Find Dorsland and win!

A life-size sculpture of Dorsland, the iconic pregnant, desert-adapted black rhino cow killed by poachers in the Kunene Region last year, and a smaller sculpture of her calf are bringing their story to the streets of Windhoek.

Created by an anonymous Namibian artist using rocks collected from the landscape where the rhinos once roamed, the sculptures are at the heart of a public awareness campaign inviting Windhoek residents to find them in the capital.

The #FindingDorsland campaign was launched on Thursday by ultimate.earth, in partnership with the Save the Rhino Trust Namibia (SRT) and the Conservation Travel Foundation (CTF).

From today, members of the public can search for the sculptures and enter the #FindingDorsland competition.

To take part, participants must snap a selfie or record a video with the sculptures and post it in the comments section of the competition post on ultimate.earth’s Facebook or Instagram pages. They must also explain what Namibia’s free-roaming black rhinos mean to them and to the country.

A judging panel will select the winning entry based on the photograph or video and the accompanying message. The competition closes on 18 November, with the winner announced at the Namibia Travel Market, hosted by Venture Media at Droombos, on the evening of 19 November.

The prize is a two-night, all-inclusive stay for the winner and five friends at the award-winning Onduli Enclave in Kunene, valued at more than N$165 000. The experience includes an opportunity to track free-roaming desert-adapted black rhinos in one of Namibia’s important conservation landscapes.

The prize can be redeemed between 1 and 13 December 2026 or 15 January and 28 February 2027, subject to availability and the competition’s terms and conditions.

But #FindingDorsland is about more than finding a sculpture or winning a luxury getaway. Ultimate.earth says the campaign aims to raise awareness of Namibia’s free-roaming desert-adapted black rhinos, the communities living alongside and protecting them, and the role wildlife tourism plays in supporting rural livelihoods.

A story that belongs to all Namibians

Dorsland and her calf were killed by poachers in October 2025 in the Red Mountain Joint Management Area in Kunene. The conservation landscape is jointly managed by the communal conservancies of Sorris Sorris, Doro !Nawas and Uibasen Twyfelfontein.

Simson Uri-Khob, chief executive of SRT Namibia, said Dorsland’s death was a painful reminder of what was at stake when a free-roaming desert-adapted black rhino was lost.

“These animals are part of Namibia’s natural heritage, but they also represent the success of communities who have chosen to live alongside wildlife and protect it,” he said.

He added that Dorsland was known, monitored and valued, and that her loss was felt far beyond the place where she was killed.

Tristan Cowley, managing director of ultimate.earth, said the campaign was intended to help Namibians understand that Dorsland’s story extended beyond the loss of one animal.

“She represents something that Namibia has built over generations – free-roaming wildlife, community conservation, rural livelihoods and a tourism economy that depends on the very things that make this country unique,” he said.

Cowley said that while many Namibians knew rhinos were endangered, fewer understood their economic and tourism value, particularly those living outside national parks.

Bringing the sculptures to Windhoek was a way of introducing the story to people who might never have encountered a free-roaming desert-adapted black rhino in the wild.

“Dorsland belonged to Kunene, but her story belongs to all Namibians,” he said.

Over the coming weeks, ultimate.earth and its conservation partners will share information about desert-adapted black rhinos, the history of community-based conservation in Kunene and the contribution of wildlife tourism to rural communities and conservation.

The campaign also encourages Namibians to look beyond the conservation status of wildlife and consider the wider value of protecting it.

Cowley said the aim was not simply to get people to find the sculptures and enter the competition, but to reflect on what the animals represent.

“Dorsland’s story should not end with her death,” he said. “If anything, that should be where her story begins.”

He said the campaign offered an opportunity to recognise Namibia’s natural heritage, the achievements of communities living alongside wildlife and what the country stands to lose if these resources are not valued.

The poachers responsible for killing Dorsland and her calf have not yet been arrested.