Rhino Revolution

Rhino Revolution was started in 2011 by the concerned citizens of Hoedspruit, including respected rhino conservationists and private nature reserve owners, who came together to try and reduce the escalating poaching crisis in this critically important rhino conservation area.  What started as a community based action group, is now an internationally recognized NPO, with chapters in Dubai, Australia and the UK, and is proud to be supporting rhino conservation through rigorous anti-poaching activities, conservation awareness programs and the provision of the world class rhino orphanage.  

Rhino Revolution was started in 2011 by the concerned citizens of Hoedspruit, including respected rhino conservationists and private nature reserve owners, who came together to try and reduce the escalating poaching crisis in this critically important rhino conservation area.  What started as a community based action group, is now an internationally recognized NPO, with chapters in Dubai, Australia and the UK, and is proud to be supporting rhino conservation through rigorous anti-poaching activities, conservation awareness programs and the provision of the world class rhino orphanage.  

Chairman of Rhino Revolution and Trustee – Phil Ovens
Phil Ovens spent 40 years in the corporate world, with his career culminating as Managing Director of Pepperdew.  He has considerable business, management and financial skills.  On retiring he moved to Hoedspruit, and has now taken over as Chair of Rhino Revolution, in the hopes that he can make a small contribution towards the survival of this iconic African species. Phil gives his time and expertise on a pro-bono basis.

Veterinary Nurse & Co-manager of the Rehabilitation Centre – Natalie Rogers
Natalie Rogers has been a qualified RCVS Veterinary Nurse since 2004 and in 2007 she made her first trip to South Africa where she was lucky enough to meet and fall in love with her first baby rhino. She spent 5 years utilising all her veterinary skills, with further training in emergency and critical care, dealing with many African species, of all sizes – rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing them. Over the years she has worked with both black and white rhino, and as the poaching crisis escalated, she has now dedicated her life to caring for and rehabilitating orphaned rhino calves. In October 2015, 10 days after the first calf, Ubuntu arrived at Rhino Revolution, she joined the Revolution team full time.

Veterinary Nurse & Co-manager of the Rehabilitation Centre – Jade Aldridge
Jade Aldridge started veterinary nursing in 2000, working for a variety of practices and organisations including charities. Her work covered mixed species but predominantly small animal and preference in emergency and critical care. In 2014 she ventured to South Africa to work in wildlife rehabilitation, which is where she developed a passion for rhino and their conservation.  She joined the Rhino Revolution team in August 2015 in preparation for the opening of the Rehabilitation Centre and Orphanage. Since then she has co-managed and run the facility full-time, and cares for all rhino that come to Rhino Revolution.

Financial and Programme manager – Terry Rawlings.

Formerly the Sales and Marketing Director at an IT company in the UK, Terry moved to Hoedspruit when he retired in 2006. He joined the Rhino Revolution team in 2013, and is responsible for managing Rhino Revolution’s finances and other programmes. Terry works on a pro-bono basis.

International Development Manager, and Trustee – Patsy Stagman
Patsy has lived all over the world, but her home in Kruger National Park and her passionate love of wild Africa, has remained a steady theme. She is a firm believer in the importance of education and awareness in conservation and that the future of Africa’s wildlife lies in the hands of all of the people on our planet. Whilst living in Dubai Patsy founded Rhino Revolution Dubai – raising valuable funds and support and catalysing a major corporate sponsor.  She has also founded networks of supporters in Australia and the USA, and now that she has relocated to the UK, she is building support for Rhino Revolution UK. Patsy very kindly works on a pro-bono basis.

Volunteering opportunities are very limited at Rhino Revolution. Contact with humans is kept to a minimum, to ensure the rhino orphans can be released back into the wild. What we desperately do need help with is fundraising, and raising awareness – this is just as important as being with the calves, if not more as without this support we wouldn’t be able to look after them! If you’d like to help raise funds or make a donation. 

If you would like to help raise funds or make a donation, please go on our website on www.rhinorevolution.org or email us at info@rhinorevolution.org

We have active supporters groups in the UK, Australia, South Africa and Dubai.

Below is our banking details if you would wish to make a donation.

 How will my donation be used?

Donations will be used to contribute toward the operational costs of the rhino orphanage and rehabilitation centre, and the anti-poaching patrols and security measures.

100% of the donation will go to the organisation, as it is very small, hands on team, with very low organisational overheads.  We rely solely on donations in order to achieve the research we do.  

We are a small, on the ground charity where every Rand goes towards helping to save and protect the rhino in the Greater Kruger Area.  We have successfully released orphans back into the wild, as a result of our Orphanage and Rehabilitation Centre being a closed facility, not run as a tourist attraction – and so human contact has been kept to a minimum.  We are extremely proud of these wonderful end results.  A glimmer of hope in the poaching war.