Alongside retired South African General Johan Jooste, Australian writer and Afghanistan war veteran Tony Park puts together the terrifying true story of greed, corruption, depravity and ruthless criminality involved in poaching Africa’s rhinos.
The book, aptly titled “Rhino War”, was released to coincide with World Rhino Day, which is commemorated on September 22.
Park, who regularly travels from his home in Sydney to Kruger National Park, co-wrote the book with Jooste, who was placed into the position of chief ranger in 2012 with some controversy.
“With an average of three rhinos being killed for their horns per day – more than 1 000 per year – General Jooste was appointed as chief ranger of the Kruger Park with orders to slow the ‘runaway train’ of poaching,” Park told Caxton Media.
Jooste, a 60-year-old white man and a veteran of apartheid-era South Africa, was not an easy pick for the ANC, but his experience as a military man is what tipped the scales. He was going to get the job done.
“In ‘Rhino War’ we see General Jooste taking over a force of 400 demoralised, poorly equipped and under-trained male and female rangers in the Kruger Park, trying to protect a game reserve the size of the country of Israel against sustained daily incursions by poachers,” said Park.
Being a superb strategist, the general cleaned out the ranks and made progress slowly by developing a plan, enlisting the proper personnel, and forming partnerships with private reserves to the west of Kruger Park and with authorities in Mozambique to the east.
After raising much-needed funding, Jooste added two new helicopters and ultra-light aircraft and oversaw a rapid expansion of the use of tracker dogs and cutting-edge technology.
Park was taken aback by the real-life intensity of the fight to save Africa’s rhinos, telling Caxton that “in Rhino War there are accounts of rangers, now better equipped and supported, flying into four separate gun battles with poachers in the space of one afternoon, and coming out on top every time”.
While in command, Jooste oversaw a radical change in the way orphan baby rhinos were treated. Before his arrival, rhinos orphaned by poaching attacks were left to die in the bush, but he changed the policy, requiring that orphaned rhinos be taken to a sanctuary and rewilded. This has resulted in about 400 rhino orphans being returned to the wild, the article reported.
“As one part of Africa gets better at protecting its wildlife, poachers move to another. In the book we touch on the long-term solutions to fighting wildlife crime, including reducing demand, and dismantling the organised crime networks behind poaching,” Park said.
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