Mongabay · Climate & nature

Rhino Breeding Project Founder Dies in Gyrocopter Crash

Jaco Muller, founder of the Rhino Momma Project, died in a gyrocopter crash while monitoring rhinos and wildfires. His project, inspired by his son's school idea, resulted in 197 rhino births.

Muller established the Rhino Momma Project in 2010, converting his family's antelope-breeding operation into a white rhino breeding program. The initiative aimed to increase rhino populations and secure their future by breeding them and replenishing numbers across Africa.

The project began with the first calf born in 2013 and grew into one of Namibia's larger privately run rhino-breeding operations. Kifaru Lodge, opened in 2018, generated tourism revenue to support rhino security and care.

Muller advocated for legalizing the rhino horn trade, arguing that a regulated market could finance protection efforts, similar to shearing sheep. He believed this would shift profits from criminals to conservationists.

This stance was controversial, with opponents concerned about potential laundering of poached horns and increased demand. Muller's argument was rooted in the economics of his breeding program, where valuable horns offset high protection costs.

In a move that drew controversy in 2024, 42 white rhinos were exported from Kifaru Lodge to Texas, with Muller citing the Arabian oryx's survival through captive breeding as a precedent.

Muller tragically died at age 53 when his gyrocopter crashed during a monitoring flight. By that time, his project had achieved 197 births since its inception.

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