The future of rhinos might be up in the air.

Starting in January 2015, a conservation group will fly as many as 100 rhinos from South Africa to Botswana in an attempt to save the animal from extinction.

The relocation project comes after one of the deadliest years for rhinos on record, with more than 1,000 killed in South Africa alone, according to the South Africa Department of Environmental Affairs.

The project called Rhinos Without Borders was launched by filmmakers Dereck and Beverly Joubert in July as a joint effort between the conservation tourism companies &Beyond and Great Plains Conservation.

Rhinos are regularly poached for their horns, which are ground up and consumed for their purported healing powers. The rhino horns sell on the black market for more than $30,000 per pound.

Almost 14 rhinos are shot every week, according to Save the Rhino International, and by some estimates, rhinos could become completely extinct in five to ten years. "It has really escalated to almost epidemic proportions," Dereck Joubert said.

Rhino poaching has seen a major increase in recent years Image: Graph: Rhinos Without Borders

Of the 25,000 remaining rhinos in Africa, 20,000 live in South Africa. Rhinos Without Borders wants to relocate up to 100 rhinos to a less densely populated region in Botswana, where strict laws against poaching have created a safe haven for the animals.

To relocate the rhinos, the group had to first obtain permission from the South African and Botswana governments. They also were required to obtain further permits to release the rhinos into the wild. The South Africa Department of Environmental Affairs told Mashable in a statement that the government is working with the Department of Wildlife and National Parks to help execute the project.

"The Department considers the translocation of rhinos as an integral part of range expansion as a biological management tool, which is acceptable if it is undertaken in compliance with the legislative framework/requirements," the statement said.

Rhinos Without Borders is seeking funds to start the move.

"It's as much a story of moving a hundred rhinos as it is about spreading the risk," Joubert told National Geographic. "One of the worst things we can do is continue to keep the entire pool of [rhinos] in one place. This relocation project will be making it harder for poachers to come in and hit a hundred rhinos."

Image: Beverly Joubert

In addition to removing the animals from danger, the relocation will create a new breeding ground in Botswana to encourage rhino population growth.

"What will be interesting about the project is that we are going to be doubling the [rhino] population in Botswana, and that is going to be fantastic for the breeding," Joubert said.

Rhinos can weigh more than three tons, and cost and logistics are some of the biggest challenges to the relocation Joubert said. The move will cost $45,000 per rhino, according to Rhinos Without Borders, and the organization is seeking to raise $500,000 for the project via the crowdfunding site Trevolta.

Two rhinos take a drink in South Africa. Image: Beverly Joubert

"Translocations are fundamental to secure the ongoing survival of endangered species and this groundbreaking project aims to protect the species for future generations to enjoy," Joss Kent, chief executive of &Beyond told The Guardian. "A project this size requires a strong partnership and a huge resource pool to pull it off."

This is not the first time a relocation project like this has been attempted. In 2013, &Beyond helped to relocate six rhino to Botswana from a reserve in South Africa, The Guardian reported.

Joubert said if the initial project is a success, they hope to extend the airlifting efforts to other animals throughout Africa. The organization said ideally it would like to relocate 400 rhinos by 2016.