#WorldRhinoDay
Reid Park Zoo will hold a special membership appreciation event and World Rhino Day Celebration for its members on Sunday, September 21.
The theme of the day will be Africa and visitors will have a chance to celebrate World Rhino Day with Reid Park’s two Southern White Rhinos, Yebonga and Fireball. There will be special guests and activities for kids!
This year Save the Rhino plans to send 5 of our famous rhino costumes across the UK to take part in local events. We’ll also be holding our own event here in London.
We are looking for 5 enthusiastic volunteers and would like to hear your ideas. What would you do with a rhino costume for a day? For your chance to be involved with World Rhino Day, please visit our website at savetherhino.org and download our short application form. You can also get in touch with Katherine at katherine (at) savetherhino (dot) org for more information, or phone us on 020 7357 7474.
Port Lympne Wildlife Park in Kent, home to 15 (!) black rhinos is hosting a World Rhino Weekend, with lots of fun activities planned to ensure everyone learns something new about rhinos!
“The Changing Face of the Rhino” will be presented on September 18th at the Royal Geographical Society in London with Dr. William Fowlds, a South African safari veterinarian. Tickets can be purchased from rhinolecture.eventbrite.co.uk and cost £20 including a drinks reception from 6pm.
Celebrate the last day of Marwell Wildlife Go! Rhinos trail with a visit to Southampton to see the incredible rhino sculptures before their departure to Marwell Zoo and subsequent auction. Download the free Go! Rhinos smartphone app or a trail map from gorhinos.co.uk.
Be sure to attend the Marwell Saving Species presentation at the Rhino enclosure at 4.15pm for a free raffle ticket to meet Kiri and Sula, their gorgeous white rhinos, and enter to win a face-to-face encounter with these gentle giants on the day. This prize is for up to four people!
Colchester Zoo will be supporting World Rhino Day, celebrating all five remaining rhino species and raising awareness about the trade in rhino horn! On Sunday 22 September, the Zoo will host a stall near the rhino enclosure with information on the current poaching crisis, the five remaining rhino species and information about rhinos at Colchester Zoo and on the UmPhafa Private Nature Reserve. You can help raise funds for the zoo’s chosen charity, Save the Rhino International, by purchasing rhino items from the stall, making rhino badges and masks and taking part in rhino-related activities.
Colchester Zoo’s rhino keepers are also offering a special opportunity for 50 people to meet Flossy the rhino! This will be a first come, first served event; with 2 groups of 25 visitors taking part at two times slots throughout the day. A requested minimum donation of £5 for adults and £3 for children is required for this special session, and tickets will be available at the stall (Please note, 10 – 15 year old children only are permitted to take part in this event and all children must be supervised by an adult). All proceeds will go towards Action for the Wild’s support of Save the Rhinos.
Join Knowsley Safari Park on Sunday 22 September to celebrate World Rhino Day and get the know the largest of the 5 species of rhino – the white rhino!
The rhino team is devoting the day to giving guided rhino tours. The tours are guided by our rhino team and last approximately 30 minutes including getting to and back from the rhino reserve. Tickets are £5 per person and 100% of the money is going to rhino conservation. TOURS START at 11:30AM, FINAL TOUR at 3:30PM! Places are limited!
There are also rhino activities going on in the wild at art building including updates from the keepers from when they went to Zimbabwe to visit the Lowveld Rhino Trust in action. There will also be a collection of nail clippings donated by Knowsley staff and visitors to raise awareness of the myths surrounding the medicinal properties of Rhino horn in an attempt to change attitudes and beliefs (more details to follow!).
Three One 2 One cafe in Richmond, Victoria (Australia) is matching all tips for the month of September for a donation to SAVE African Rhino Foundation!
Werribee Open Range Zoo will be running the following activities for World Rhino Day:
For more information:
Taronga Western Plains Zoo, in Dubbo, NSW, Australia will be joining people across the globe to celebrate WORLD RHINO DAY 2013, over the weekend of 21st and 22nd September.
Taronga Western Plains Zoo’s visitors already support the zoo’s breeding programs for 3 of the world’s 5 rhino species. But by visiting us on the 21st and 22nd September, you can help out a little bit more …
Visitors can help us raise vital funds for our conservation partner, the International Rhino Foundation (IRF)!
Can’t visit us that weekend? Don’t worry, as our ‘Rhino Trail’ is also online!
Sharing links, photos and stories via social media is proving invaluable as a way of spreading the word and raising awareness. So look out for more rhino keeper blogs on our website (www.taronga.org.au) and on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/TarongaWesternPlainsZoo).
“World Rhino Day 2012: Five Rhino Species Forever!” which features the happenings in 15 countries on 22 September 2012 — World Rhino Day! Enjoy!
World Rhino Day brought NGOs, zoos, rhino sanctuaries, and concerned citizens across the globe together to raise awareness and funds for the five species of rhinoceros — all of which are under threat from the illegal rhino horn trade.
World Rhino Day was initiated by WWF in 2010 and has since become a global phenomenon. Here’s a look at some of the World Rhino Day 2012 success stories:
At the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in Indonesia, Andatu celebrated his first World Rhino Day, along with his mom, Ratu, and resident rhinos Andalas (Andatu’s father), Rosa, and Bina.
All of the Sumatran rhinos enjoyed a special basket of treats, prepared by their keepers.
To mark World Rhino Day, Save the Rhino International in London held its very first wine tasting event! 60 people enjoyed a fascinating evening, with Neil from Linton Park Wines delivering an informative talk about the seven different wines he had brought for guests to taste.
At the event, the work of Save the Rhino was introduced and guests took part in a rhino myth-buster quiz to help raise awareness. The event was kindly hosted by Vivat Bacchus restaurant, London Bridge.
In Hanoi, Education for Nature-Vietnam joined CITES Vietnam, the US Embassy in Vietnam and other wildlife protection organizations, in a World Rhino Day ceremony. Hunting, illegal trade, and rhino horn consumption led to extinction of the Javan Rhino in Vietnam in 2010, and now Vietnam is one of the main markets contributing to the killing of rhinos elsewhere, especially in South Africa.
Within the framework of this event, ENV held a small wildlife trade exhibit with information boards and banners. The general message of the exhibit was to stop consumption and trade of rhino horn, as well as other wildlife.
In Harare, Zimbabwe, citizens gathered for musical entertainment and a parade, where they marched from Town House to Africa Union Square. Zimbabwe’s Minister of Environment addressed the crowd, saying that 2012 was special in that it was dedicated to the Year of the Rhino and should inspire co-operation for rhino conservation amongst countries, governments, private sector and individuals.
The event was organized by the National Parks of Zimbabwe, joined by Save Valley Conservancy, Tikki Hywood Trust, Imire Game Park, and others.
As in previous years, South Africa went all out for World Rhino Day, with multiple events organized by concerned citizens, businesses, and conservation groups. Acting Head of Communications at South African National Parks (SANParks), Paul Daphne, said, “World Rhino Day is an opportunity to highlight the efforts being made to fight the scourge of rhino poaching around the world and to debunk the myths and reduce the demand for rhino horn.”
One of the most well-known events is Skydive for Rhinos, which was joined by Rhino Africa and several others in an amazing World Rhino Day fundraising effort.
Skydive for Rhinos is an African Conservation Trust (ACT) initiative with the objective of raising R10 Million for on-the-ground, verifiable Rhino conservation and anti-poaching efforts in South Africa.
Another popular event in South Africa was the Rhino Run.
The Rhino Run was a huge success, with all 5 runs going off well around South Africa on Saturday. We had complete weather extremes, from pouring rain in Gauteng, to light rain in Cape Town and PE and Durban, to blistering heat (32C in the shade) in Mpumalanga, but a great time was had by all. We had somewhere between around 1700 runners in total country wide.
Meanwhile in Namibia, Sue Wagner from Save the Rhino Trust reports that World Rhino Day was “Amazing!”
I have been blown away by the phenomenal support of local people and businesses. Close to 30 different businesses gave us gift vouchers and prizes for our event and many were also represented at the function. In short, I would say, a successful SRT event that raised immeasurable awareness on World Rhino Day as well as some significant funding.
Kids from three schools — The International School of Walvis Bay, Private School Swakopmund and Namib Primary — took to the streets of Swakop, wearing masks and carrying posters and, in just over two hours, raised close on to N$ 6000 (US $728)!
Rhino Travels and Rhino Media & Communication in Guwahati, Assam, India, hosted a thought provoking presentation on the conservation of Rhinoceros in the different parts of the world: Current Challenges in Conservation of Rhinos in Rhino Range Countries.
Dr. Bibhab Talukdar, Asian Rhino Advisor of the International Rhino Foundation, delivered the presentation, while Dr. Anil Kr. Goswami, Former Member Secretary of WWF-India, Assam chapter presided over the function.
The Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya hosted an entire “rhino week” and provided local residents a chance to get into the conservancy for free and see rhinos. On World Rhino Day, Ol Pejeta partnered with Laikipia Wildlife Forum to host a cycling with the rhino competition to raise awareness in Laikipia.
There was a huge turnout with over 100 participants cycling. Children also had a painting competition depicting rhinos and different messages.
Also in Kenya, Lewa Wildlife Conservancy took high school students from one of the Lewa sponsored schools on a game drive round the Conservancy, where they had the amazing opportunity to see a family of white rhinos lazing around by the roadside.
A rhino fact quiz was held, and the winner received a beautiful autographed coffee table book.
Nepal’s World Rhino Day was celebrated with grassroots coordination between the Mrigakunja Buffer Zone User Committee, Prakriti Pathsala Network Jhuwani Resource Center, and Save the Rhino Foundation Nepal.
Student drawing and essay competitions on rhino conservation were held, with “The Role of Students in Rhino Conservation” as the essay focus. In addition, an Educational Toolkit covering all five rhino species was distributed to participants. Local media coverage was extensive, and included Radio Chitwan, Beso Television, Chitwan Khabar, the Chitwan Post, the Pardarsi Daily, and the Kayakairan Daily.
At Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo, NSW, Australia, funds were raised for the International Rhino Foundation from the “Jump for Rhinos!” at the Jumping Castle on Saturday, and from Rhino Trail keeper talks, the keeper cookie sales, from a behind-the-scenes tour given to the Dubbo Field Naturalists group, and a little bucket shaking at the visitor plaza.
Funds were also raised with Munch Mobile rhino cookie sales (“Munch for Rhinos!”), donation buckets at the gift shop and ticketing desk, and Zoofari tours and framed print sales.
Rhino Internet sponsored a fundraiser at the Phoenix Zoo in honor of World Rhino Day, and sold custom designed t-shirts — with all proceeds going to the rhinos.
The Rhino Internet team was onsite at the Phoenix Zoo with keepers, visiting the white rhino Half-Ear, and helping to raise awareness about rhinos.
Cameron Park Zoo in Waco, Texas, held an awareness-raising event featuring keeper talks, hands on activities, and t-shirt sales to benefit rhino conservation.
Visitors also purchased raffle tickets to win a chance to meet Cameron Park Zoo’s resident rhinos, Babe and Jabba!
WWF, AWF, TRAFFIC and WildAid teamed up for an informative Google+ Hang Out on the Monday following World Rhino Day — here’s where you can view a video of the Rhino Hang Out on Google+.
In addition to the World Rhino Day events noted above:
The African Conservation Foundation released the following video:
http://youtu.be/AoRs66lX4cI
This heartfelt video was posted by Nikela.org:
And on a lighter note:
Please join rhino supporters around the globe for World Rhino Day 2013! In the meantime, check out additional photos and events on the World Rhino Day Facebook page!
Continuing the battle
The battle to protect rhinos from rhino horn syndicates, wildlife traffickers, and corrupt elements continues. South Africa’s rhino death toll for 2012 reached 381 two weeks ago, with some sources claiming that the figure is now closer to 400.
In India, 14 rhinos have been been gunned down, while 17 were reportedly killed this year in Zimbabwe.
Originally published 09/27/2012 as World Rhino Day 2012 Round Up by Rhishja Cota-Larson on Planetsave.
Be sure to check the World Rhino Day Facebook page and the World Rhino Day Event Map to find an event or add one of your own.
Join World Rhino Day on Facebook for the latest updates!
Join World Rhino Day on Facebook for the latest updates!
Funds will be raised for the Phoenix Zoo rhinos with Rhino Internet Solutions’ commemorative World Rhino Day t-shirt, which is on sale now through September 22nd.
In 2004, Rhino Internet Solutions funded the arrival of Half-Ear, a white rhino, to the Phoenix Zoo.
Get your t-shirt here!
Connect:
Here are a few ideas from previous World Rhino Days to get your creative juices flowing!
The Zimbabwe National Parks hosted an amazing parade and celebrations for World Rhino Day 2011! Music played a pivotal role in the event. The parade was led by the police band. The celebration was enriched by the nation’s favourite musician, Oliver Mutukudzi, who had dignitaries and crowds bopping for rhinos!
Students also performed their own song “Join Hands to Save the Rhino” with youthful free-style spoken word.
The Minister of Environment, Francis Nhema, gave an inspirational speech demonstrating Zimbabwe’s commitment to rhino conservation and strongly promoting the message “Rhino Horn is NOT Medicine”.
Zimbabwe schoolchildren enjoyed a video of “The Rhino Song” and celebrated World Rhino Day with art, videos and creative writing.
Take it to the streets
In London, Save the Rhino International took it to the streets and held a peaceful protest in front of the Vietnamese Embassy. Wearing rhino costumes and carrying placards, the team showed off jars of human toenails, to emphasize the fact that consuming rhino horn has no more medicinal value than chewing a toenail.
Photos from Save the Rhino International’s event can be seen here.
And of course, there was a ton of support for South Africa’s iconic pachyderms on World Rhino Day.
An enthusiastic gathering in Cape Town attracted hundreds of people, thanks to the efforts of Rhino Africa Safaris and other local businesses.
Rhinos on the airwaves
In Nepal, Partnership for Rhino Conservation (PARC/Nepal) arranged a TV and radio broadcast to celebrate the country’s first World Rhino Day in 2011.
Learn more about the grassroots organization PARC/Nepal here.
Hold an art contest and auction
Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Texas celebrated World Rhino Day by hosting an art contest for local schoolchildren, and selling the art on September 22nd at Hollywood and Vine restaurant in Glen Rose.
All proceeds from the art show and a portion of the proceeds from the dinners served on World Rhino Day went to Fossil Rim’s rhino program!
Social media
TRAFFIC Southeast Asia featured rhinos throughout the month of September for its social media campaign.
Education for Nature-Vietnam (ENV), a local NGO, launched an online campaign for World Rhino Day on the ENV Volunteer Network page on Facebook, which is in Vietnamese.
An article about rhino conservation and World Rhino Day (“Hưởng ứng ngày quốc tế bảo vệ Tê giác”) which discourages the use of rhino horn – pointing out that it is both unnecessary and illegal – is posted on the page. Read it here.
In addition, an album entitled “Sừng tê giác không phải thuốc trị bệnh” (“Rhino horn is not medicine”) featuring Vietnamese language posters was created. URLS for downloading the posters are included. View the album here.
Go climb a rock!
The Asian Rhino Project in Australia raised funds with a “Rock Climbing for Rhinos” event. Participants tested their skill in the indoor comfort of Rockface in Perth, and also enjoyed a barbecue.
(Be sure to check out the International Rhino Foundation for more great ideas!)
For inspiration and ideas, check out the World Rhino Day 2011 video: