Kind Lifer Claudine recently alerted me to the dire situation concerning Africa’s rhinos.
South Africa is home to 90% of the world's black & white rhino population. Recently, demand for the rhinos' horn has increased in Asia, and so has the instance of rhino poaching in South Africa. In the past four years, 600 rhinos have been poached. Currently 20 rhinos per month are being poached by criminal gangs who seek to sell the rhino’s valuable horn.
The WWF SA (World Wildlife Fund South Africa) is working to stop poachers. To support them, you can donate here. Your donation will help anti-poaching units purchase the tools they need: binoculars, radios, night-vision gear, bullet-proof armour, rhino-tracking and camping equipment. If you choose to donate, you will also be helping to fund essential training for anti-poaching units so they can effectively administer emergency veterinary treatments to injured rhino.
You can also sign a petition to protest the poaching, and you can get more info about South Africa's rhinos and the international poaching problem here.
I was in Africa about 13 years ago working on a documentary about elephants... And while I was there, I went to a rhino rehabilitation center. I played with a baby rhino, and even though it was just a baby it was pretty huge! They like it when you push their heads a little bit between their horns, and then they push back. I play this game with my husband sometimes...When I’m annoyed, he pushes my head and calls me a baby rhino, and I push back. It feels good!
Let's help to end poaching and save this magnificent species!
