PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) -- CBS12 News is getting an inside look at how zookeepers at one of Palm Beach County's animal parks went across the world to help wildlife in Africa.
Lion Country Safari is best known for being Florida's largest wildlife drive through park with lions, and elephants, and giraffes. But what you might not know is that the money it gets through tickets goes towards conservation efforts in the wild
There are five rhino species in Africa. All endangered to some extent.
To put this into perspective, at the start of the 20th century, an estimated 500,000 rhinos roamed the planet. Today, there are just under 28,000 rhinos left in the wild. That's according to the International Rhino Foundation.
The foundation says that's largely due to poaching.
So, these two local animal experts brought theircombined 30 years of experience working with rhinos to support established conservation initiatives in Africa.
Dan Soler, Lion Country's lead rhino keeper, and co-worker Craig Vandermeid spent the first week at the Golola Rhino Orphanage and Rehabilitation Centre in the northern part of South Africa. There, they cared for orphaned rhinos whose mothers had been poached.
Soler and Vandermeid were responsible for bottle feeding the baby rhinos and caring for any injuries. They also slowly introduced the animals to other baby rhinos to establish normal social structures.
Normally, they'd do this with their moms.
Soler says he hopes their efforts strengthen the rhino population in the future.
"As a megaphonic species, rhinos are importantly for the environment. They are important for land clearing and keeping the natural environment and natural habitats in Africa. Without them, it could severely affect the species that live in those areas," said Soler. "They have a very long gestation period. They take a long time to breed and have kids. They have one calf at a time. At the rate they're being poached, they're not replenishing their numbers at the same rate. Within the next 20-30 years, these rhinos might not exist in the wild anymore. You might only be able to find them in human care like lion country."
They then spent the next week at South Africa's Kruger National Park. There, they tracked wild animals like elephants, impalas, and giraffes.
Researchers want to learn more about their behaviors and whereabouts in the park. They then put that data into a software program to track the animals' movements throughout the year.
Soler said they did not see a single rhino the entire time here. He calls it a clear indication of poaching, ultimately validating their efforts to save the rhinos.
Soler says it was a great feeling to see firsthand what the money they make at Lion Country is actually supporting in the wild.