A new campaign to increase the rhino population in South East Asia has been launched, as part of the 25thanniversary of the charity Save the Rhino International (SRI).
The charity hopes to raise funds for the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in Indonesia, where it claims the Sumatran rhinos are in danger of going extinct.
In a quirky twist, the campaign has been named “Save the F—ing Rhino” to spark a global conversation about rhino sex and the need to support breeding amongst the Sumatran rhino population. According to SRI, rhinos don’t shy away from sex, but they are fast running out of mating partners.
Save the Rhino International’s CEO, Cathy Dean, says:
It’s a Western urban myth that rhino horn has been used as an aphrodisiac for centuries. Ironically, criminal syndicates have seized upon this false understanding and have started to promote rhino horn as an aphrodisiac in Southeast Asia, at the same time reducing rhinos’ chance of reproduction.
We’re launching this campaign to share the real message that rhinos are still in trouble, and our help is urgently needed.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, three of the five species of rhino are critically endangered as a result of two to three being poached every day.
The campaign comes off the back of two United Nations reports which claims we have 10 years in which to turn things around to prevent changes to the planet’s climate and the sixth great extinction of life on Earth.
To find out more please visit www.savetherhino.org/rhino-real-talk.
Image by Frans Van Heerden