Rhino Conservation Botswana (RCB) has announced that Botswana's Honourable Minister of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism Tshekedi Khama has agreed to be its new Patron. The charity works closely with partners, including the Botswana Government and the Botswana Defence Force, and supporters across Africa and around the world, to protect ‘ark’ populations of black and white rhinos.

Tshekedi Khama is an existing board member of the Giants Club's partner charity the Tlhokomela Trust, Botswana’s endangered wildlife trust.

Founded in 2014, RCB is an international organisation that monitors and protects black and white rhinos it helps rescue from poaching hotspots across southern Africa and move to Botswana. Here, thanks to the government’s robust anti-poaching laws and the support of the military, the rhinos can thrive – and ultimately become one of the last great hopes for the survival of their kind.

Prince Harry has also been named as a Patron of the charity. RCB’s director, Martin ‘Map’ Ives explains the importance of the organisation's work to protect rhinos and maintain the important biodiversity these animals depend on to survive in the wilderness:

“Across Africa, rhinos are being poached for their horns at a rate that could make them extinct in the wild within 10 years. It’s a senseless trade; rhino horn has no proven medicinal value. Even so, demand is increasing.

"Today rhino horn is worth more than gold. Despite their size, rhinos have no defences against bullets and high-powered weapons. They are completely reliant on our protection and on our efforts to turn the current tide of poaching for their survival. RCB’s message is one of hope. Together, we can stop rhinos from going extinct and build a safer future for these magnificent animals.”