David Pocock flies to Zimbabwe to hunt for Rhino poachers

Battered and bruised with two black eyes, a broken nose and bandaged fingers, you'd expect Wallabies superstar David Pocock to put his feet up while he's got the chance.

But Pocock is not what you'd expect.

The 27-year-old will fly to Zimbabwe's Save Valley this month to join a team hunting the poachers who have killed two rhinoceroses in the past three weeks.

His first stop is his former home city of Perth, where he will speak at a fundraising dinner at the Hyatt Regency on Monday for local group Save African Rhino Foundation.

If anyone suits the role of a rhinoceros's bodyguard, it's Pocock.

His body could have been carved out of a mountainside and he puts it on the line like no one else in world rugby, as evidenced by an astonishing 17 turnovers in five World Cup fixtures.

But his love of the land predates his love of rugby.

He grew up on a farm outside of Gweru in central Zimbabwe and spent his holidays at his grandfather's conservancy in the lowveld, fishing or hiking with local game guides.

That is where he developed his passion for conservation and he can't wait to return.

"The last couple of times I've been back to the conservancy, I've done a little bit of work, like helping to install a bore which turned out to be quite a mission," he said.

"I think growing up on a farm, too, you grow up with an understanding and an awareness of just how connected we are to the earth and how much our livelihoods and our fates are tied.

"As a farmer, the health of the land is everything.

"Since then, being involved in some community development work in rural Zimbabwe and seeing the impacts of the changing climate has really shaped my understanding of just how important it is that we start to talk about environmental issues and climate change."

Pocock's community development work in the rural district of Nkayi is delivered through the charity he founded with his mate in 2009, Eightytwenty Vision.

He has enough to keep him busy in Zimbabwe - the country he fled at the age of 14 when his parents' farm was acquired during President Robert Mugabe's "land reform program."

The former Western Force captain will celebrate his grandfather's 80th birthday with his extended family on the Zambezi River in December.

He has friends undertaking lion and leopard research in the field so of course he is eager to get involved.

But he is particularly interested in the work being done in the Save Valley, the home of some of the world's 5000 black rhinoceroses and 20,000 white rhinoceroses.

He will be joined by Save African Rhino foundation president Nicholas Duncan, who has dedicated much of his life to protecting the animals.

"Those are areas I've never been to before," Pocock said.

"The plight of the black and white rhino is pretty dire at the moment. They're losing 1200-1500 a year to poaching so it will be good to get an insight into the conservation side of things.

"People like Nicholas and the Save African Rhino Foundation, they're trying to stem the tide of the ecological crisis we're facing and I really applaud that."

For tickets to Monday night's dinner, call Mr Duncan on 0417 937 655.