All Blacks great Ma’a Nonu has used his time during the Major League Rugby offseason to take part in a rhino conservation safari in South Africa alongside former Maori All Blacks players Tom Franklin, and brothers Dan and Kara Pryor.
The double World Cup winner, his San Diego Legion teammates, Franklin and Dan Pryor, and Rugby United New York loose forward Kara Pryor worked with Nkombe Rhino, an organisation dedicated to the protection of endangered species.
Nkombe Rhino recently shared images on social media of the quartet’s hands-on effort, which was concluded by a performance of Ka Mate.
Nkombe Rhino wrote on Instagram: “Over the last 8 days, we were privileged to host All Blacks legend Ma’a Nonu and Maori All Blacks players Dan Pryor, Tom Franklin and Kara Pryor on a rhino conservation safari!
“Hosted by Joe Pietersen and the Nkombe Rhino team on the ground, this epic week got them hands-on with rhino conservation, seeing some of the leading role players on the frontline!
“Thank you for sharing our work and the plight of rhino conservation guys.
“The project was concluded by the players doing the famous Ka Mate Haka!”
This is Nkombe Rhino’s profile on their website: “Nkombe Rhino is a South African Non Profit organisation that focuses on the protection of endangered species.
“Our focus started on the frontline protection of Rhinos in the early 2000’s and has since branched out to various other endangered and threatened species.
“By supporting conservation on the ground, from Anti poaching units to veterinarians and helicopter pilots, the knock on effect has been a positive contribution to the survival of many protected species.
“Our aim is to pool resources through sustainable partnerships to better impact the conservation realm as a collective unit of like-minded organisations.
“A growing support over the last few years has been the power of tourism, form educating and sharing with overseas based guests, the impact of the more superior exchange rates have helped us grow exponentially.
“Join our movement and become a “Custodian of Hope” for the future of conservation in South Africa, Africa and around the world.”