BUSINESS MAVERICK: White rhino monopoly capitalism? 28% of SA’s private rhino owners are ‘getting out’ of the species

has found that 28% of South Africa’s private rhino owners are disinvesting from the species. The study was based on a national survey of 171 private rhino owners.The findings come are unsurprising to the wildlife industry, but do provide much-needed empirical data for policymakers, game farmers and conservationists with an interest or a stake in the issues.

The poaching epidemic has pushed up security costs for private owners — as well as for state-owned enterprises such as South African National Parks. “Some rhino investors show signs of financial stress. Most owners support rhino-horn trade to fund conservation, yet international trade remains banned. By contrast, a recent national policy amendment allows rhinos to be managed as livestock, risking a shift from rhino-for-conservation to rhino- for-production on private land.

Those who are divesting are allowed to sell their rhinos via online auctions, or live auctions under very stringent conditions, so their ability to pull out is curtailed. It is a case of sellers without buyers — against a backdrop of already collapsing prices. With the business-as-usual cluster, the study found they “tended to have low rhino densities and generated revenue from ecotourism”.

This suggests that such rhinos are just one of many tourist draws and, because of their location, have been shielded from poachers. The loss of a rhino to poaching does not have a big impact on the bottom line — emotions aside.spoke to Hayley Clements of Stellenbosch University, the lead author of the study.“What this paper shows is that the cost-benefit ratio of owning rhinos has changed… The costs have gone up significantly and some farmers are divesting,” she said.

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