John Hume is the world’s most prolific private rhino breeder, and his operation has been on the verge of bankruptcy for years, as Save the Rhino reported in 2018.

The reason? A series of government bans on the sale of rhino horns, which Hume claims to harvest humanely from his herd of captive rhinos. Now, an NGO has stepped in and agreed to pay Hume for his rhinos so that they can be rewilded.

Hume, a wealthy South African property developer turned rhino farmer, is a controversial figure. His herd of 2,000 semi-captive rhinos constitutes around 7.4% of the world’s total rhino population (there are an estimated 27,000 rhinos currently alive, according to Save the Rhino).

Hume has claimed that his efforts to breed rhinos and harvest their horns are, in fact, protecting them from poachers. He calls his work a philanthropic project to save the species.

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