Foreign Correspondent: Sept 29

Foreign Correspondent this week is in Zimbabwe to document successes in protecting rhinos.

It’s one of the most successful rhino conservation projects in Africa. In south eastern Zimbabwe, a private wildlife sanctuary is working hard to bring endangered rhinos back from the brink.

In the 90s and 2000s, the mighty black rhino was poached to near extinction in Zimbabwe and completely wiped out in Gonarezhou National Park, the country’s second largest wildlife reserve.

Its horn, worth its weight in gold, makes it a target for organised poaching gangs.

Set up in 1994, the privately funded Malilangwe Trust began with 28 white and 28 black rhinos imported from South Africa.

Today the Black Rhino herd is 175 strong and the White Rhino herd numbers 259.

Reporter Michael Davie, an Australian born in Zimbabwe, returns home to witness this extraordinary wildlife success story.

He spends time with the sanctuary’s highly trained anti-poaching team, the Malilangwe Scouts, the tip of the spear against the ever-present poaching threat.

“Individually you can’t win against poaching and we need every one of us to fight against poachers,” says Patrick, a Sergeant in the Scouts. “You have to be a team, a strong one.”

Davie captures all the incredible action of the hectic ‘rhino ops’ where specialists dart the animals from helicopters then move in on 4WDs as they dash across the park. Led by ecologist Sarah Clegg, the “rhino ops” team collect vital data on the herd.

“They’ve got this reputation of being bad-tempered and dangerous and they are, but I think it’s mostly that they’re just such emotional creatures,” says Sarah, who’s studied the animal for more than two decades.

“They’re just insecure, you know? And so they need more love.”

Malilangwe increased its rhino population to such an extent that last year, it relocated some of its Black Rhino herd to nearby Gonarezhou National Park – a former killing ground for rhinos.

“It’s what we all aim for in our careers as conservationists,” says Sarah. “It’s a wild park, so being able to put the rhino back into that park is like waking it up again.”

This visually stunning story has a powerful message of hope.

“Everyone needs to know the rhino is special,” says Patrick.

Thursday September 29th at 8pm on ABC .