Shamwari’s Dr. Ian Player Rhino Awareness Centre, opened by Dr. Ian Player himself on Thursday, 7 June aims to help raise awareness of the situation worldwide. The opening of the centre coincided with a rhino microchipping and DNA capturing exercise led by veterinarian Dr. Johan Joubert.

Together with its on-the-ground anti-poaching measures, Shamwari is enhancing its public awareness campaign through the Dr Ian Player Rhino Awareness Centre which aims to help educate the public on the poaching crisis, and encourage anti-poaching initiatives. “I have always been an optimist, but a realistic one, and in the depth of my being I believe we shall succeed in saving the rhino. But do not let us be deluded, we are up against terrible dark forces that threaten to overwhelm us. In the world of wildlife conservation the white and black rhino have been spiritual beacons of hope. All our children now look to us in our generation to ensure that the prehistoric remnants of the dinosaur age continue to exist on our Planet,” said Dr. Player during his keynote address at the opening of the centre.

“We are hoping that the centre will encourage people to participate in finding alternative, innovative solutions to the rhino poaching crisis,” says Shamwari Game Reserve chief ecologist, John O’Brien. “Shamwari is part and parcel of the fight against poaching, not only is it something that we feel passionate about, but it is also our responsibility to the rhino.”

“The world is overpopulated – seven million people and rising, and individual needs are so great that the ancient beliefs of tribal societies that loved and revered nature have now been surpassed. People are driven by their own needs, and nature has taken a back seat,” says Dr. Player. “This is where the Wilderness Foundation and the Wilderness Leadership School have a key role to play. We need to take people back 2000 years to reconnect with nature, and restore a respect for nature which society has lost.”

The opening ceremony also included the handover of a R150 000 cheque to the Wilderness Foundation’s Forever Wild Rhino Protection Initiative by Shamwari. The funds were raised through Shamwari’s donation of a percentage of each accommodation booking. “We are extremely grateful for this generous donation,” says head of the Forever Wild Rhino Protection Initiative, Matthew Norval. “Fighting the poaching crisis requires a large amount of resources and support from business, the public and government. Every donation counts.”

Volkswagen Communications general manager, Matt Gennrich, reiterated the company’s commitment to rhino conservation at the launch of the Centre. Volkswagen donated 6 Amarok bakkies to the value of R2 million to the Forever Wild Rhino Protection Initiative in June 2011. “Our partnership with the Wilderness Foundation supports Volkswagen’s ‘Think Blue’ philosophy which promotes cooperation with organisations that are environmentally conscious and work towards the sustainability of endangered species.”

In the future, the Dr Ian Player Rhino Awareness Centre will include information about Shamwari’s animal rehabilitation centre (which has already had the task of rehabilitating two orphaned rhino calves as a result of poaching incidents), an early history display (Stone Age and Settler) and a “dinosaurs of the area” display (which will emphasise the issue of extinction).