Investec Rhino Lifeline

At the heart of Investec's values is our firm commitment to society and the environment. To demonstrate this commitment, Investec is responding to the plight of rhino poaching in South Africa by partnering with Dr William Fowlds through a conservation initiative, the Investec Rhino Lifeline.

Investec Rhino Lifeline aims to raise awareness of the rhino crisis and to respond through education, rescue and prevention initiatives. Investec Rhino Lifeline is a partnership with Dr Will Fowlds, a deeply passionate wildlife vet who has been exposed to the rhino crisis through his professional contact with rhino conservation projects and his first-hand experience in dealing with poached rhinos.

Interact with Dr William Fowlds at www.williamfowldsdaytoday.blogspot.com and http://www.facebook.com/william.fowlds

Dr William Fowlds is a qualified vet who dedicates his time to championing the plight of the rhino through his veterinary and awareness initiatives, while exposing the desperate reality of poaching attacks to the global media.  He has been involved in conservation related activities, wildlife management, eco-tourism and intervention programmes to improve the quality of veterinary care for critically injured rhinos for over a decade.

Apart from his South African veterinary network relating to wildlife, he has provided educational and training opportunities for students from vet schools representing all five continents to expose them to conservation issues within Southern Africa. Dr Fowlds also spearheaded educational safaris and television series highlighting the rhino crisis on NBC and  ITV news, exposing the realities of poaching to the world, generating media awareness of this crisis and educational opportunities in consumer countries. His conservation focus has largely been in the Eastern Cape where he has served on project committees relating to  wildlife and social development aspects of eco-tourism. His contact with the wildlife ranching aspects of conservation, the academic fraternity in Eastern Cape universities and management of nationally governed parks and provincially managed reserves gives him an extensive and multi-skilled network in conservation focused fields.

Dr Fowlds recently championed the rhino crisis by documenting a poaching attack on three rhinos at the Kariega game reserve in the Eastern Cape in March 2012. Two died and Dr Fowlds has documented the story of the slow rehabilitation of one of the three rhinos who survived this attack, as a means to raise awareness around anti-poaching and the illegal rhino horn trade.