A flair for conservation

Evany van WykRhino-lover Eric Garbers (24) is a Red Bull Namibia BMX athlete who was born and raised in Windhoek. He has done what many deemed impossible. Garbers, with support from Red Bull Namibia, recently attempted and succeeded in executing a BMX bike trick called a flair, with rhinos in Namibia. A flair is a technical BMX trick that combines a backflip with a 180-degree turn. This was part of his contribution toward rhino conservation in Namibia. Garbers collaborated with the Rhino Momma Project to generate awareness about rhino poaching in Namibia.The Rhino Momma Project was founded in 2011 as an effort to address the decreasing rhino population around the world and to repopulate Namibia with these magnificent animals. Since then, the initiative has grown into a successful rhino conservation project that sees rhinos living freely in the wild. According to the founder of the project, who preferred anonymity, the most difficult obstacle faced was to get the animals used to the ramp and someone riding and jumping so close to them. “These wild animals roam free in huge areas and are not tame, domesticated animals. The whole team we met were really great. It was a privilege to work with them all,” the project founder said.Rhino Momma would also love for youth to become involved and help educate the nation about poaching, and the sustainable utilisation of Namibia’s wildlife. “Animals cannot talk, please become their mouthpiece and become involved.” They hope to get more people involved and raise more funds needed to save these animals from extinction.Garbers started the #flair4rhinoschallenge concept to motivate BMX athletes around the world to get involved in the fight against rhino poaching. He has challenged all BMX athletes to post a photo of a BMX trick on social media with the hashtag #flair4rhinoschallenge, to increase awareness of the current situation in Namibia. His interest in BMX riding started at a young age, but further intensified at the age of 15, and since then he has never stopped. He said this initiative has immensely challenged his endurance as an athlete. “I really had to be push himself because I had to do the trick over 200 times in one weekend, in order to get the perfect shot,” said Garbers. He admitted he was a little scared at first, but later realised he just had to get to know the animals. He said the photos sparked a lot of interest and a few people thought they were photoshopped. “The challenge has gained great traction so far, with BMX athletes from Dubai and South Africa joining in on the #flair4rhinoschallenge,” said Garbers.

A flair for conservation

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-03

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A flair for conservation

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-03

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