‘Blunt and Fearless’ Series on Rhino Killing by Natural History New Zealand

In 2012, more than 450 rhinos were killed by poachers in South Africa alone. The poaching is driven by the demand for rhino horn, used for traditional medicine in many Asian countries. ‘Battleground: Rhino Wars’ features four US ex-military personnel in South Africa to help stop these poachers. The three-part TV mini series was co-produced for Animal Planet by Natural History New Zealand. Animal Planet labels the cruel and revealing expose part of the ‘next evolution’ in its ‘muscular conservation stand.’ Rhino Wars was reviewed by Neil Genzlinger in The New York Times. Genzlinger praised Rhino Wars for its ‘blunt and fearless’ documentation of the effects of poaching. ‘It’s one thing to read about poaching and acknowledge intellectually the real senseless of it. It’s quite another to be confronted with what it actually looks like. If you weren’t outraged by what is happening to these animals, you will be a few minutes into this show.’ Genzlinger is less convinced however, by the presence of the Americans. ‘It’s not clear at all what these gonzo men can contribute that South Africans themselves can’t manage.’