Hippo pledges support to protect the rhino

"We will donate R10 for every selected online quote generated to RAGE. There are no SMS charges and users are under no obligation to take out an insurance policy, buy or subscribe to any of the services on Hippo.co.za," says Amanda Thomas, general manager of Hippo.co.za.

All proceeds from the campaign will go to Rhino Action Group Effort (RAGE) which in turn funds a number of critical rhino related initiatives. Hippo.co.za hopes to make it easier for South Africans to donate funds to support existing, effective rhino conservation projects in areas where populations are under serious threat by poachers.

Hippo can source quotes

RAGE, which was set-up by Lead SA as a safe collector and conduit of public donations toward rhino conservation causes, will ensure that monies collected are appropriately directed to organisations and areas that need funding most. KPMG will ensure that the process of transferring the funds is carried out correctly and that donations are properly accounted for.

"Our goal is to raise at least R200 000 in the next six months. We want to encourage people who are shopping for insurance for the New Year to use 'the hippo' to source quotes for them. This will make it easier to compare quotes from a number of providers and at the same time, they can make a contribution to an extremely important cause - saving our rhino," says Thomas.

Training teams

"Rhino poaching continues to escalate and it is imperative that we equip and train our teams on the ground to be able to halt the poaching," says Andy Rice of RAGE. "Efforts to catch and prosecute culprits are seeing results. So far, 224 arrests have been made and we need to ensure that the people and organisations protecting our rhinos have the resources they need. This has made fundraising crucial to the anti-poaching drive."

Thomas concludes: "From now and into the foreseeable future, protecting the rhino, one of South Africa's most-precious and valuable natural assets, will be the focus of Hippo.co.za's fundraising and corporate social investment efforts. We want to do what we can to ensure that the threat of our rhinos becoming extinct is mitigated."