Keeping True to our African Roots in Honour of World Rhino Day

In South Africa, the month of September is well-known as Heritage Month and is celebrated annually in honour of our nation’s rich heritage and diverse, vibrant cultures. We return to roots, we gather and commemorate that which makes us quintessentially South African.

In doing so, we at De Toren, acknowledge our legacy as one of SA’s fine red wine producers and pride ourselves on being home to five magnificent varietals, namely Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Speaking of the Big Five and keeping true to our broader African roots, we pay homage to one of South Africa’s cherished big five members in honour of World Rhino Day.…

Rhinos have inhabited the African continent for more than a million years and they play an imperative role in the ecosystem, respectively. In 1875, still more than a million rhinos lived in the vast grasslands of Africa. However, the illegal trade of their horns, which in some countries are still considered medicine or a symbol of wealth, almost caused the extinction of our African rhinos.

In the last decade, 9885 African rhinos have been lost due to poaching actions. Keeping this in mind, South Africa also holds the majority of the world’s rhinos and has been the country hit hardest by poaching criminals, with more than 1000 rhinos killed each year.

To shine some light on this issue, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) South Africa, therefore, announced the first World Rhino Day in 2010. This annual event takes place on the 22^nd of September.

Encompassing both African and Asian rhino species, we salute the WWF’s “Five Rhino Species Forever” movement which pays tribute to five rhinos across the globe. This includes two African rhino species, namely the Black Rhino and White Rhino, as well as three Asian rhino species, known as the Greater One-Horned Rhino, Sumatran Rhino and Javan Rhino.

Highlighting the efforts to diminish the demand for rhino horns, this event also ultimately gives recognition to these animals – some of the most iconic animals on earth.

Hence, we, here at De Toren, proudly support all conservation efforts to protect our rhinos. We invite you to join us in helping to spread awareness by celebrating World Rhino Day 2022 with us.

Learn more here.