[MUSIC PLAYING]
FANIE KOK: Why should people care about conservation?
Well, I don't think we realize how we fundamentally depend
on our natural environment.
We sort of just take it for granted
and as cliche as it sounds, you never really know what you have
until it's gone.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
KABICHI MWARANCHA: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
MATT PERRY: As human beings, we're connected to the land,
and having pristine areas is essential for our well-being,
for our survival, and it's up to all of us
to ensure that we pay a little bit more attention
and understand why these areas are so critical.
FANIE KOK: As a mountain bike industry,
we have got a deep affinity for the outdoors.
But I just feel like we are sometimes
a little but disconnected from the environment
that we actually ride in.
We get very much caught up in the adventure.
DICKSON MATARORO: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
FANIE KOK: Somebody like, say, Dickson,
who once was an ivory rhino horn poacher,
has now been with Grumeti 18 years,
and this man has literally laid down his life
for the black rhinos that's at Grumeti.
What becomes more apparent, what becomes more beautiful
is the actual bond between the humans and the animals.
SUBJECT 1: I love this job.
I love her so much.
MATT PERRY: We, together with our government partners,
have a black rhino re-establishment project.
And so over the last couple of years,
we've actually reintroduced the critically endangered Eastern
Black Rhino.
Numbers are less than 1,000 of this particular subspecies,
so we're collectively working hard to try and bolster
their numbers.
[BIRDS CHIRPING]
ALINA PETERS: I actually started doing CrossFit in 2017.
It scared me at first, being the only woman there
and doing it with the guys.
It's almost like I am pushing them to do better.
KABICHI MWARANCHA:
FANIE KOK: We got to see the K-9 unit, absolutely incredible.
MATT PERRY: These dogs were rescued off
the streets of the United States,
and through the Working Dogs for Conservation Organization
they get trained up to be detection or tracking dogs.
NICK BESTER: We are doing a tracking exercise here.
So those two guys that are walking up there,
they are the decoys.
The handler will get one of the dogs.
And they always operate with the special operations group,
so they always operate in tandem.
Handler's going to be focusing on his dog, what
his dog's doing, and this guy is looking out for him.
So after he's successfully found the poacher then
he gets to play with the toy.
It's like a little toy that they go absolutely crazy for.
SUBJECT 2: Good dog, man.
Good dog, man.
FANIE KOK: The concept of poaching
is more complicated than we think.
It's not straightforward.
You go into it with a specific mindset,
with this love for the black rhino,
and it's all about the black rhino,
and we are going to save the black rhino come
hell or high water.
And then you learn about the people,
and there's a certain sense of empathy
that you get for people who that's
their only means of survival.
BHOKE MTATIRO: When you look at a problem
you need to understand how that problem came to play in order
to solve that problem.
People are not poaching because they love to kill animals,
they're poaching-- there's women that poach to feed their kids.
I met a lady who's poaching to feed her three children.
So when we gave her an alternative,
why don't you learn to be a seamstress,
or why don't you open a restaurant?
She was more than happy to go on board.
MATT PERRY: It's not just about the wildlife,
it's actually just as much about the people.
FANIE KOK: Going out and visiting these places
and learning about it, reading up about it, What am I doing?
What can I do?
What can I, as an individual, possibly do
that could make any sort of a difference?
And I don't really have the answer to the question,
but you've got to at least try, even if it means getting
on your bike and riding.
Riding with Matt and participating in the K2N race
was just a series of events that sort of naturally
fell into place.
Brett from Red Knot Racing, he connected Matt and I. And Matt
and I started sharing ideas and thoughts.
What role can mountain biking play in conservation?
And we got on a few phone calls, and it was just very
passionate from the beginning.
MATT PERRY: As long as I'm here, I
will continue to ride for the black rhino.
I'm not sure, are you going to join me, Fanie?
FANIE KOK: I'm not into racing at all, I'm a trail rider.
Us trail riders we don't race, except in Duro.
But everything feels like it's falling into place.
It feels right.
And let's do this.
MATT PERRY: Currently we are sitting at Cathedral Point
at an altitude of 3,872 meters.
Kili has really played out of her boots today.
FANIE KOK: I'm not naive or presumptuous thinking
that riding your bicycle can save a critically
endangered species.
But I think as humans, we just need
to use what we have at our disposal.
And as mountain bikers, as an industry, we can use our bikes.
MATT PERRY: Having recently completed the K2N stage race,
Riding for Rhino was the reason why we ultimately did it,
and that was to draw attention and to raise
awareness for the critically endangered Eastern Black Rhino.
FANIE KOK: But to go back to your first question--
why conservation?
And why mountain biking and conservation?
I think it just comes down to one word,
and that is relationship.
Our relationship with our natural environment,
our relationship with material environment,
our relationship with our passions and our hobbies,
and our relationship with ourselves and with each other.
I don't even know how to end that,
but it just comes down to relationship.