Earth Day 2016: The Travel Corporation and TreadRight Support Rhino Conservation
For every booking made on Earth Day, April 22, 2016, The Travel Corporation family of brands, including Lion World Travel, and the TreadRight Foundation will donate $1 to the Wilderness Foundation to help protect rhinos from poachers in South Africa.
This April 22nd marks the 46th anniversary of International Earth Day, a day created to celebrate the natural environment and to encourage environmental sustainability and animal conservation at a global level. At Lion World Travel, we continue to emphasize the importance of conservation and sustainability through our Lion World Cares initiatives and we are excited to expand our animal conservation work by partnering with the TreadRight Foundation for Earth Day 2016.
On April 22, for every booking made with The Travel Corporation family of brands, including Lion World Travel, the TreadRight Foundation will donate $1 to the Wilderness Foundation to purchase more flight time for the TreadRight Bat Hawk, an important reconnaissance vehicle used to protect the rhino populations of South Africa.
The TreadRight Bat Hawk
One of the biggest issues facing the rhino conservation teams at the Wilderness Foundation is the sheer size of the area that rhinos inhabit. The TreadRight Bat Hawk, a lightweight aerial vehicle, addresses this issue because it allows conservation teams to efficiently patrol the 250 km2 of the Shamwari Game Reserve in South Africa’s Eastern Cape. The Bat Hawk is also much more cost-effective than a helicopter or similar aerial vehicle, ensuring that every dollar put toward the Bat Hawk goes a longer way to protecting the rhino population of South Africa. And one thing is certain: rhinos need our help.
Over the last four decades, 95% of rhinos have been wiped off the planet for their horn. Driven by erroneous belief that rhino horn can be used as a medicinal cure for various ailments all five species of rhino have been brought to edge of extinction. We have to work together to preserve this vital species of the African wild.
For Lion World Travel guests who are interested in learning more about the plight of the rhino on their trips to South Africa, we encourage you to consider our Tented Safari in Style itinerary. On this package you will visit the Shamwari Game Reserve where the Wilderness Foundation operates its anti-poaching program and where the TreadRight Bat Hawk is used to combat rhino poaching. While on safari, you will have the opportunity to visit the Ian Player Rhino Awareness Centre and the Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre to learn more about how you can support the conservation of South Africa’s rhinos.
For more information about the TreadRight Bat Hawk, read about it on our blog.