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The world’s rhino population is being decimated by poaching. The rising value of the animal’s horns, which are ground down to be used in medicine in south-east https://www.standard.co.uk/topic/asiaAsia, has led to genuine fears that the animal could become extinct.

Conservation has become a priority. Prince Harry has highlighted the problem and become the royal patron of Rhino Conservation Botswana.

Now The Evening Standard has been given exclusive access to a top-secret game reserve in the southern African country — where there is living proof that the poachers can be beaten.

A joint project involving Botswana’s government and diamond giant De Beers is making a genuine difference. It began in 2012 and the animals have to be protected 24 hours a day, but the population is steadily growing and there was delight three weeks ago with the birth of a male calf.

For security reasons, the location of the park and the exact number of rhinos must be kept secret, but getting there involved a five-hour drive from Botswana’s capital Gabarone in a jeep. Arriving at the park entrance, visitors are greeted by a ring of steel. Identities are checked before the vehicle is allowed to pass through the double gates.

Once inside, there is basic accommodation before an early-morning game drive into the bush with conservation officer Kay Kulobone Soopu and his assistant Ompatile Galaletsang. After an hour and a half’s journeying through the veldt and seeing impala, zebras, giraffes and warthogs, the guides stop to examine the undergrowth.

We set off in a different direction — and the reward is finding two rhinos sheltering from the sun under a tree.

“They are marvellous animals,” said Kay. “We reach out to our local schools and communities and we believe we can educate them about the importance of biodiversity. It is about protecting the planet.”

It is not just numbers that concern the conservationists. There is a narrower range of genes in the rhino populations, which means they become increasingly inbred and less able to resist disease.

Mompoloki Lettie Pitlagano, the park’s environmental manager, said: “We are setting out to conserve the species and to raise the number of rhinos in the park and in Botswana as a whole. We are also working with scientists in Scotland and South Africa. We must ensure the conservation of genetically distinct populations.”

Ms Pitlagano said rhinos were being brought from other parts of the African continent to broaden the genetic diversity. Work on the park’s vegetation to recreate the animals’ natural habitat has also taken place, with advice from experts at Kew Gardens. “We see eco-tourism as a legacy but we also want to educate future generations and future leaders so that they make better informed decisions,” she added.

The black market for rhino horns has reached record levels. A horn is worth £51,000 per kilogramme. That means the two horns of a single rhino can generate a profit of £152,000.

They are ground down to be used in Chinese medicine with practitioners claiming they can treat gout, fever and rheumatism. Poachers know it is a highly lucrative market and as a result are determined and resourceful — and often armed.

De Beers also runs a game park in Kimberley, close to the company’s first mine in South Africa. While diamond production has now ceased De Beers still invests in supporting the project to conserve wildlife.

But there are no rhinos in Kimberley. Piet Oosthuizen, the firm’s senior manager for ecology and properties in South Africa, explained that two had recently fallen victim to poachers: “We had to move three other rhinos out of the park. The guys hunting them were armed and we have members of the public staying here in the game park.

“We had to think of their safety. It is a tragedy that we cannot allow these animals to run free, but they have to be in a secure situation. The whole supply of these horns to the Far East must be stopped. It is about education and punishing the people responsible.”

The De Beers Group is dedicated to leaving an ecological legacy. Stephen Lussier, chief executive of the group’s diamond brand Forevermark, said that for every acre De Beers has used for mining it dedicates five acres to conservation.

The company’s experience in security means it is able to create a secure environment for the animals to thrive. Mr Lussier said: “We are deeply committed to providing a safe haven for both white and black rhinos.

“Like diamonds, Africa’s rhinos are beautiful, unique and irreplaceable.”

Prince Harry said being patron of Rhino Conservation Botswana was an opportunity to give something back to a country that had given so much to him. He added: “It’s about time we start celebrating and supporting the countries that are taking the lead in conservation.”

For more details visit rhinoconservationbotswana.com