The not-so-humble Speedo has been doing the rounds in South Africa of late.

Last year, Prince Harry was treated to some patriotic jocks, worn by our very own Faf de Klerk, during the celebrations following our Rugby World Cup victory.

Now budgie smugglers are being put to work to raise funds for a very good cause.

Self-styled “combination of Faf de Klerk and Rambo”, Mike Wright, donned a Speedo, a ranger’s vest, and an AK-47 to raise funds for rhino conservation on Instagram.

Here he is with “the sun glinting off The Snake”:

The Snake is the name of the AK-47 that he’s holding. Try to behave.

Wright initially posted the photo on Instagram with the promise that he would donate R1 to an anti-poaching initiative for every like that the post received.

The post quickly went viral, and when Wright reached 11 000 likes, he decided to start a Backabuddy campaign.

In his own words:

The post came about after I watched a friend of mine dressed in full camouflage, wielding an AK-47 with a red-dot sight, and being weighed down by a bulletproof vest, set out on an evening patrol.

…It was this sight of a fully militarised game ranger friend that made my head spin, and I realised just how desperately these guys need any help they can get.

Whether the money goes towards training, aeroplane or helicopter scouting flights, or even just extra clean uniforms that will decrease the time pressures that they face in mundane daily routine, it will all go towards the protection of the rhino and, in turn, all other animals that live in the same area.

Getaway spoke to Wright about the campaign:

I know that my R12 000 isn’t a huge sum of money in the larger scheme of things (with regard to the funding that other anti-poaching programs receive), but it is the most that I can personally do with the help of those around me.

Every bit of money helps in this war against poaching, whether it goes towards weaponry training, petrol for surveillance flights, or equipment for those on the ground.’

At the time of writing, Wright’s Instagram post has more than 11 500 likes, and he has raised close to R10 000 on Backabuddy.

If you’d like to help him reach his goal of R12 000, follow this link to make a donation.

I’ll leave you with some inspiration from Wright’s Instagram account:

Someone needs to get that man a Bell’s.

[source:getaway&backabuddy]