Many hospitality establishments are doing their bit for the rhinos, and one of them is Tintswalo Safari Lodge.
The lodge support rhino conservation efforts in the Manyeleti Game Reserve, which borders the Kruger National Park, the Timbavati and Sabi Sand game reserves.
Game rangers from Tintswalo Safari Lodge recently raised R33 000 to contribute to the cost of DNA sampling and the safe dehorning of many rhinos in the Manyeleti.
Undertaken by the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA), the pre-emptive removal of a rhino’s horn in a safe, controlled manner is one of the drastic, but highly effective conservation management tools applied to deter poachers.
Children from the nearby Cottondale Primary School and Dayimani High School, as well as Tintswalo guests, had the opportunity to participate in this conservation and anti-poaching initiative.
The project was a collaboration between the MTPA, the Greater Kruger Environmental Protection Foundation (GKEPF), GRU-Wing, Flying for Freedom South Africa and Tintswalo Safari Lodge.
“It is Tintswalo’s mission to engage and work with local communities by raising conservation and environmental awareness through educational campaigns, training workshops and participation in environmental and rhino campaigns in the area,” the lodge revealed in a statement.
Tintswalo also provides funding and support for a variety of anti-poaching interventions in the Manyeleti Game Reserve and Greater Kruger National Park, as well as various South African Wildlife College (SAWC) initiatives.
Specific projects include the ‘Eye in the Sky’ Bathawk Programme; Wildlife Guardianship/Anti-Poaching Field Ranger Training and the K9 Anti -Poaching Project.
Tintswalo Safari Lodge also plays an important role in creating awareness amongst guests and international tourists who visit the area and has facilitated generous donations from philanthropic individuals towards various anti-poaching programmes.
The statement also revealed that other ongoing initiatives include an awareness programme in conjunction with the local communities in the region, private companies and government departments.
The project sets out to develop and educate the youth to protect our precious natural resources by creating an understanding of the relationship between the game reserve, eco-tourism and lodges, South Africa’s natural heritage, the community and jobs - to have a sustainable future for all.
To date, the programme has reached about 2500 school pupils from the 19 communities surrounding the Manyeleti. Once a week, Tintswalo Safari Lodge collects 12 school children and their teacher and drives them to the Manyeleti Game Reserve where they are treated to lunch and a game drive safari experience.
After the game drive, the children learn about rhino conservation, the rhino poaching crises and the link between the tourism industry and tourism jobs. Each child receives a certificate of achievement as an anti-rhino poaching activist.