE OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMMUNITY/CONSERVANCY JOINT VENTURES THAT WOULD MAINTAIN BUSINESS VIABILITY WHILE CONFORMING TO INDIGENIZATION POLICY. LRT'S ADDITIONAL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS INCLUDED EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH PROGRAMS AT 148 PRIMARY SCHOOLS. LRT STAFF ALSO TRAINED 287 TEACHERS IN THE USE OF THE CARDS, AND OTHER METHODS FOR TEACHING CONSERVATION.RHINO POACHING INCREASED IN 2019, WITH TWO ANIMALS LOST IN THE LOWVELD CONSERVANCIES. RHINO MANAGEMENT OPERATIONS, INVOLVING DRUG-DARTINGS OF 81 RHINOS, WERE UNDERTAKEN DURING 2019 IN OPERATIONS IN BVC, WITH NO RESULTANT RHINO MORTALITIES. MOST OF THESE DRUG-DARTINGS ALSO INVOLVED ROUTINE EAR NOTCHING AND DEHORNING.

SOUTHERN AFRICA, OPERATION STOP POACHING NOW - OPERATION STOP POACHING NOW LAUNCHED IN 2011 TO HELP TO ADDRESS THE POACHING CRISIS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA. RHINO POACHING IN SOUTH AFRICA REACHED AN ALL-TIME HIGH IN 2014, WITH 1,215 RHINOS LOST. IN 2015, SOUTH AFRICA LOST SLIGHTLY FEWER ANIMALS, ROUGHLY 1,175; HOWEVER, POACHING INCREASED IN ZIMBABWE (~50 ANIMALS LOST) AND NAMIBIA (~80 ANIMALS LOST). IN 2016, POACHING NUMBERS AGAIN DROPPED SLIGHTLY, TO 1,054. 2017 SAW ANOTHER SLIGHT DECREASE TO 1,028 AND IN 2018, 769 WERE REPORTED KILLED. OPERATION STOP POACHING NOW FOCUSES ON STRENGTHENING ANTI-POACHING WORK PROTECTING ANIMALS OF AROUND 100 ANIMALS. THIS WAS A STRATEGIC DECISION, AS IRF BELIEVES THAT THESE LARGER POPULATIONS WILL BE THE ONES TO LIKELY SURVIVE THE POACHING ONSLAUGHT, WHICH SHOWS NO SIGN OF ABATEMENT. IN 2019, OPERATION STOP POACHING NOW PROVIDED CORE SUPPORT TO OUR PARTNER STOPRHINOPOACHING.COM, WHICH SUPPORTS AND COORDINATES STRATEGIC STAKEHOLDER RELATIONSHIPS, SPECIALIZED RANGER TRAINING, EQUIPMENT, AND ANTI-POACHING CANINE UNITS. IRF FUNDED SEVERAL GRANTS THROUGH STOPRHINOPOACHING.COM: IN ADDO ELEPHANT NATIONAL PARK, WE PROVIDED FUNDS TO EQUIP RANGERS FOR NIGHT PATROLS, AND IN ESWATINI'S (FORMERLY SWAZILAND) GAME PARKS, WE PROVIDED FUNDS TO PURCHASE A DETECTION DOG, PROVIDE FOR ITS VETERINARY CARE AND FOOD, AND ALSO TO TRAIN FOUR K9 HANDLERS. WE ALSO FUNDED A HIGH-LEVEL RHINO SECURITY WORKSHOP, CONVENED BY STOPRHINOPOACHING.COM, IN A HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL FORUM WHERE SPECIALISTS COULD SHARE INTELLIGENCE ON POACHING AND CRIMINAL NETWORKS, BEST PRACTICES FOR UTILIZATION OF K9 UNITS, AND COMMON AND ONGOING CHALLENGES. THE PROGRAM ALSO CO-FUNDED, WITH OUR PARTNER, SAVE THE RHINO (UK), A PROGRAM IS TO SUPPORT EVIDENCE-BASED RESEARCH ABOUT WILDLIFE CRIME RELATED QUESTIONS IN ZAMBIA AND THE REGION AND USING RESEARCH RESULTS AS INPUT TO LAW ENFORCEMENT STRATEGIES. ALSO IN ZAMBIA, IRF PROVIDED A GRANT TO THE NORTH LUANGWA CONSERVATION PROGRAM TO DEPLOY THE 'SIGFOX' SYSTEM AS A RHINO MONITORING TOOL. THE SYSTEM SUPPORTS REAL-TIME LOCATION DATA AND SPATIAL ANALYSIS FOR THE NORTH LUANGWA BLACK RHINO POPULATION. WHILE FOCUSED PRIMARILY ON AFRICA, OPERATION: STOP POACHING NOW CAMPAIGN ALSO SUPPORTS PROGRAMS THAT FOCUS ON REDUCING DEMAND FOR RHINO HORN IN CONSUMER COUNTRIES. AS A CONSUMER STATE, THE GOVERNMENT OF VIETNAM AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS HAVE MADE CONSIDERABLE EFFORTS TO STRENGTHEN LAW ENFORCEMENT, INITIATE PUBLIC EDUCATION PROGRAMS WITH THE PURPOSE OF COUNTERING RHINO HORN TRAFFICKING AND REDUCING CONSUMER DEMAND FOR RHINO HORN. WE PROVIDED A GRANT TO EDUCATION FOR NATURE - VIETNAM (ENV) TO CONTINUE THEIR EFFORTS TO STRENGTHEN LAW ENFORCEMENT AND IMPROVE WILDLIFE CRIME LEGISLATION WITHIN VIETNAM, AS WELL AS PROMOTING STRICTER PUNISHMENTS FOR WILDLIFE CRIME IN VIETNAM. ENV ALSO WORKS TO STRENGTHEN THE PENAL CODE, INCREASE PENALTIES, CLOSE LOOPHOLES AND VOICE STRONG OPPOSITION TO ANY FORM OF LEGAL TRADE IN RHINO HORN.

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