Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.September 22, 2010 is Blow Your Horn for Rhinos Day. The senseless slaughter of these magnificent prehistoric looking mammals sadly continues at an alarming rate. If nothing changes, poaching deaths of rhinos could exceed births rates in the very near future. The accelerated statistics over the past couple of years are thought to be largely related to the desire for rhino horn in Asia for medicinal purposes. South Africa, which is home to 80% of the world rhino population, is losing rhinos at a rate of 20 per month. Understand, there are possibly less than 1500 black rhinos left, so this is a distressing rate. The WWF has championed this campaign to raise funds for the rangers who risk their lives daily trying to protect these animals from poaching and illegal trade.
From the WWF: ”The month will culminate (Sept 22) with a ‘Make Noise for Rhinos Day,’ during which WWF will ask people to dust off their vuvuzelas at 1 pm CET [Central European Time, one hour ahead of Universal Coordinated Time], on Wednesday September 22 and make noise with the horns (or toot their horns or blow their didgeridoos or their alpine horns or any other kind of horn) in support of African rhinos in a symbolic call for effective international action against rhino poaching. (http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/news/chiefeditor/2010/09/blow-your-horn-for-rhinos.html)
I have been blessed to see so many of these exotic, yet goofy looking beasts. I have seen both black and white rhinos in South Africa and Kenya. I have photographed old and young, injured and healthy, sleeping and eating rhinos. I cannot believe the numbers are so low that black rhinos could disappear in my lifetime–and I am not young. So, I just could not let this go by unmarked. Tomorrow, starting at 07:00 AM EST (1PM CET), Wild! Art will use tumblr as a very loud “horn” and will post a photograph every hour for 12 hours of a rhino who has allowed me to get close, observe and share his daily life in the wild. I have been very lucky and we need to keep these animals with it for generations to come.
Please share this. Like this. Post this. Do whatever you can to raise awareness for this campaign. For more information, check these links and pass them on:
http://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/news/?uNewsID=194733
http://www.rhinoconservation.org/2010/09/21/join-together-for-world-rhino-day-september-22/
Thanks
NJWight
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
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September 22 is World Rhino Day!
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