Saving The Survivors

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Saving The Survivors Saving the Survivors aim is to treat and care for Rhino, Elephant, Lion and other endangered wildlife

A registered charity in South Africa, Namibia, The UK and The USA. Saving the Survivors was founded by Dr. Johan Marais in 2012 to treat and care for Rhino that had fallen victim to poaching or traumatic incidents. This included Rhino that have been wounded, Rhino where the horn has been hacked off, as well as victims of snaring and other trauma. Whilst we are best known for our emergency work with Rhino, we also treat any other endangered species in need. The Saving the Survivors team regularly works with Lion, Leopard, African Wild Dog, Sable and Roan antelope and Elephant, to name but a few. In addition to this, we manage and deliver many proactive initiatives such as community and breeding programs, also human wildlife conflict mitigation and wildlife translocation. Most of these animals are being treated in the bush in their natural environment, as transporting them is not always possible, and it is often extremely stressful. We work throughout Southern Africa, but we also offer assistance to endangered species worldwide. If you would like to make a donation to the project, please click the donate button or visit - https://www.savingthesurvivors.org/ Here you will find all methods of donating including Card payments, PayPal and bank transfers.

Five days of teamwork and a historic milestone for rhino conservation at Solio Conservancy.STS, in partnership with the ...
02/11/2026

Five days of teamwork and a historic milestone for rhino conservation at Solio Conservancy.

STS, in partnership with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and Solio Conservancy, has supported the conservancy’s first-ever Southern white rhino ear-notching and identification operation.

Eight rhinos were ear-notched during the exercise at Solio, home to more than 700 white rhinos. The operation also included fitting identification microchips in their bodies and horns, collecting blood samples for testing and the DNA data bank, and fitting our AI tracking collars.

Together, these measures will help identify individual rhinos, strengthen monitoring and support informed conservation decisions. The biological samples will contribute to understanding genetic diversity and guiding future population management, introductions and translocations.

This milestone was made possible through the expertise and dedication of the KWS Veterinary Team, KWS Monitoring Team, Solio Veterinary Team and STS Veterinary Team. STS is proud to collaborate with Solio throughout this operation and we look forward to delivering much more conservation in Kenya together.

Thank you to our partners and everyone who contributed their time, resources and expertise. We are also deeply grateful to our supporters, whose generosity makes our work possible.

Through collaboration and shared expertise, we can help ensure these magnificent animals thrive for generations to come.

12/10/2026

A view from above. Care on the ground.

Drones can give conservation teams valuable information about wildlife and the habitats they depend on. From aerial surveys to monitoring movements and helping identify animals that may need attention, they are another tool supporting the people working in the field.

They complement veterinary expertise and ground teams, helping build a clearer picture in places that can be difficult to reach. Responsible use matters, with animal welfare at the heart of the work.

At Saving the Survivors, our work is only possible with your support. We are 100% funded by donations.

Thank you for helping us create hope from hurt. Please consider a gift to support our ongoing wildlife veterinary and conservation work:
https://www.savingthesurvivors.org/donate/

22/09/2026

🦏 World Rhino Day 2026

This World Rhino Day feels very different.

This weekend, we lost Jaco Muller — a man who gave so much of his life to rhino conservation and whose passion, commitment and determination made a real difference.

In today’s message, Dr Johan Marais reflects on rhinos, their future, and the incredible people who dedicate their lives to protecting them.

Behind every rhino saved is a team of people who give everything they have — vets, rangers, pilots, conservationists, reserve teams, communities and supporters around the world.

Jaco was one of those people.

So today, we celebrate not only these magnificent animals, but everyone who fights for them — and we remember those whose legacy will continue through the work they leave behind.

For Jaco.
For the rhinos.
For everyone who refuses to give up. 🦏❤️

Please watch, share and help us continue this work.

22/09/2026

🦏 World Rhino Day 2026

This World Rhino Day feels different.

Normally, today is a day when we celebrate these extraordinary animals, recognise the progress being made to protect them, and remind ourselves how much work still lies ahead.

But this year, our thoughts are also very much with Jaco Muller, who we so sadly lost this weekend.

Jaco gave an enormous part of his life to rhino conservation. He was one of those people who didn’t simply talk about protecting wildlife — he lived it. His passion, commitment and determination made a real difference, and his loss will be deeply felt by everyone who knew and worked alongside him.

In this World Rhino Day message, Dr Johan Marais reflects on rhinos, their future, and the people who dedicate their lives to keeping them safe.

Because behind every rhino that survives is a remarkable network of people.

The vets who answer the call at all hours.
The rangers who patrol day and night.
The pilots, conservation teams, researchers and reserve staff.
The communities who live alongside these animals.
And the people around the world who donate, share our work and make it possible for organisations like Saving the Survivors to keep going.

Many of these people give everything they have to the cause.

Jaco was one of them.

So today, as we celebrate the rhino, we also celebrate the people who fight for them — those still out there doing the work, and those whose legacy will continue long after they are gone.

For Jaco, and for every person who refuses to give up on these magnificent animals, we keep going.

Please watch and share Johan’s message this World Rhino Day. Every share, every donation and every person who chooses to care helps give rhinos a future.

🦏 For the rhinos. For the people who protect them. For those whose legacy lives on.

www.savingthesurvivors.org

Rhino Momma Project

Remembering Jaco Muller 🖤🦏It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Jaco Muller, founder of the Rhino Mom...
21/09/2026

Remembering Jaco Muller 🖤🦏

It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Jaco Muller, founder of the Rhino Momma Project and a director of Saving the Survivors Namibia, who died on Saturday.

Jaco was a giant in rhino conservation, dedicating himself to protecting these extraordinary animals and securing their future. Through Rhino Momma, he helped turn a passion for rhinos into practical action: breeding, raising and protecting them, with a vision of rebuilding populations in Namibia and across Africa so that future generations could know them too.

For all of us at Saving the Survivors, his loss is deeply personal. Jaco was part of our team and shared our determination to give threatened wildlife a chance. His passing leaves an enormous gap in the conservation community, and he will be sorely missed.

Above all, Jaco was a beloved husband and father. Our hearts are with his wife, Cher, his daughter, Paige, and his son, Tristan. We send our deepest condolences to them, his family, friends, and everyone at Rhino Momma during this heartbreaking time.

His legacy will live on in the rhinos he helped protect, the people who carry his vision forward, and the work he started.

Rest peacefully, Jaco. Thank you for everything you gave to rhino conservation. 🖤

Pic from Rhino Momma Project

🐾 Hope is fighting fit and doing what she loves!We’re delighted to share the latest on Hope, the anti-poaching dog suppo...
16/09/2026

🐾 Hope is fighting fit and doing what she loves!

We’re delighted to share the latest on Hope, the anti-poaching dog supported by STS at the Insimbi reserve. Her July and August reports paint a lovely picture of an enthusiastic, hardworking girl whose playful personality is still very much intact! 💚

Over the past two months, Hope has been busy with foot and vehicle patrols, snare searches, fence inspections and night patrols alongside her handler.

Regular obedience, detection and tracking training have kept her skills sharp, with shorter tracking exercises helping to maintain her confidence and accuracy.

We also wanted to share a reassuring health update. Back in June, Hope was a little lethargic for a week or so. We needed to make sure nothing was wrong, so blood samples were sent to Germany for analysis, at a cost of $250.

Thankfully, the results confirmed she was fit and healthy. She had simply been through a low point, and we’re glad to say she’s now full of energy and fighting fit!

Of course, life isn’t all work. Hope still loves riding on vehicle patrols with her nose taking in the scents around her. And as the weather has warmed up, cooling off in the fountain has become a particularly enjoyable part of her recovery time! 💦

Keeping Hope healthy, happy and ready for her duties means providing ongoing training, veterinary care and plenty of rest and recovery. Thank you to our supporters for helping us care for her as she plays her part in protecting wildlife. 🦏🐾

Photo credit : Mark Guldager

As part of Benjamin’s important role in caring for the rhino orphans, each bottle feeding session is more than just prov...
15/09/2026

As part of Benjamin’s important role in caring for the rhino orphans, each bottle feeding session is more than just providing nourishment. It is also a moment to build trust with the orphans , strengthen their bond and provide the comfort and care they need to thrive at the orphanage.

For Maisha, these quiet moments with her keeper are all part of her journey growing, learning and becoming more confident each day.

📸:

🦏 A NEW WAY TO WEAR YOUR SUPPORT FOR RHINOS! 🦏With World Rhino Day coming up next Tuesday, 22 September, we’re excited t...
15/09/2026

🦏 A NEW WAY TO WEAR YOUR SUPPORT FOR RHINOS! 🦏

With World Rhino Day coming up next Tuesday, 22 September, we’re excited to announce the launch of a very special new clothing range created in partnership with FLOAT — supporting the work of Saving the Survivors.

The collection includes a range of T-shirts, vests and hoodies, designed for people who want to show their love for rhinos while helping protect them in the wild.

Even better, $8 from every item purchased will be donated directly to Saving the Survivors, helping our wildlife veterinary teams continue treating, protecting and saving rhinos across Africa.

Every purchase helps support the work behind the scenes — from emergency veterinary interventions and rehabilitation to monitoring, protection and conservation programmes.

So this World Rhino Day, you can wear your support and help make a real difference. 🦏❤️

👕 Explore the Saving the Survivors x FLOAT collection here:
https://float.org/collections/sts

Thank you to the team at FLOAT for standing with us — and with Africa’s rhinos.

🐘 Protecting elephants through innovation, technology and action.Saving the Survivors recently helped re-collar two elep...
14/09/2026

🐘 Protecting elephants through innovation, technology and action.

Saving the Survivors recently helped re-collar two elephant bulls — one subadult and one mature bull — with state-of-the-art Rouxcel tracking collars, further strengthening our ability to monitor and protect these incredible giants.

Sponsored by Saving the Survivors, these advanced collars represent a major step forward in wildlife tracking technology. Using highly efficient power management and an integrated solar panel, they can transmit the elephants’ locations every 15 minutes, while continually recharging in the field and providing exceptional battery life.

But this technology gives us far more than a dot on a map.

The movement data helps conservation teams better understand habitat use, seasonal movements, migration corridors and potential human-elephant conflict zones. This information can be vital when making decisions that help keep both elephants and local communities safe.

By following these bulls over the coming years, we can build a much clearer picture of how they move through the landscape — and use that knowledge to strengthen their long-term protection.

This intervention is another example of how cutting-edge technology, veterinary expertise and hands-on conservation work can come together to make a real difference.

At Saving the Survivors, our work does not end when an animal walks away from an intervention. Long-term monitoring, research and protection are all part of securing a future for Africa’s wildlife.

📸 These photographs capture just part of the work involved in fitting the collars and ensuring these magnificent animals can continue to be monitored and protected for years to come.

🐘 Protect. Monitor. Understand. Conserve.

11/09/2026

🐘 FRIDAY FUN! 😴🚁

Sound on for this one… 🔊

At first, you might think there’s a helicopter somewhere nearby.

Then you realise… it’s the elephant snoring! 😂🐘💤

This magnificent bull was safely under sedation during a recent Saving the Survivors intervention. You’ll also spot a small stick gently placed at the end of his trunk — this helps keep the opening clear while he’s asleep.

And yes… elephants really can snore that loudly!

We’ll be sharing more from this intervention in the coming days, so keep an eye on our page. 👀🐘

For now, enjoy this rather unexpected soundtrack from the African bush!

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STS UK Suite 12, 1 Silk House

SK117QJ

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