FAQs about Saving Rhinos
What does Saving Rhinos do for rhinos?
Saving Rhinos LLC is a public awareness program focused on bringing attention to the illegal rhino horn trade and rhino conservation. We do this by developing and publishing educational content about rhinos, such as articles and essays about the illegal trade in rhino horn, and creating free communication materials for you and your organization to share. We also work behind the scenes to provide content, creative services, research, and data to agencies, media, and other organizations.
The Saving Rhinos LLC website and companion blog (rhinoconservation.org) provide a wealth of public awareness materials and educational content to schools, organizations and individuals all over the world.
As part of our public awareness program strategy, Saving Rhinos LLC maintains a social media presence that currently includes Facebook® and Twitter. Our Facebook® page is comprised of an international community of fans, including South Africa, Kenya, the United States, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, Australia, India, Nepal, Malaysia, the Netherlands - and more!
How do you know people are finding and using Saving Rhinos' public awareness materials?
In any given month, our websites receive traffic from 50 - 100 countries, adding up to thousands of visits - and our content has been translated into several languages by website users and researchers. Additionally, our public awareness and educational materials have been downloaded and utilized in educational projects all over the world.
Because the Saving Rhinos LLC website and companion blog were developed - and are maintained - by a search engine marketing professional, we are able to consistently capture and monitor a significant share of the search market via Google™, Yahoo!®, Bing™, and others.
Can a public awareness program really make a difference?
Yes! One of the most encouraging examples is the rhino horn public awareness campaign conducted in Yemen nearly ten years ago by Dr. Esmond Bradley Martin and Lucy Vigne.
Because of the campaign, Yemen's illegal trade in rhino horn has not re-surfaced as a threat to rhinoceros populations. Read the full article: Yemen No Longer Major Destination for illegal Rhino Horn.
Needed: Accurate reporting on rhino poaching by the media. Instead of simply noting that "rhino horn is used in Chinese medicine", we believe a more accurate statement would help educate the public and should be universal:
Although rhino horn has no medicinal effects on humans, superstitions about rhino horn persist in southeast and east Asia, where rhino horn is unfortunately believed to be a "remedy" for various ailments, such as fever and pain. The cultural myths surrounding rhino horn are why rhinos are slaughtered illegally - and why wild rhino populations in Africa and Asia are at risk of extinction.
We believe that social media and content sharing campaigns are helping to accomplish this.
Do people from China - or other places where rhino horn is sold as medicine - visit the Saving Rhinos website?
Yes, they do. And the results are encouraging: Our visitors from China and Vietnam are mostly from schools and universities - and usually arrive at our website looking for information about how to help rhinos and how to save rhinos from extinction.
Who is Saving Rhinos?
Saving Rhinos LLC is a public awareness program launched and directed by writer/activist/designer Rhishja Larson, a Stanford Certified Project Manager (Stanford University).
Rhishja has written for Green Options Media, focusing on endangered species protection and illegal wildlife trade. Her articles have been referenced and included in both print and online publications, such as Science News (Asian vultures), National Wind Watch (California condors), WildAid (elephant poaching), Bush Warriors (rhino poaching), The Rhino Print (Asian Rhino Project), International Zoo News (Javan rhino), and The Zimbabwean (rhino poaching).
Does Saving Rhinos accept donations?
Saving Rhinos LLC does NOT accept donations. However, funds raised from rhino t-shirt sales are contributed to specific projects. We are currently contributing t-shirt proceeds to Partnership for Rhino Conservation (PARC), Nepal.
Should I contribute directly to rhino conservation organizations?
YES! Our goal is to raise awareness for all rhino conservation efforts, and if our website helps you identify a direct recipient for your funds, that is great! There are many rhino conservation organizations that would benefit from your generosity. Please drop us a line and let us know if we have inspired you.
Would you design a t-shirt, poster or other communication piece for our rhino conservation group?
One of the ways we partner with rhino conservation groups is by designing apparel, posters or other projects. For example, Rhishja created a new t-shirt design for the Asian Rhino Project.
Please contact Saving Rhinos to share ideas.
How would our group partner with Saving Rhinos?
We are open to creating customized public awareness materials and educational content to conservation groups, providing the primary focus is on rhino conservation. You may contact Saving Rhinos to explore this topic further.
