Interview: Forging a Defense For Rhinos in Troubled Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe ranks number 4 on Foreign Policy magazine’s “Failed State Index,” with its shattered economy, pervasive hunger, and entrenched dictator. And that makes it all the more surprising that Raoul du Toit, who was awarded the 2011 Goldman Environmental Prize for Africa this week, has managed not only to spend nearly 30 years protecting the critically endangered black rhino in his homeland, but that Zimbabwe actually saw an increase in black rhino numbers this past year. Du Toit says that with the number of black rhinos still abysmally low, this is no time for complacency. The problem is poaching, which is on the upswing because of the demand for rhino horn for use in traditional Asian medicines. In an interview with Yale Environment 360, du Toit discusses his hopes of getting Zimbabwean communities and schools involved in programs to protect the rhino, and he talks about the challenges of trying to protect wildlife in a nation where the political leaders show virtually no interest in environmental issues. “In general,” he said, “I have to bluntly say that they don’t normally give a damn about conservation.”

Read the interview