Milk of the Steak: I volunteered at Thula Thula until last week. Duma, the German Shepherd, is NOT an attack dog. He was trained to detect rhino horns, elephant tusks, weapons, and drugs and was used at the Johannesburg airport. He is trained to walk behond his handler and not as protection. Please do not speak of matters with which you do not have first-hand knowledge because doing so serves NO PRODUCTIVE PURPOSE!
The issue that you raised with regard to weapons on the property is wrong however I am not at liberty to expound on the matter. When you start your own orphanage, you will have the right to set your own policies but, for your sake and those living at your orphanage, I hope that you will first becme educated with regard to the values and priorities of the members of the tribes living in the surrounding area. Clashes between the values of those who are part of an Africa tribe and those living in the modern world are significant and numerous. It is very easy to sit at your desk and judge the situation but unless you personally have walked in the shoes of those who run the Orphanage, you have no basis upon which to share your uneducated opinions.
Who are the people involved in ego clashes? Please back up your assertions. What facts do you have to support the contention that they were offered free armed security?
Pictures of Gugu and Impy have not not been posted on the Facebook page once they grew horns. The Orphanage is very careful not to "advertise" the horns that are on their rhinos. These rhinos were to be dehorned within the week at which time they were to be released back to the property on which they were rescued.
If security at the Orphanage was up to your standards, why did you not donate so that the selfless work of those at the Orphanage could be carried out more safely? How righteous of you to criticize the efforts of the Orphanage when hundreds of rhinos have been saved by Karen Trendler and two have died. What exactly is your personal experience in rehabilitating rhino orphans on the land owned by the Zulus? I am eager to learn of where your expertise comes from. And how many rhinos you have saved?
And, by the way, the Orphanage is not open to the public so no one other than the volunteers and staff Know how many rhinos are there, whether or not they have horns, and whether or not weapons are located on the property.