Help raise public awareness: Rhino horn is NOT medicine!
Did you know the world's rhino population has declined 90% since 1970?
Four of the five species of rhinoceros are in danger of extinction in the wild, due mostly to rampant illegal slaughter for their horns ("rhino poaching") and increasingly, to habitat loss. If not for conservation efforts, there would be no wild rhinos alive today.
Four of the five remaining species of rhino will become extinct in the wild in our lifetime if we do not take action to stop poaching and support rhino conservation.
Rhinos in crisis: Rhino horn is NOT medicine!
Education about rhino horn is desperately needed.
The notion of rhino horn as medicine is essentially a cultural myth. Science has long ago proven rhino horn has no medicinal value. Yet millions of people in southeast and east Asia are clinging to this superstition. This is the reason hundreds of thousands of rhinos have been illegally slaughtered - and why rhino poaching remains a very lucrative crime. - Rhishja Larson, savingrhinos.org
Rhinos have been slaughtered to near extinction to fuel the unwavering demand for rhino horn products in China - all based on myths and superstitions about so-called "medicinal properties" of rhino horn. The "new wealth" in China is responsible for funding international organized poaching cartels to kill rhinos, particularly in Zimbabwe and South Africa. Vietnam also has a thriving illegal market in rhino horn and other endangered species products.
Check out:
- Study Confirms Zimbabwe, South Africa Form Epicenter of Rhino Poaching Crisis
- Commercial Rhino Poaching Thrives in South Africa, Thanks to Asian Demand for Rhino Horn
- Zimbabwe's Rhino Poaching Crisis Compounded by Lack of Law Enforcement
Organized rhino poaching gangs in India and Nepal pay impoverished villagers to help locate greater one-horned rhinos in their forest habitats - where they are slaughtered.
Check out:
- Poachers Try New Method to Kill Rhino: Poisoned Salt
- Jaldapara Elephant Safaris Halted to Thwart Rhino Poachers
In Indonesia and Malaysia, the growing demand for palm oil used in common household products is also taking its toll on the Sumatran and Javan Rhino populations by destroying an unprecedented amount of forest habitat. Rampant expansion of teak plantations has severely reduced the suitable habitat for Indian Rhinos in the wild.
Check out:
- A Plan to Bring Isolated Borneo Rhinos Together
- More Threats for World's Rarest Rhino
- Last Population of Javan Rhino Subspecies Struggling Against Extinction in Vietnam
Please help us save rhinos!
Saving Rhinos is dedicated to raising public awareness about the illegal slaughter of wild rhinos - commonly referred to as "rhino poaching".
You can also help raise funds when you buy a rhino shirt! Saving Rhinos offers what is quite possibly the largest selection of rhino shirt designs and styles anywhere in the world. We are sure you will find one (or more) you like.
100% of ALL net proceeds are contributed to rhino conservation and care projects.
Raising rhino conservation awareness through education
Local educational community organizations who are working to increase support for rhino conservation can make a real difference.
Learn more about a local community organization helping Greater One-Horned Rhinos in the Chitwan area of Nepal: Partnership for Rhino Conservation (PARC/Nepal),
If you are a local community organization based in rhino habitat, working on rhino conservation issues (such as anti-poaching measures), please contact Saving Rhinos and let us know! We can help let others know about your efforts by featuring your organization in an article on our rhino conservation blog.
Raising awareness of the rhino extinction crisis
Rhinos are wonderfully fascinating animals - we have lots of information about rhinos on our website. If you're working on a school project or are looking for classroom resources, then Saving Rhinos is here to help! Check out Fast Rhino Facts or download a "Rhino Species at a Glance" (there's one for each species!).
You can also get inspiration by learning about Real-life Rhino Heroes!
Extinction Crisis: Poaching and Habitat Loss
Although Yemen used to be the major destination for illegal rhino horn, today China and Vietnam are the center of the illegal market for rhino horn.
The biggest reason for the rhino extinction crisis is poaching for rhino horn, but habitat loss is increasingly a factor endangering the species. Rhino poaching supplies a black market for traditional Chinese medicine in much of Asia ...
Habitat destruction caused by logging of forests and human settlement in protected areas is shrinking opportunities to recover lost populations of endemic rhinos. Furthermore, political conflict within and neighboring countries with protected areas is destabilizing law and order and undermining anti-poaching efforts. - IRF
Despite being a CITES signatory, Chinese pharmaceutical companies continue to manufacture so-called "medicines" derived from illegal rhino horn.
Javan Rhino: Most Critically Endangered Mammal on Earth
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With fewer than 60 Javan Rhinos surviving in only two known locations, the Javan Rhino is quite possibly the most critically endangered mammal on earth.
Hope for the Javan Rhino
Most recently, The International Rhino Foundation helped the Indonesian government develop a strategy for ensuring the continued survival of Javan Rhinos. The top priorities for the future are to increase the population in Ujung Kulon to 70 animals (the park’s carrying capacity) and to then translocate several animals to begin establishing a second population in a secure area.
