One of the Big 5 – Rhinos on Safari
I have done a blog post before on Rhino poaching when it was all looking like it was getting out of control a couple of months ago. There was a huge outcry and then things looked like they calmed down a bit and some progress was being made……but suddenly it has all gone way out of control again and I read that a Rhino is being killed every 22 hours!! There is a big protest that is going to happen tomorrow in Cape Town, South Africa, outside our parliament buildings, calling on our government to do more to help save these endangered animals that are being so ruthlessly killed for their horns.
Let’s hope that progress is made world-wide in recognizing the plight of one of Africa’s most famous animals.
I found a few interesting bits of information about the Rhino that I thought I would share in honor of their day tomorrow:
– The collective noun for a group of Rhinos is a crash or herd
– The main difference between the Black Rhino and White Rhino is the shape of their mouths
– The White Rhino have broad flat lips for grazing
– The Black Rhino has long pointed lips for eating foliage
– Rhino horns consist of Keratin only – the same type of protein that makes up hair and fingernails
– There are 5 species of Rhino of which 3 are classified as critically endangered
– 2 species native to Africa and 3 species native to southern Asia
– The biggest predator of Rhinos are humans
If you are in South Africa you can help and donate to many organizations. You can also buy a bag from Supermarket Chain Woolworths and proceeds go automatically to help Rhinos. Have a look at this quick video I found:
Save the Rhinos from Extinction
And just a reminder for how wonderful these animals are – some really cute footage of a Mom and baby posted by Londolozi earlier this week:
Please all do something!