Afrika Odyssey: A continent-wide African wildlife adventure like no other
Throughout this Afrika Odyssey Expedition, from Angola to Mozambique, Rwanda to the DRC and South Sudan, then further north to Congo-Brazzaville, Chad and Benin, among all the incredible stories of hope for wildlife revival and community empowerment we’ve documented, there’s been one particular topic of excited chatter amongst the African Parks staff across the continent. It’s about one of the most ambitious conservation projects focusing on rhinos ever undertaken that will surely go down in history.
“You can’t really say you’ve completed the Expedition without visiting our newest undertaking. I’m sure there’s still room for another calabash filling – call it number 23!” says Dave Wilson, African Parks’ commercial director, who’s been our go-to guy throughout this challenging journey.
Renowned African explorer Kingsley Holgate and his expedition team from the Kingsley Holgate Foundation recently set off on the Afrika Odyssey expedition – an 18-month journey through 12 African countries to connect 22 national parks managed by African Parks. The expedition’s journey of purpose is to raise awareness about conservation, highlight the importance of national parks and the work done by African Parks, and provide support to local communities. Follow the journey: see stories and more info from the Afrika Odyssey expedition here.
What took you so long?
And so, back home in South Africa, after reaching Chinko in the Central African Republic, our last wildlife destination, we exchange sweat-stained clobber for jackets and beanies and head into a highveld winter; what a contrast after months of endless heat and extreme humidity. This final, extra leg sees us winding up the spectacular Oliviershoek Pass in the foothills of the Drakensberg, along back roads passing hibernating farmlands and dusty communities, and down a narrow dirt track to an electrified gate and a welcoming party of just two solitary figures.
“Welcome to Rhino Rewild – what took you so long? We’ve been looking forward to seeing you!” shouts jovial Don Jooste, the project manager. “Hope you’re not too tired after your lengthy journey to get here?” adds Kyle Harris from AP’s head office with a tongue-in-cheek grin.
Last year, after failing to find a buyer, a rhino breeding operation of 2,000 southern white rhinos on a 7,800-hectare farm in the North West province became African Parks’ newest responsibility. This enormous herd represents 12% of the world’s remaining southern white rhino population, and with poaching syndicates still cashing in on Asia’s relentless but stupendously ignorant demand for rhino horn, it was an obligation that African Parks couldn’t refuse.
Saving rhinos
In 2023, South Africa lost 499 rhinos, with our home province of KwaZulu-Natal setting a grim new poaching record: 325 brutally killed for their horns. The province’s flagship Hluhluwe-Mfolozi Park, established in 1895 specifically to save the last remnants of southern white rhino that once roamed in tens of thousands across south and central Africa, is now ‘Ground Zero’ of the rhino-poaching war, taking over that dreadful mantle from the Kruger National Park, which has seen its rhino population plummet to levels that are too tragic to mention.
95% of KZN’s rhino losses last year occurred in Hluhluwe-Mfolozi. It’s a double tragedy as it is from this iconic park in the 1960s, that conservation legend and our long-time friend Dr Ian Player, along with Magqubu Ntombela, Nick Steele and others, initiated the translocation of hundreds of southern white rhinos to other game reserves throughout their historic range in ‘Operation Rhino’, including into the Kruger.
At the time, it was a conservation world-first that saw Africa’s southern white rhino population increase to around 22,000. But in the past 15 years, more than half have savagely fallen victim to poachers’ guns. The long-term impact on defenceless rhino orphans and the overall birth rate is still to be measured.
In 2014, at 87 years-old, Dr Player (‘Madolo’ as he was known in Zululand) had lost nothing of his passion and verve. Seventy days before he quietly passed away, we observed how he mesmerised youth from around the world and Africa’s new generation of conservationists at the inaugural World Youth Rhino Summit, symbolically held in Hluhluwe-Mfolozi Park in September of that year. Dr Player’s last speech took place on World Rhino Day on the same sloping Mfolozi hillside where he and his team pioneered the darting, capture and relocation of rhinos 50 years before.
“What we need in the world today is to hear within us the sounds of the Earth crying. The screams of agony of rhinos who have had their horns chopped off whilst still alive should reach out into the hearts of all of us. Rhinos have a particularly plaintive cry, and once heard, it is never forgotten. If we do not pass the baton of conservation to the youth, we are doomed,” Dr Player thundered, captivating the spirit and energy of all present.
Ten years on, the baton is being handed to the next generation across Africa as he requested, but they continue to battle a myriad of challenges to fulfil his wishes, with thousands of brave men and women putting their own lives on the line. Wildlife reserves throughout the continent continue to fork out millions of dollars each year in a herculean effort to conserve what remains of both white and black rhino species from extinction. As mega-herbivores, both species play a critical role in maintaining Africa’s unique biodiversity, and also as treasured icons in many traditional African cultures. It’s a blood-and-gore-soaked tragedy that every member of our expedition team is all too familiar with and one that we’ve worked for years to see the end of.
We, too, will never forget what it is like to stare extinction in the face. In 2016, we visited Ol Pejeta in northern Kenya to spend time with 45-year-old Sudan – the last known male northern white rhino in the world – and Najin and Fatu, the only two known females. Sudan died two years later, and with him went all hopes of resurrecting their species from the abyss by natural means.
Rhino Rewild’s rhinos
As we follow Don and Kyle to Rhino Rewild’s simple HQ, huge paddocks come into view, dotted with enormous grey pachyderms. The dry, flat landscape of the farm is very different from the undulating green hills of Zululand, and we can’t help but feel a bit sorry for the residents. But Don is on a high; 120 dehorned rhinos have already been successfully moved to private reserves that are part of the Greater Kruger Environmental Protection Foundation (GKEPF). It’s the biggest, single rhino relocation ever undertaken and up there with African Parks’ other efforts to rewild at scale, like moving 500 elephants across Malawi to repopulate Nkhotakhota Forest Reserve a few years ago.
“That’s the best part of my job – seeing them return to the wild,” says Don. “If African Parks hadn’t stepped in with the support of the South African government, other conservation NGOs, and donors who provided emergency funding, these rhinos could have been lost to conservation forever. We couldn’t bear the thought…but it’s a mammoth undertaking.”
Waving an arm at the rhino paddocks around us, he continues, “We’re turning this farm into a rhino sanctuary and want to relocate all 2,000 rhinos to well-managed, secure wildlife areas across Africa within 10 years. If we can do it sooner, I’ll be the happiest guy in Africa! But we must also stay ahead of the birthing rate, and we’re not giving away just one or two rhinos at a time. The goal is to establish or supplement populations of at least 50 rhinos across the continent to protect the long-term future of this species. There’s lots of interest from other reserves, plus existing African Parks-managed wildlife areas.”
As we’ve seen throughout this Afrika Odyssey Expedition, AP’s professional approach to managing daunting projects is astonishing. Each rhino paddock has an attendant ‘camp master’ who knows every rhino in their care and reports on their charges twice a day. There’s a giant database detailing every single rhino – age, sex, condition, gestation, birth history, even who’s been saucy with whom – which is updated daily to keep a finger on the pulse of this mega-herd. Security is at the next level.
DID YOU KNOW that African Parks offers safari lodges and campsites where 100% of tourism revenue goes to conservation and local communities? You can view and book accommodation to various African Parks destinations by clicking here.
Vet nurse Claudia Andrionie takes us on a tour of the well-managed, ‘no touching’ rhino nursery that cares for babies when their mums aren’t able to. Soft-spoken and reserved, this remarkable lady and her team have successfully reared and returned dozens of orphans back to the semi-wild existence of the farm. The boisterous, comical antics of the tubby tots and pre-teens are testament to the care they receive.
The benefits of rewilding these 2,000 southern white rhinos will be immense. Not only will they improve the genetics of existing but decimated wild populations, but as mega-herbivores, they’ll play a critical role in restoring wild landscapes that will benefit everything from antelope and predators to dung beetles and butterflies and, importantly, increase tourism revenue and job opportunities for neighbouring communities. Talk about an ambitious and challenging vision of hope; Dr Player would be smiling.
As the winter sun starts its descent towards the horizon, there’s one final task to complete. We pile into Don’s bakkie and take a winding track through the rhino paddocks, stopping to talk to some camp masters before reaching a large watering hole. Out comes the well-travelled expedition calabash, looking a bit battered after its 60,000-kilometre, continent-wide journey.
Field ranger Kenneth Ndubane is given the honour. Balancing on a rock and with great concentration, he dips the calabash for this Afrika Odyssey Expedition’s final, symbolic water-collection ceremony.
There’s no brass band, cheering crowds, or salutary speeches. We stand in silence with just the sound of the wind sighing through a nearby grove of trees as the wintry landscape turns gold in the rays of the setting sun. It’s a fitting ending for this journey that’s taken us to the wild, beating heart of Africa’s most far-flung and extraordinary wildlife areas in 12 countries. It’s a deeply emotional moment; the adrenaline that’s run constantly through our veins this past year begins to dissipate.
Mission accomplished
Ending the Afrika Odyssey Expedition at African Parks’ Rhino Rewild project is the perfect conclusion: simple, yet incredibly profound with its commitment to making the future better than the present.
When we started out on this, our 41st expedition, with a mission to counter the doom-and-gloom headlines of conservation tragedies and find stories of hope for Africa’s wildlife, wild spaces and the communities that depend on them, to be honest, we weren’t sure what to expect, or if we’d find anything to celebrate. We found plenty.
This conservation, community and culture-focussed expedition across Africa to connect 22 African Parks-managed protected areas in 12 countries ended up zigzagging through 22 countries, and it was one of the toughest journeys we’ve ever undertaken: full of surprises and logistical challenges, a few mishaps and medical emergencies, and plenty of fun that embraced African Parks’ values.
Taking roads less travelled and packed with adventure, we’re inspired by the stories of hope for Africa’s wildlife that we saw first-hand. The two expedition Defender 130s tackled everything we threw at them, carrying tonnes of kit and humanitarian supplies for months on end, through some of the worst terrain and extreme weather in Africa we’ve ever encountered in 30 years of exploration.
One single thing remained constant: the determination, resilience and passion of everyone we met at each African Parks-managed protected area. Taken as a whole, the sheer scope, complexity and visionary thinking that we saw and experienced on this journey is hard to put into words.
To every member of the African Parks family – field rangers, managers and camp staff, community leaders, beneficiaries and children, teachers and health practitioners, government envoys, and so many others – thank you for the great privilege of telling us your inspirational stories and recording them in so many different languages in the Scroll of Hope for Conservation. They are the stories of heroes, so often unsung and unheard.
This expedition’s Scroll is our legacy to African Parks; a unique ‘magnum opus’ of a thousand hand-written messages and more, illustrating a profound, continent-wide love and dedication to protect Africa’s iconic wildlife and remaining wilderness areas for the benefit of nature and humanity.
At the end-of-expedition ceremony, African Parks’ CEO Peter Fearnhead and the head office team built a ceremonial Isivivane – a traditional African symbol of togetherness on a journey – made from the pebbles we collected from every Park and the Rhino Rewild Project. As Peter, with some emotion, took hold of the Zulu calabash and emptied the symbolic water collected from each park over the Isivivane, he described our year-long journey as the gift of a beautiful necklace, with each park shining like a precious jewel.
After everything we experienced on this Afrika Odyssey Expedition to connect 22 of the most extraordinary national parks on the continent that span over 20 million hectares in 12 countries, in partnership with African Parks and Land Rover, there is one ultimate finding: it is called Hope for Africa’s wildlife – and it’s alive and well. Long may it continue.
Muito Obrigado, Zikomo, Murakoze, Asante Sana, Merci, Shukran, Thank you, on behalf of the Afrika Odyssey expedition team: Kingsley, Ross, Sheelagh, Anna, Mike, Fiona and Graeme
Footnote: People often ask us why we use the spelling, “Afrika”. Afrika* is a continent so varied and unique, we are privileged to call it ‘home’. It can be all good and all bad, all at the same time. It is the cradle of humankind and a land of ‘firsts’: the longest and most historic river in the world (Nile); the highest, free-standing mountain on Earth (Mt Kilimanjaro); the world’s longest and second-deepest lake (Lake Tanganyika); superlative deserts – Sahara (largest), Namib (oldest) and Kalahari (largest mantle of vegetated sand). And home to the biggest diversity of life on Earth, both terrestrial and marine; and the greatest number of human cultures and dialects in the world.
* In Latin, the word ‘Afrika’ means ‘sunny’. In Greek, ‘Aphrike’ means ‘without cold’. Other sources suggest that the name comes from ‘Afri-uka’, which means ‘Motherland’ in the ancient Egyptian language. ‘Motherland’ is still used in reference to Africa today.
Further reading
Is Rhino Rewild the most critical wildlife conservation undertaking of our time? Simon Espley attended the pioneer stage of a visionary project to translocate 2,000 farmed rhinos into the wild. Here’s how it went down
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