Kevin Pietersen worries about the plight of rhinos in his home country. They keep falling prey to poachers and it is taking a heavy toll on the number of rhinoceros left in South Africa. It is a critical situation because there are fears that a time might come when future generations will miss seeing these Animals in the wild. Therefore, Kevin has taken steps to save them from extinction. He has collected money to develop a mechanism that can assist in surveillance. Its name is the Forward-looking Infrared System or FLIR and it will serve a dual purpose of safeguarding the animals and catching the poachers.

The device will be launched in the Kruger National Park.

Daily Mail UK reports that 38-year-old Kevin Pietersen, while interacting with a section of the media, explained that he is involved in conservation work to ensure that the next generation can see the rhinos. In his words – “‘the poachers own the night at the moment …. We are at a point where we can prevent this but it costs a lot of money.”

Kevin’s rhino experience

During a rhino tagging expedition in 2013, Kevin Pietersen realized the magnitude of the problem.

He explained that rhino horns fetch enormous money on the black market. In fact, the horns are valued more than cocaine even though they cannot cure cancer. In fact, they do not even fall in the category of an aphrodisiac. They are just a symbol of wealth for some people who feel a stockpile of these items will set them apart from others.

Daily Mail UK adds that poachers look at the horns as a lucrative investment and are hoarding them to mint money once the animals become extinct. That could happen as soon as 2025. In such a situation, Kevin came up with the idea of introducing a sort of device that will help save the rhinos. He revealed the details in the podcast "BBC Sounds," with the help of BBC journalist Sarah Brett.

Kevin Pietersen grew up in South Africa and moved to England to play cricket. Obviously, he feels he must do something to help the rhinos and the thermal imaging system under development could be the answer.

He is a trendsetter

The initiative taken by the retired cricketer is certainly praiseworthy. He is a trendsetter and The Guardian adds he now has an opportunity to open up to the world about rhino poaching. He is presenting “Kevin Pietersen: Beast of Man” on BBC. It is a 10-episode program on this evil where poachers slaughter the animals to lay hands on their horns. In order to prepare the episodes, the team met the poachers as well as those who are determined to put a stop to this inhuman practice. Incidentally, a recent report mentioned a drop in the poaching of rhinos in South Africa. The authorities attribute this to arresting suspects coupled with active anti-poaching units.
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