Saving Rhinos

About Joe Pietersen

Joe Pietersen is well-known as a tenacious fullback for the South African rugby team Sharks, but also renowned for his on-the-ground work to save rhinos and other animals threatened by wildlife crime. He is co-founder of Nkombe Rhino , a non-profit organization set up to protect the rhinos of the Blue Canyon Conservancy near Hoedspruit, South Africa. “We are fighting a war against poaching of the elephant and poaching of the rhino,” Pietersen says. There are about 20,000 to 25,000 rhinos left in South Africa. The animals reproduce only every four years with a two-year gestation period. There are five species of rhinos. South Africa is home to the white rhino and black rhino.