Pilanesberg patrols with Nissan

Nissan South Africa today donated a Nissan Patrol 4×4 to the Pilansberg National Park’s rhino protection unit to help monitor large areas of the 550 km² park. The vehicle sponsorship comes after Nissan SA’s recent sponsorship of the ear notching of two white rhinos in the park.

“Our involvement with the protection of one of South Africa’s most amazing wildlife species speaks to our global environmental philosophy – a symbiosis of people, vehicles and nature,” says Jim Dando, Nissan SA’s director of sales and operations for sub-Saharan Africa.

“We trust that the Nissan Patrol’s tough off-road capability will help the protection officers to combat the scourge of poaching in the Pilanesberg National Park and play a role in saving these majestic animals,” he continues.

Accepting the vehicle, Pilanesberg National Park’s manager Johnson Maoka said that manpower and mobility were two key elements in the rhino protection initiative.

“Because of the park’s vast tracts of rugged terrain, we are delighted to take ownership of the powerful Nissan Patrol to access as many areas as possible on our rhino monitoring routines,” says Maoka.

“The Nissan Patrol’s size, power and commanding visual presence – features of the very species it will play a role in protecting – will motivate our anti-poaching unit and send a strong message to poachers that we will not give up on efforts to stop them.”

The Nissan Patrol forms part of a fleet of vehicles in the rhino protection initiative. Apart from vehicle patrols, the armed and camouflaged rhino protection team also uses specially trained dogs in its K9 unit to assist in detection and tracking exercises.