Explore Inc. Salutes Singita Sabi Sand’s New Anti-Poaching Initiative

Wildlife preservation has always been close to Explore Inc. founder Cherri Briggs’ heart—she set out do conservation work and shifted to travel after she saw the positive impacts that tourism can have. Conservation remains one of Explore’s core values—as it should: Poaching is at epidemic levels and threatening species across the continent, particularly rhino in South Africa.

It can feel like there’s a drumbeat of bad news around poaching, so it’s a relief to hear some genuinely good news. It pleases us that Singita—a leader not just in luxury safaris but also in wildlife conservation—recently announced it was creating a dedicated anti-poaching unit at Singita Sabi Sand in South Africa.

“Making an impact on current poaching statistics—almost two rhino have been poached per day so far in 2012—is a daunting task, but we’re up for the challenge,” said Mark Broodryk, head guide at Sabi Sand, on a post on Singita’s blog late last year.

Singita partnered with K9 conservation to deploy highly trained tracker dog units, which will patrol the reserve 24/7. Singita reports the initiative is already proving its worth and has the potential to be a model for other conservation areas. Let’s hope more operators follow their lead.