It’s World Rhino Day!

Tuesday marked World Rhino Day and wildlife conservationists and concerned individuals alike are celebrating the large, horned herbivores by spreading awareness about the vulnerable species.

This year’s World Rhino Day sees the return of the Nail It For Rhinos campaign to raise awareness of the threats facing the five species of rhino.

With more than 23,000 tweets worldwide using the #worldrhinoday hashtag this morning, it is clear the world says enough and wishes to see an end to the illegal poaching of the rhinoceros.

Rhino horn’s phenomenal value on the black market has made these awesome creatures prime targets for poachers.

Lead author Wulan Pusparini says the new study provides vital data to support a final attempt to prevent the Sumatran rhino’s extinction. There it is: handsome , lumbering, its front horn curving like the sharpest saber (and now fetching more money by weight than gold or diamonds). That is the same type of protein that makes up hair and fingernails. That’s not just a startling statistic but also a startlingly absurd price to pay for something that grows on your own body.

“There is no single solution to the poaching scourge which is why we work strategically to combat rhino poaching and operate on numerous fronts”. With its headquarters in the United Kingdom, the IUCN is the world’s leading authority on the conservation status of species.

The two game breeders will try to convince the High Court in Pretoria that it is their constitutional right to sell rhino horn, what they describe as a renewable resource.

Of the rhino killed by poachers, 544 were poached in the Kruger National Park.

“It is hoped Harapan’s relocation will further accelerate conservation breeding of the species in captivity”, said Bibhab Kumar Talukdar, chairman of the IUCN SSC Asian Rhino Specialist Group.

“You have the perception if you talk to Mozambicans, if you talk to black South Africans, that an animal has more value to activists than a human life”, he says. Some have been clocked at speeds of up to 40 miles per hour! The animals wallow in mud, which protects their skin from the sun and bites when it dries.

Warner Myburgh, head of Peace Parks’ rhino protection programme, said developing new technological solutions to stay one step ahead of poaching syndicates was the main focus of their programme.