“That proved to be a very poor decision, because they weren’t able to protect them because of the remoteness” of the park, said Rieches, who has worked with rhinos for over three decades.
– Poacher problem –
The poachers took swift advantage of the decision. “There were gangs coming through at that point in time from several different countries,” he said.
He added: “Now it has become so horrific with rhino poaching because rhino horn prices gone through the roof. They’re doing it now with gunships. The rangers on the ground are so severely outmatched. It’s just almost impossible.
“They are literally putting their lives on the line to try to stop the rhino poaching,” he said.
Coming back to the current conundrum, he said it was important that the three places with surviving rhinos — San Diego, the Czech Republic’s Dvur Kralove Zoo, and Kenya’s Ol Pejeta Conservancy — work together.
A Czech expert visited the California facility a month ago, while a German expert was recently in Kenya to retrieve semen samples.
“We’re actually in partnership with everyone that still has animals,” said the US expert. “So everyone is trying methods on their own, but working together with samples.”