Unreported World: The Black Mambas: Saving the Rhino

Series 8, episode 0

In South Africa, reporter Evan Williams and director Laura Warner meet the Black Mambas: the world's first all-female anti-poaching unit, who are battling to save the rhino from extinction. The illicit trade in rhino horn for the Asian market has skyrocketed. It has become one of the most valuable commodities in the world, worth as much as gold, diamonds and cocaine. In 2014, 1215 rhino were killed in South Africa: a record high, and the numbers are still increasing. The Unreported World team visits a high-security, secret reserve engaging the local black community in wildlife conservation. The Black Mambas are starting to beat the poachers, but it's hard and dangerous work and the poachers are determined to continue their lucrative hunting. The survival of Africa's last wild rhinos could depend on new initiatives like the Mambas convincing communities that keeping wildlife is more valuable than the incentives offered by international criminal networks