The wellbeing of these endangered species is a major focus of the management and owners of the Reserve. They are keenly aware of the responsibilities of their custodianship role and how managing the rhino population on the Reserve impacts the overall effort to safeguard and conserve the species in Africa.
The Reserve is the custodian of rare black rhinos on behalf of the KwaZulu-Natal Conservation Board. This programme, known as the Black Rhino Range Expansion Project (BRRREP), is sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and seeks to extend the range of the endangered black rhino. The Reserve was the first site in Limpopo to be selected for this project because of its high biodiversity and ecology. Selati thus has committed to the KwaZulu-Natal Conservation Board and the WWF to provide a secure environment for these animals.
Anti-poaching measures include the dehorning of animals and an elaborate and intensive monitoring programme for both species. The camera trap data and LoRa monitoring technology are crucial to the management and protection of our rhino populations, with information regularly collated and reported to the Reserve management. The Selati Research Team, in collaboration with our partners and with the support of the SWF is at the forefront of developing and implementing tracking technology for rhinos. The SWF will continue to support these research efforts, ensuring the reserve remains a leader in this critical technology.
Dehorning rhinos, as a conservation strategy, is aimed at reducing their attractiveness as poaching targets due to the high value of their horns in illegal wildlife trade. Although not a permanent solution, dehorning may act as a short- to medium-term measure to buy time for other conservation efforts – such as strengthening law enforcement, raising awareness, and implementing community-based conservation programmes – to take effect.
Selati Game Reserve also became the first reserve in the Lowveld to deploy Rouxcel RhinoWatches on its animals. Rouxcel Technology rhino collars detect and transmit abnormal behaviour in real-time. They consist of AI-Enabled RhinoWatches and a Private Network. These collars incorporate intelligent algorithms that continuously monitor rhino behaviour. In case of abnormal activity, an alert is triggered, pinpointing the incident location via GPS.
