![]() “But nobody really cared back then.” One person who did was Ted Rilley, a local conservationist credited with single-handedly saving the country’s rhinos. “There were no rhinos in Swaziland when I was a boy,” he said. Before a tasty dinner of impala stew, Bongane and I sat around the campfire. I stayed in Rhino’s Romp (otherwise known as Room 2) monkeys swung above, to the distant cries of spotted hyenas. Oil lanterns illuminated the sandy paths and the wild African bush closed in around the 12 semi-open and electricity-free thatched huts. On the other side was Stone Camp, the park’s only accommodation. Our jeep bounced along waterlogged trails and passed through Jurassic Park-style electrified fences that hummed and crackled – erected as part of Mkhaya’s sable antelope breeding programme. ![]() “The rhinos here are very relaxed, especially compared to places like Kruger where they’ve experienced poachers and seen their friends die,” said Bongane. We spotted plenty, none of which gave us a second look. As we headed off on our afternoon’s game drive, Bongane explained the differences between white rhinos (docile and calm) and black ones (tetchy and temperamental). The park’s rhino population is healthy and growing, although the exact number is a closely guarded secret. But Swaziland – bordered by Mozambique to the east and South Africa to the north, south and west – is bucking the trend, and Mkhaya has become something of a refuge. Consequently rhino numbers are in freefall: it’s estimated that in 2013 more than 900 were poached in South Africa alone. Today, the animals are hunted because those horns are considered medicinal in the Far East. Since at least the seventh century AD, there have been those who’ve thought rhino horns better suited to being cups and bowls. ![]() Rhinos have walked the earth for more than six million years, and poaching is nothing new. Laid out on the ground were dozens of rhino skulls and a collection of nasty-looking snares: souvenirs of a gruesome industry. However, before I could even think about putting on my hiking boots, a troubling sight greeted us at the park’s modest headquarters. Rhino rise & fall It was indeed a magical introduction to Mkhaya, a small, privately owned and funded game reserve in south-east Swaziland, considered to be among the very best in Africa for rhino viewing. Safari guide Bongane Mbatha broke the silence: “That’s what we call Mkhaya magic.” Sat in an open-topped jeep, the five of us were utterly dumbfounded at our close encounter with one of Africa’s most under-threat creatures. He wandered back towards the dense thickets where two others – mother and calf white rhinos – wallowed happily in a freshly dug mud pool. He eyeballed us with suspicion, and from such close quarters that I could count the blades of grass stuck to his pointy horn.Īfter a few of minutes the black rhino lowered his head and retreated. Not a word was spoken, not a breath drawn. That’s how far away from us the dark, stocky, hunched body eventually came to a halt. Next year things will need to go better for us on the injury front, but there are psychological and selection things that need to happen or else we'll be leaving a lot on the table.Two metres. I'm also worried about the inexplicable selection decisions evidenced by picking Schache and not even subbing him in for McDonald for a different look. I am very worried about the psychology of this side though, as the inaccuracy and 50 metre penalties, on top of failing to settle after Brayshaw's injury last week indicates an immaturity that is uncharacteristic of a flag side. We have only had that once in the past 3 years and we went all the way. Plenty of times last night I just shook my head at the poor skills (Clarry and inaccurate shots at goal), bad positioning (McDonald) and softness (Langdon) on display.Ī team needs a good run at it to win a flag. We've finished in the top four 3 times in a row and won one premiership. If you finish in the top 4, you're about a 25% chance of a flag.
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