The government could write a cheque now and save the rhino from extinction, cricket star Kevin Pietersen has said as he lambasts celebrities who use poverty to virtue signal.

The former England captain, who lives part time in the South African bush on a rhino ranch, said that if no action is taken before 2025, the great beast will become extinct.

“The dollar and the pound goes so far here. It would cost £7.5m to save the species and protect 70 per cent of the rhino population,” he told the Sunday Telegraph.

"The UK government could write that cheque right away and save the species.”

He thinks this would be a popular endeavour, one perhaps supported by The Queen, who he has “chatted with” while collecting his MBE. “She loves Africa so much,” Mr Pietersen said.

The rhino is, the batsman thinks, much more important to save than even Notre Dame. He explained: "If you think of how much was raised for Notre Dame [£7.5m is] such a small number. You can rebuild a building but you can't bring a species back.”

While he is best known for his astonishing sporting skills, the South African native now pours his passion into saving the rhino, an animal he loves.