Rhino Day...

With the experiences that Jake and I shared in the Kruger, the value of our rhinos has increased in our hearts by huge leaps and bounds.  This goes way beyond the silly material value of their horns, as I think it does for many South Africans.

It is beyond my understanding as to how and why someone would want to butcher such magnificent giants, often not killing them, but leaving them to die a slow, painful death.  These animals are being slaughtered at an alarming rate - 749 of our rhinos have been killed this year alone!  This is rate at which they cannot sustain themselves - their birth rate is slower than their mortality rate.    

There are many rhinos that survive the agony of being mutilated, where every breath rasps across raw nerves.  There are stories of rhinos surviving their poachings and of their rehabilitated back to health.  If you're on Twitter and have a strong stomach, you can follow @SavingSurvivors.  Be warned though, the images are explicit and not for the feint-hearted.  I do believe that people need to see what is happening, to share and expose, so that we can all catch a wake up.  It makes me so sick that humans can do these things for money.  I don't think I could put a price tag on the experience of being up close to a rhino and to being able to say that we helped save one.  The stories of survival and the people who work so tirelessly to protect these animals gives me with goosebumps.  The flip side of the brutality of man, is that people are also amazing and kind.

So, today, for world rhino day, I ask that you consider adopting a rhino through the South African Park's Board.  It'll only take a minute and it'll cost just R20 (that's about $1.50).  You'll get a certificate that you can print out, with your rhino's name on it.  Just something small, but if we all stop to give, a little can go a long way.  You can find the info here.

Sending so much love to our rhinos,

Sue XXX