"Finding Diamonds in Dubai"

Diamonds and Africa … it’s a well known combination!! But earlier this year I went overseas looking for the brightest diamonds I could find. I found them in the sands of the Arabian peninsular … in Dubai.

Living in the African bush is a privilege. It's something I relish every day of my life. That said,  it has a bitter taste at times when I consider that, each and every day, the greed and cruelty of the human species destroys it just that little bit more. It's because of this that I dedicate much of my "spare time" to conservation work and specifically the plight of the rhino, which as everyone knows has now reached a crisis of global proportions. I live my life surrounded by rhino and yes, I'm able to go out each and every day to observe and enjoy them. It's enabled me to forge a strong bond with the species and no matter how many times I see them they never fail to stir emotion in me. They are so prehistoric in their form, yet so gentle in nature. But as each day passes they slip slowly towards extinction just because we (a minority of the human species that is) have discovered a supposed “medical / recreational purpose to their horn". Social media abounds with campaigns to "Save the Rhino" and good causes reach for your cash in every direction you look, and yet the species day by day is edging towards that precipice from which there will be no return. So if the will is there, why are we not getting the results?

What has heartened me in the past year is just how much people do care. But the fact remains that in many parts of the world the true extent of the crisis is not truly known and understood. Now that might sound crazy to some folk, but my experience of travelling and speaking with foreign audiences has shown that to be the case. When people are educated and understand the crisis that is befalling the rhino in it's final stronghold of Southern Africa, they want to help, they react with a passion and they reach out  and want to share the burden with those of us on the front line of conservation. And that is how I discovered my Diamonds in Dubai ...

In February of this year I had an opportunity to visit Dubai and address a large audience on the work undertaken by myself and my colleagues at Rhino Revolution in Hoedspruit. We are a "front line" rhino conservation programme running both anti-poaching and community eduction initiatives. My message was clear .... There is too much "hung ho" talk about "shooting poachers" which to be frank achieves nothing ... they will just keep coming and filling the shoes of the last guy. Tackling the crisis at the coal face requires us to focus on community eduction and schools programmes, as well as equipping ranger teams in the field with the tools required to protect themselves as well as the rhino population. 

The people of Dubai rallied around and turned up in droves to learn first hand of the scale of the problem, and to generate much needed funding of which every cent, I assured them, would be spent on making a difference for the future of the rhino in South Africa. In most instances with overseas audiences it kind of stops there ... but not in Dubai. An action group was convened by Patsy Stagman and a working party involving the kids at JES, one of Dubai's premier English schools, as well as concerned members of the Dubai public. Result? The momentum continues to grow long after my return to South Africa. Dubai based corporations have stepped up and provided ongoing and generous commitment to our programmes. Media and advertising companies have donated time and skills to  sharpen the message and build on the support. Aside from raising much needed funds, the level of awareness on the plight of rhinos in the wild continues to grow and grow. The people of Dubai gave me back the heart that I was beginning to lose .. they showed me, demonstrably, that the people of the world DO care and together we can make a difference. We can rectify what many people have already accepted as the inevitable .. the demise of the white and black rhino in Southern Africa. 

Words cannot express the gratitude and admiration all of us at Rhino Revolution have for our friends in Dubai. Because of your efforts, kids in the community have benefited from conservation and sports programmes they previously would not have had a chance to enjoy. Poachers have been apprehended using equipment YOU provided. Rhino's lives HAVE been saved beacuse you cared enough to say "This isn't Africa's problem .. it's a  World problem and we are not going to sit back and watch”!!

They truly don’t come better and brighter than you guys. Thank you all so much.