AUSTRALIA is set to become home to dozens of endangered African rhinos under an ambitious plan to establish a large breeding herd Down Under. 
The Australian Rhino Project is aiming to relocate up to 80 white and black rhinos from southern Africa within the next four years as an insurance population against rampant poaching wiping out the species in its home territory.
Project founder Ray Dearlove said rhino poaching deaths had risen sharply in recent years - up from 1006 in 2013 to 1215 last year.
Illustrating the point, six of the first 12 rhinos set aside for the project have already been killed by poachers.
They hunt rhinos for their horns, which are sold on the black market for up to $82,000 a kilogram.
The horns are then smuggled overseas to be used in "traditional" Asian medicine, despite them being of zero proven benefit to human health.
The Australian Rhino Project's plans involve bringing 20 rhinos a year over the next four years, with the first group of six expected to arrive by the end of this year.
Three will go to Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo, with the other three sent to Monarto Open Range Zoo in South Australia.
But further arrivals would be settled elsewhere to graze together in an as-yet undisclosed location.
Go to theaustralianrhinoproject.org for more information.Collect all 14 BBC Earth DVDs for just $2.50 with the Mercury and Sunday Tasmanian. Tomorrow: Africa - Kalahari.