Rhino breeder John Hume says he is on verge of bankruptcy, appeals for cash

[Hoas]

Controversial South African rhino breeder, John Hume, has said that he is on the verge of bankruptcy and may have to sell off his 1,626 southern white rhinos, or risk them being poached due to lack of funds required to provide heavy security at his property.

Hume has the largest number of privately owned rhinos in the world, almost all of them being southern white rhinos, currently listed as ‘Near Threatened’ by the IUCN Red List. These are monitored and protected at the 8,000 hectare Buffalo Dream Ranch (BDR), near the North West province town of Klerksdorp in South Africa.

Hume is probably best known for challenging the South African government’s moratorium on the domestic trade in rhino horn (an extended legal case that he eventually won in 2017), and holding the world’s first legal rhino horn auction.

Over the past 26 years, Hume has invested US$100 million of his own savings into his rhinos. Currently, at least R5 million (US$ 400,000) is spent per month on field protection, feeding, and veterinary expenses. Financial difficulties have now arisen, and as Hume has not been able to generate sufficient funding from the sale of rhino horn, his life savings will be completely exhausted in August of this year.

Read more here: https://africageographic.com/blog/rhino-breeder-john-hume-bankruptcy-appeals-cash/

 

[wesheltonj]

I bet zero NGO step up.

 

[Therack]

Has he been able to sell any of the horns he has in storage?

 

[Philip Glass]

Has he been able to sell any of the horns he has in storage?

Not really. The government keeps jerking him around on the permits required to have a sale. Last August he held the first rhino horn sale and was expected to make hundreds of thousands. By the time the government finally let it go through they buyers lost confidence and he only sold about $10,000 of horn. He needs the radar system mentioned in the article for security that actually works. But that takes money. The man is vilified by animal rights groups while he has spent his life savings on his love of rhinos.
Philip

 

[johnnyblues]

Shame. Where are the anti hunting organizations to help provide funds if they are so worried about wildlife. Hippocrates all of them.

 

[Therack]

Not really. The government keeps jerking him around on the permits required to have a sale. Last August he held the first rhino horn sale and was expected to make hundreds of thousands. By the time the government finally let it go through they buyers lost confidence and he only sold about $10,000 of horn. He needs the radar system mentioned in the article for security that actually works. But that takes money. The man is vilified by animal rights groups while he has spent his life savings on his love of rhinos.
Philip

Thanks Philip

It’s unfortunate the government won’t allow the legal selling of the horns. To be a self sustaining operation the other option is to sell the offspring or breeding stock. I attended a game auction in RSA last year and I was shocked at how little the Rhinos sold for. I was told it’s because the cost of protecting them is enormous.

 

[gillettehunter]

Sounds like he has a great herd of rhino. Its really too bad that there is not a easy way for him to make that operation pay instead of operating in the red. He needs funding from somewhere. The problem is they will then likely want a say in how it is operated. Not good for him or his rhino's.
Bruce

 

[AfricaHunting.com]

 

[lwaters]

Sounds like he has a great herd of rhino. Its really too bad that there is not a easy way for him to make that operation pay instead of operating in the red. He needs funding from somewhere. The problem is they will then likely want a say in how it is operated. Not good for him or his rhino's.
Bruce

My quests someone in the government is benefiting from the illegal trade.

 

[flatwater bill]

What? You mean the liberal snow-flake, hollywood solutions won't work?
1. Set them free. I'm sure they will do fine.
2. set up a foto and petting zoo. The flakes will help support these animals.
3. get PETA, The Humane Society, Animal Crackers, and other NGO's to turn loose from their massive $ stockpile.
4. Educate the poachers. They are misguided, they don't understand. Start a trade school for them.

But by Gosh, don't make the rhino worth money, by hunting or selling horn. Nope. Never do that........FWB