Author Rasha Rehman / Category Sustainable Living / Published: Aug-21-2019
Support #WorldRhinoDay on September 22
Support #WorldRhinoDay on September 22
Did you know 110 black rhinos and the world’s last remaining two white rhinos live in Ol Pejeta? That’s right - in the early 20th century, 500,000 rhinos were recorded, and their population drastically fell to 70,000 in 1970 according to World Wildlife Fund.
Awoke N’ Aware is launching a campaign with Ol Pejeta to save these endangered species. Habitat loss and poaching has endangered rhinos around the world. Future generations may not see subspecies of rhinos! The price of rhino horn has jumped from $3,000/kg in 2009 to $60,000 today. Now until #WorldRhinoDay on September 22, for every comment on this post, Awoke N’ Aware will donate $0.05 to Ol Pejeta.
Rhinos have existed throughout Africa and Asia and over the years, like endangered elephants, rhinos have been threatened by mass poaching and illegal trade. On average, three rhinos are poached for their horns every day. The precious rhino horns are made of keratin which has become central to folk medicine in Asia and sold as trophies and decorations. Due to mass poaching, subspecies of the Javan rhinos became extinct in 2011, southern white rhinos are near threatened and black rhinos are critically endangered with only 5,000 remaining today. It’s clear, we need to do something about this.
Sanctuaries and policies are important to keep endangered rhinos safe. Numerous governments gather together to decide on policies directly affecting endangered animals. Legalizing commercial rhino horn trade is an area of contention. In August 2019, Eswatini and Namibaia’s proposal to loosen restrictions on international trading of rhino parts was denied at the 18th Conference of the Parties to CITES. Loose restrictions for Illegal trading markets only creates more demand for rhino horn and this indirectly increases poaching. It’s not about moderating demand – rhinos need a space to thrive.
It’s no doubt that many resources are needed to create and sustain sanctuaries. By participating in campaigns like these, you are raising awareness and supporting the organizations and rangers who are protecting rhinos every day! So, what are you waiting for? Head over to this Instagram post and show your support. Let’s make a difference together!
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Rasha Rehman"Communication lead by day and media entrepreneur by night; Rasha is a passionate Toronto-based journalist. Adopting nutrition and fitness habits and striving to make a positive impact on the envrionment keeps Rasha going."Aug-21-2019
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