Short Story
My name is Jeremy Thomson, 56 years old, Husband to my most amazing, beautiful wife Lisa, and father to our beautiful children, Oliver and Grace. Born in Pietermaritzburg raised in Muiden and Greytown – Schooled at Merchiston and Maritzburg College 1976 – 1986. I work for a business called Hirt & Carter based in Durban. I have represented Natal & South African Schools rugby 1986 – South African defence force & Northern Transvaal U20 Rugby – 1987 – 1988 – Natal Rugby from 1989 – 1998 – Toured with the Springboks end of year tour in 1996.Mountain biking is something I love, and I have just completed my tenth ABSA Cape Epic with a good friend of mine, Mark Pienaar. Despite work and family, Jeremy enjoys staying fit and the furthest run he has run is 21km.
My passion for nature has compelled me to get involved. The Rangers play a critical role in safeguarding the areas, monitoring wildlife, preventing poaching, engaging the local communities in conservation, and helping communities resolve the ongoing human-wildlife conflicts and assist with Tourism. We desperately need the RANGERS which is why I want to support and raise money for them. Watching wildlife in their natural habitat offers a gentle reminder to be humble about our human strength and dominance. Nature lovers marvel at the mysteries of nature and appreciate natural beauty deeply. Please stand together with me and raise money for the much-needed worthy cause. The funds raised will go towards helping Project Rhino and Babanango Game Reserve to empower their rangers with essential resources, training and equipment needed to combat poaching, enforce conservation laws, and promote sustainable practices.
Join Jeremy in activating generosity and donate now.
EFT Details:
Name of Account: TRIES FOR LIVES NPC
Bank: First National Bank
Account Number: 63081020231
Branch Code: 210409
SWIFT/BIC: FIRNZAJJ
Ref: Jeremy13
Run For Lives – Jeremy’s Run For Rangers
Supported so far by 82 people.
Story
Babanango Game Reserve, located in the heart of Zululand, Kwazulu-Natal, is a showcase for one of the most ambitious rewilding projects in Southern Africa in recent years. Set among the breathtaking topography of the upper White Umfolozi River Valley, the reserve occupies a vast wilderness area of over 20,000 hectares that is steeped in Zulu history and layered upon geological features that date back to the beginning of time. The rugged mountains and valleys provide refuge for an extraordinary diversity of birds, plants, insects, reptiles, and mammals, including the elusive aardvark and aardwolf.
Visitors to Babanango Game Reserve can be assured of an unrivalled safari experience due to highly knowledgeable guides and a range of activities to choose from. Significant historical battle sites, such as Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift, are located close by.
Project Rhino was launched on World Rhino Day, 22 September 2011. It is a rhino-focussed association that brings together a provincial government conservation body, private and community-owned reserves, rhino owners, leading conservation NGOs and anti-poaching security specialists in the common aim of fighting wildlife crime.
Together with South Africa’s Kruger National Park, Project Rhino member reserves are collectively responsible for the protection of the world’s largest rhino population, as well as the most genetically diverse white rhino population. Devastatingly, our rhino have become a target for highly organised poaching rings and crime syndicates, fuelled largely by an ongoing and unfounded demand by traditional Eastern medicine. Rhino numbers have plummeted – more than 8,000 have been lost in RSA in the last decade – whilst the costs of keeping the remaining populations safe have increased astronomically.
Project Rhino initiatives range from urgent anti-poaching and wildlife crime interventions to a long-term outlook focused on developing empowered communities who own, manage and protect the Conservation Economy.
Project Rhino’s Four Pillars of Support
The Project Rhino platform ensures that efforts to protect white and black rhino populations are coherent and avoids duplication of work. It collaborates with anti-poaching and wildlife economy initiatives throughout southern Africa to share strategies and best practices. Project Rhino follows a four-pronged approach:
Co-ordination Unit: The team that keeps the engines running: 1) mobilising stakeholders; 2) gathering and synthesising anti-poaching intelligence; 3) prioritising needs; and 4) sourcing funds and donations. Without effective coordination, we would see a disjointed and dysfunctional response to wildlife crime – resulting in higher poaching numbers.
Ranger and Technical Support: Direct training equipment support to rangers, anti-poaching technologies, dehorning interventions, equipping, and supporting the K9 and Equine units, and the ZAP-Wing aerial surveillance unit, including the lease and support costs of the airfield at Hluhluwe, northern KZN.
Wildlife Youth & Leadership Development (WYLD): Interaction and education of youth and wildlife communities through Rhino (Wild) Art, Youth Camps, Leadership Forums, World Youth Wildlife Summit and others. Helping to build our current and future conservation champions through supportive platforms.
Conservation Economy and Enterprise: Supporting livelihoods by building a network of responsible use landscapes that provide opportunities for local job creation and small business development, including permaculture food gardens.
