The Crash of Rhinos

The Crash of Rhinos is a play on words. A 'crash' is the collective noun for rhinos, but it also describes the carnage wrought by poachers in Africa who have slaughtered more than 10,000 rhinos – three a day – in the past decade to feed the seemingly insatiable demand for rhino horn in some Asian countries.

The author spent his first forty years in South Africa and during this time developed a love of wildlife. After emigrating to Australia, Ray retained strong ties with African wildlife and conservation. In 2014 a friend suggested that he investigate the feasibility of bringing rhinos to Australia to act as an insurance policy in the event of the possibility of the extinction of rhino species in the wild. The Australian Rhino Project was born.

The Crash of Rhinos traces the origin of the Project to the present with the team still working to relocate rhinos to Australia. It is an insightful, frustrating, humorous and humbling story that will make you laugh, cry and tear your hair out in exasperation. In Ray's own words, 'There was extreme joy and there was acute heartache.'

This fascinating story demonstrates what can be achieved by one person with the passion, resilience and dogged persistence to meet challenges, obstacles and the glacial pace of governments – even in the face of a crisis.

The proceeds of The Crash of Rhinos will be directed by the author to the South African all-female anti-poaching group, The Black Mambas.