Limpopo, South Africa – April 17, 2019: As we’ve all heard, Elvis did in fact leave the building eons ago, but this month, he resurfaced in the African wilderness to join the Bisbee’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fund (BF&WCF) along with Daggaboy Safaris of South Africa as they hosted their second “catch-and-release” conservation vita dart experience for a white rhino. In what was an auction fundraiser, the infamous Chicago area based offshore fishing team called “Ten Brothers” won the privilege for the prized hunting opportunity. Self described as “the most dynamic fishing team in the world”, the Ten Brothers team has won approx. $2 million in cash prizes in past Bisbee’s offshore fishing tournaments in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. They consist of a group of ten blood brothers and brothers in law, and is well known for the flamboyant Elvis Presley impersonations by team member Dave Snobl. Snobl along with two other team members John Boratto (also known as Johnny Bravo or Johnny Cabo depending on who you talk to) and Jeff Cornett were the lucky ones to go to So. Africa. Their winning bid of $29,000. USD won them the opportunity to successfully hunt and dart a white rhino at a game reserve in Limpopo, South Africa. The name and exact location within this immense reserve is being withheld for rhino security purposes. All proceeds from the hunt go towards BF&WCF’s wildlife conservation and scholarship program efforts.
The world’s rhino populations have been decimated in recent years by an escalating amount of illegal poaching. This is because of a belief in some Asian countries that rhino horn, if ingested, can cure a myriad of illnesses ranging from cancer to erectile disfunction. Modern science has proved this to be 100% false, however this belief has created a black market value of up to $400,000 USD for a single horn putting the entire species in peril. This is especially devastating to South Africa’s rhino since the majority of the world’s remaining populations reside there.
In order to ensure the continued proliferation of the species, veterinarians must sometimes examine and treat rhino, and catch-and-release hunting provides the perfect opportunity to do so. While sedated, this particular rhino received a well-being check, had blood samples drawn to map DNA, test for diseases in the herd, and in this case, check for pregnancy since the animal was a fully mature, 5,000+ pound female. For security and tracking purposes, a micro-chip was also placed into the horn of the animal. Various vaccinations by rhino-expert veterinarian Dr. Thinus Loggenberg were also dispensed.
Led by Daggaboy Safaris owner and Professional Hunter Gerhard Vos, Dave Snobl was elected to deploy a brightly color pigmented “vita-dart” which is similar to a paintball gun with a beneficial vitamin mixture added, and after identifying the exact animal, the hunt began. Deciding to leave his new custom designed camo Elvis costume in his bag (if only for a little while anyway), in what became a two and a half hour stalk, covering miles of tracking, Snobl finally got inside the gun’s 40 yard effective shooting range. He aimed and successfully darted the rhino’s front right shoulder. Per South African law, only a licensed veterinarian can shoot the actual tranquilizer dart into a rhino, and once the colored dart had hit its mark, the helicopter air-born vet team was able to identify the animal from the air and come in for tranquilizer shot. “This catch-and-release hunt is a win-win-win situation,” says Conservation Fund founder Wayne Bisbee. “Dave got the thrill of the hunt, the animal received its necessary veterinary care, and we raised a lot of money for conservation.”
“We had an incredible time,” exclaimed the Snobl, Borrato and Cornett. “South Africa was a bucket list trip that we’d always dreamed of, and getting to be part of such an important conservation event within such a beautiful country is something we’ll remember for the rest of our lives.”
The team was also able to visit the new location for Bisbee’s Nkwe Tactical Training Academy, which is the BF&WCF’s anti-rhino poaching project also in Limpopo, SA. There, director Simon Rood gave a training facility tour of the organization’s new facilities that are currently under construction. In all aspects, once built out, the new training base will be even better and more efficient than the previous facility was at turning raw recruits into fully certified, anti-poaching field rangers.
Acclaimed videographer Rich Christensen of RK Creative Productions (formerly of National Geographic’s successful Expedition Great White, and Shark Men TV Series) was on site to capture the entire experience on video which has just been released.
About Bisbee’s Fish & Wildlife Conservation Fund
Bisbee’s Fish & Wildlife Conservation Fund, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation that adheres to the Texas Business Organizations Code and is tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
The Bisbee’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fund is currently involved with multiple campaigns, including Project: Save the Rhino in South Africa, where their Nkwe Tactical Training Academy turns recruits into fully certified and licensed operational Field Rangers to fight the world’s rhino poaching epidemic, the revolutionary Project iTAG which incorporates radio frequency identification (RFID) chips into the traditional 50+ year old fish tags bringing fisheries sciences into the 21st century. They have also established a scholarship program for exotic wildlife management and marine sciences research candidates. For more information, visit http://bisbeesconservationfund.org.