Hiding in the bushes...(Photo: Emily O'Dell)
On safari in Africa...
Although there is no scientific proof of its medical value, rhino horn is highly prized in traditional Asian medicine, where it is ground into a fine powder or manufactured into tablets as a treatment for a variety of illnesses such as nosebleeds, strokes, convulsions, and fevers.
– WWF, African Rhino Poaching Crisis
Today is World Rhino Day, and events from Australia to Zimbabwe are being held to raise awareness about the plight of the rhinos–who face constant danger from heavily armed poachers, due to the high demand for rhino horn throughout Asia. Though many who purchase rhino horn believe it to be endowed with medicinal properties, others buy it merely as a status symbol–because it’s so expensive.
One of the most thrilling moments of my life was seeing some of these incredible creatures in the wild. When I was leading a safari last year through the Masai Mara in Kenya, we spotted a rhino hiding in the bushes. As you can see in the photo above, initially we could only make out the ears and tip of the horn.
Now that's a horn...(Photo: Emily O'Dell)
But when the rhino started to turn, the profile of its enormous horn came into sharp focus. It’s a horn that many would kill for. Huddled in the grass next to the rhino, was a small black blob. When the blob began to move, we realized that it was an adorable baby rhino–as you can see in the photo below. On the mother’s back, some birds had hitched a free ride…
Spotting a baby rhino on safari (Photo by Emily O'Dell)
Our collective silence while we observed this young rhino walking with its mother them was tinged with as much sorrow as enthusiasm. Some even felt guilty taking a photograph–as it just the click of a camera was an intrusion. None of us could know if these two majestic creatures would one day fall victim to the death blows of the poachers–and the greed of those in faraway lands who lust after their horns. Today, to help rhinos like this mother and child, the World Wildlife Fund is attempting to raise global awareness about their plight by promoting the hashtags #iam4rhinos and #SaveTheRhino on Twitter. Please spread the word, and help save our endangered friends the rhinos…
Large-scale poaching of the now critically endangered black rhino resulted in a dramatic 96% decline from 65,000 individuals in 1970 to just 2,300 in 1993. Thanks to the persistent efforts of conservation programmes across Africa black rhino numbers have risen since the early 1990s to a current population of 5,055. — Save the Rhino
