The Silent War
for South Africa’s Last Rhinos
Across the dusty plains of South Africa, a battle rages that rarely makes the headlines. Rhinos, once icons of the wild, have become prime targets in a global black market.
“The Savannah’s Golden Treasure” (WT) takes us deep into this unseen war. For those who risk everything to protect the last of their kind, patrols with night-vision technology, roadblocks, and armed drills are part of daily life. While rangers train to locate the sound of gunfire, the gentle giants stand quietly in the tall grass – symbols of a threatened world, one that would be almost unrecognisable without them.
“The Savannah’s Golden Treasure” (WT) shows how the fate of endangered species is inseparably tied to international black markets – and how conservation becomes nearly impossible when an animal is worth more dead than alive.
The Rhino Crisis at a Glance
Rhino poaching ranks among the greatest threats to endangered species in southern Africa, with white and black rhinos particularly at risk.
- Over the past two decades, the number of rhinos killed by poachers has risen dramatically.
- In 2024 alone, 420 rhinos were killed in South Africa; in just the first five months of 2025, the toll has already reached 103.
- South Africa is home to the largest rhino population on the African continent.
- Despite tougher laws and armed anti-poaching units, poverty, corruption, and high costs make effective protection extremely difficult.
- The demand for rhino horn remains undiminished, particularly in China and Vietnam, where it is valued for its use in traditional medicine and as a status symbol, and in Yemen, where it is used to make dagger handles.
- A single kilo of rhino horn can fetch up to 100,000 US dollars on the black market, and it often leaves the continent within just 48 hours.
- By contrast, the legal trade of live rhinos, such as for the purpose of securing genetic diversity, offers far less financial incentive, meaning that many farmers are reluctant to keep the animals.
How can conservation work when a dead rhino is currently worth more than a living one?
About "The Savannah's Golden Treasure" (WT)
With “The Savannah’s Golden Treasure” (WT), we continue our work in documentary filmmaking. Following our first project, “Sorry for the Genocide (WT)“ – which was honoured with a fellowship from The Good Media Network GMN GmbH – we now turn our focus to the fight against poaching in South Africa. We gain rare insights into the challenging realities of rhino conservation through in-depth research and close collaborations on the ground. Our mission is to tell engaging, visually compelling stories that address pressing social issues.
„I‘ve seen them slaughter calves for a horn that‘s maybe 50 grams. They are ruthless.“
Dr. Robert du Toit, Veterinarian at Vryheid Private Veterinarians
Our Protagonists
Dr Cindy Harper
Dr Harper is the Director of the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory at the University of Pretoria and founder of the RhODIS programme, which was launched in 2010. The initiative was originally developed out of scientific curiosity – to create a system that could match the DNA of a seized rhino horn to a specific living or deceased rhino – but it quickly evolved into a vital forensic tool in the fight against wildlife crime. Within months of its implementation, RhODIS contributed to the successful prosecution of a poacher, resulting in a ten-year prison sentence.
From a scientific standpoint, Dr Harper issues a clear call to action: humanity must take responsibility for ensuring that rhinos do not vanish from the planet.
Cedric Coetzee
Cedric Coetzee has spent over four decades working in conservation at the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, one of Africa's oldest protected areas. Over the past 15 years, he has dedicated almost all of his efforts to rhino protection. He currently serves as Senior Rhino Conservation Advisor to the provincial authority Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. In this role, he assists state-run national parks in developing and implementing anti-poaching strategies. He also collaborates closely with private game reserves to enhance their rhino protection protocols.
Coetzee offers valuable insights into the daily fight against poaching in public reserves. He explains how Hluhluwe-iMfolozi has implemented an extensive network of smart anti-poaching technologies and highlights the differences between conservation efforts in government-owned parks and on privately owned land.
At the park's museum, he reflects on the history and evolution of the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi landscape, which has played a pivotal role in South Africa's conservation legacy.
Carlo Engelbrecht
Carlo Engelbrecht, a hunting outfitter, has cared for rhinos on his private game farm for many years, dedicating himself passionately to their protection. This has included deploying specialised anti-poaching units, maintaining round-the-clock surveillance of his land and taking measures such as controlled dehorning to safeguard the animals. Engelbrecht is part of a coalition of farmers who have established a joint control centre equipped with cameras and license plate recognition systems.
However, he believes that the immense financial and emotional investment required to protect these animals can only be sustainable if wildlife holds tangible value for people. He believes that trophy hunting is a necessary source of funding to maintain these protective measures.
His commitment was brutally shaken in late 2024 when poachers killed two rhinos on his property for their horns. Engelbrecht offers a first-hand account of the daily battle against poaching and the efforts required to secure the survival of rhinos within ever-shrinking protected areas.
Michael ‘t Sas-Rolfes
Michael ‘t Sas-Rolfes is a conservation economist who has over 30 years' experience of working at the intersection of economics and conservation, in education, research and practice. He specialises in analysing legal and illegal markets for wildlife products, particularly those involving charismatic and endangered species such as rhinos, elephants, big cats and bears.
As a member of the African Rhino Specialist Group, he contributes his expertise to international conservation debates, providing valuable insights into ethically contentious issues, such as the use of trophy hunting as a potential source of conservation funding and the possible legalisation of the rhino horn trade.
This project is much more than just a film for us. It is important to us to show how complex, violent, and human-made this issue is—and that it goes far beyond the protection of individual animal species.
Producer - Wave In Motion GmbH
The Film’s Look & Feel
Across the plains of South Africa, a silent and unseen war rages – without flags, yet felt in every fibre. Heavy grey clouds are hanging over the land. The colour scheme is one of dust and blood: muted greens, washed-out yellows and rusty reds. Much of it is bathed in soft, natural light. The film observes, condenses and lingers, like the final exhale of a great animal. Slow-motion sequences capture fleeting moments when life seems to stand still. At the heart of it all are the people who have stayed: rangers, veterinarians and trackers. People who refuse to accept the invisibility of this conflict. Their faces speak louder than any voice. The camera stays close to capture moments of intimacy: the gaze of a ranger, a dog listening in stillness, and the silence at the site of a rhino carcass. Even the nights carry weight: when men move through the rain and darkness with a torch, each step becomes a cautious exploration of an invisible threat.