In December 2024, you helped raise an incredible £45,537 through our Big Give appeal for the Mounted Patrol Unit (MPU). Together with a generous grant from the Anna Merz Rhino Trust, these funds have kept Save the Rhino Trust’s (SRT) Mounted Patrol Unit in action for 2025. This means rangers have continued to protect Namibia’s precious black rhinos in some of the most remote and challenging terrain on Earth. We’re thrilled to share the difference you’ve made so far.
Namibia’s Kunene Region is home to the last free-roaming black rhino population in the world. Rhinos wander vast, rugged landscapes, often inaccessible by vehicle, making mounted patrols an essential lifeline for their conservation. Since it began in 2021, the MPU has been vital in monitoring rhinos across the region. Verifying rhino sightings, deterring criminal activity and gathering crucial data, the Unit’s work guides future conservation approaches. Thanks to your support, the MPU team’s salaries, rations and patrol equipment were secured for 2025, enabling them to work more comfortably and effectively as they rhinos.
The MPU team currently consists of three members (a team leader and two riders) supported by the Unit Manager. Between January and June 2025, they had patrolled more than 225 km, checking in on rhinos and contributing to the 2,300 rhino sightings by SRT’s entire Kunene team. Crucially, there have also been zero poaching incidents reported in the region so far this year.
A safer, stronger home base
Your donations have transformed life at the MPU base. In May, work began to complete a much-needed upgrade to the MPU’s accommodation and facilities. Previously, the team were sleeping in tents set up directly onto the ground under a makeshift shelter. Now, there are four single staff units, a shared kitchen, and solar-powered facilities with hot showers and a water tank system. The solar energy powers the camp, supporting a new satellite Wi-Fi connection, which has been a game-changer for communicating with HQ (essential in an area with patchy mobile coverage) and helping rangers stay connected with loved ones whilst they’re away for weeks on duty.
These improvements have boosted morale, comfort and safety for rangers working long stretches in tough conditions. As Andrew Malherbe, SRT’s Chief Operating Officer, says: “We are especially proud of this infrastructure upgrade and express our sincere gratitude to all who took part in the ‘Big Give’ appeal during December 2024, as well as to the Trustees of the Anna Merz Rhino Trust.”
Just as these upgrades have strengthened the team’s ability to patrol effectively, your support has also enabled SRT to make smart operational changes in the field, ensuring the MPU can be more cover more ground.
Adapting for the terrain
While mules were initially used for patrols in Kunene, the rocky, mountainous terrain meant they required regular re-shoeing, an essential task to keep the mules healthy, and one that takes time and was causing delays to patrols. The mules have since been relocated to a flatter, more suitable landscape in Eastern Namibia, and donkeys are now part of the Unit in Kunene. More suited to the dry, rugged conditions, these animals are thriving, with their feed, supplements and stabling all supported by your donations.
Your generosity has ensured that the Mounted Patrol Unit can continue its vital work in 2025. With your support, the MPU remains effective and committed to protecting rhinos, supporting local livelihoods and deterring wildlife crime. Every saddle used, ration cooked, and kilometre patrolled is powered by you. On behalf of the rangers, the rhinos and everyone at SRT: thank you for making this work possible.