Automakers are getting more involved in adventurous activities and the latest one to embark on a new trip is Nissan, with its Patrol off-roader.
According to the brand’s South African division, the vehicle has been donated to Pilansberg National Park’s rhino protection unit, where it will help monitor a 550 square km (342 square miles) area and leave a mark on wildlife poaching, which has taken the local black and white rhino population on the verge of extinction.
“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. We trust that the Nissan Patrol’s tough off-road capability will help the protection officers combat the scourge of poaching in the Pilanesberg National Park and play a role in saving these majestic animals“, said Jim Dando, the brand’s Sub-Saharan Africa Director of Sales and Operations.
Taking delivery of the Nissan Patrol was Johnson Maoka, Pilansberg National Park manager: “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. 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.“
Besides the fleet of vehicles that serve a major role in protecting the park’s rhinos, the armed and camouflaged protection team also uses specially trained dogs in the K9 unit, which help detect and track poachers, or anyone who is posing a threat to the local wildlife.
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