save the rhino!

Good morning! Mat and I are planning a safari trip to Kruger National Park (yay!!!!!) and I have been doing a lot of research on the game reserves. We want to see the Big 5 animals (elephant, rhino, cape buffalo, lion, leopard) so I have been searching for reserves with the largest population of each of the animals to increase our odds of seeing all 5. The one animal that has been rather difficult to pinpoint is the rhino. That's because they are "critically endangered" due to poaching.

Side note: this is an educational (and sad) post, but I thought most of you would be interested in what's going on. It is a highly publicized issue in South Africa.

I was unaware of the severity of the rhino poaching situation until we arrived in ZA. Save the Rhino signage is everywhere! A lot of people even have red rhino horns on the front of their cars as part of the fundraising and awareness effort.

Poaching statistics show that approximately 392 rhinos have already been poached in ZA this year...and it's only June. 73% have been killed in Kruger National Park. With constant patrolling, how is this possible? The answer is because organized poaching has become very advanced in the past decade - using tools like helicopters, darts, night vision and silenced weapons. It is also very expensive to monitor such a large area of land. Read more on Kruger rhino poaching in this article: Why are Kruger's rhinos being hit so hard?

Do you know why they are being poached? I didn't. It's because of their horns. Although there is no scientific proof of its medical value, the rhino horn is highly sought after in Asian medicine. It is ground into a fine powder and used for a variety of reasons...everything from warding off evil spirits to reducing fever to enhancing a person's sex life. Have I mentioned there is no proof this actually works?!?!

The Asians pay BIG MONEY for these horns, and the poverty level here is so high that people are willing to risk the legal penalties (which aren't strict enough if you ask me). In most cases, the poachers kill the rhinos, chop off their horns and leave the body behind. Sometimes they don't even kill them; they just leave them to suffer. The demand for the horns is so strong that even museums and zoos are under threat! Can you believe that?

A simple Google search will return thousands of heartbreaking photos such as this one. And this is one of the least graphic photos.

{image found on Google via livescience.com}

There are many groups dedicated to helping the rhinos by implementing strategies to stop the poaching. One way is by educating the public using materials like this:

{read more on www.savingrhinos.org}

I read that some scientists and safari lodge owners have begun dying the inside of the rhino's horns with pink dye so it cannot be sold to the Far East. The good news is that a large percentage of the rhinos in Kruger have been treated with the dye.  Others have begun injecting the horn with a poison that does not hurt the rhino but poisons the person who ingests it. Another tactic is de-horning the rhino before a poacher can do it. I am sure there are many more tactics, but those are the ones I remember.

According to some studies, rhinos could be extinct in less than a decade if the poaching is not stopped. As part of the conservation effort, scientists and volunteers are busy making sure the remaining rhinos are healthy and accounted for by microchipping and DNA-profiling them.

{read more here}

It truly breaks my heart to learn about the poaching problem, but it has also encouraged Mat and I to help. We think it would be so cool to be part of the conservation effort!

Love,
Jess & Mat