Investec Rhino Lifeline

They have a zebra on their credit cards!

We changed banks in South Africa from Standard Bank to Investec. We left Standard Bank because ... they suck. Vince chose Investec because they do not charge withdrawal fees no matter what bank ATM you use and he can do his foreign exchange online as opposed to having to schlep into a private account branch every time he wants to transfer funds to the US. Investec has no branches. It is a completely virtual banking facility.


I supported his decision to go with Investec because they in turn are a huge supporter of rhino conservation in Africa through their Investec Rhino Lifeline. 



From the Investec website: 

"South Africa is losing rhino daily, through poaching. It is the most significant conservation issue faced by the country and time is running out. In 2012 Investec established Investec Rhino Lifeline to respond to this crisis and has partnered with the Wilderness Foundation to achieve our goals. Our aim is to build awareness, raise funds, and support carefully selected education, rescue and prevention initiatives.

By working closely with our trusted partners and supporters, and by taking a hands-on approach, we believe that we can make a difference in saving the rhino and ensuring its long-term survival."

And Investec Rhino Lifeline is the major supporter behind the work of Dr. William Fowlds:

"Dr William Fowlds is a qualified vet who dedicates his time to championing the plight of the rhino through his veterinary and awareness initiatives, while exposing the desperate reality of poaching attacks to the global media. He has been involved in conservation related activities, wildlife management, eco-tourism and intervention programmes to improve the quality of veterinary care for critically injured rhinos for over a decade. Apart from his South African veterinary network relating to wildlife, he has provided educational and training opportunities for students from vet schools representing all five continents to expose them to conservation issues within Southern Africa. Dr Fowlds also spearheaded educational safaris and television series highlighting the rhino crisis on NBC and ITV news, exposing the realities of poaching to the world, generating media awareness of this crisis and educational opportunities in consumer countries. His conservation focus has largely been in the Eastern Cape where he has served on project committees relating to wildlife and social development aspects of eco-tourism. His contact with the wildlife ranching aspects of conservation, the academic fraternity in Eastern Cape universities and management of nationally governed parks and provincially managed reserves gives him an extensive and multi-skilled network in conservation focused fields.

Dr Fowlds recently championed the rhino crisis by documenting a poaching attack on three rhinos at the Kariega game reserve in the Eastern Cape in March 2012. Two died and Dr Fowlds has documented the story of the slow rehabilitation of one of the three rhinos who survived this attack, as a means to raise awareness around anti-poaching and the illegal rhino horn trade."

Vince and I joining forces with Investec and putting our money where our collective mouth is.