The Wild with Chris Morgan Rhino Man
Feb 17, 2026
Ruben de Kock, veteran ranger trainer who runs brutal selection and training. Anton Mzimba, Timbavati head ranger whose life and work inspired Rhino Man. John Jurko II, filmmaker who chronicled Anton’s struggle. They discuss paramilitary ranger training, the grim scale of rhino poaching, frontline firefights with poachers, ranger trauma and threats, and the legacy and funds supporting future rangers.
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Rhino Poaching Is Now Organized Crime
- Rhino populations have crashed: about 27,000 remain and at least one is killed each day.
- Poaching evolved from local activity into organized international syndicates driving paramilitary responses.
Meeting Anton In Timbavati
- John Jurko II met Anton in 2018 and followed him in Timbavati Private Nature Reserve documenting his life as head ranger.
- Anton saw ranger work as a calling and dedicated himself to protecting rhinos and the land.
Hope: A Rescued Rhino's Recovery
- Dr. Johan Murray and Saving the Survivors pioneered surgeries to save rhinos like Hope who survived brutal horn removal.
- Hope recovered significantly and the team planned to return her to the wild to reproduce.
