How to Help Rhinos

Donating and Raising Money

Research rhino conservation organizations online. Thankfully, there are several rhino conservations supporting rhinos in anti-poaching, horn removal campaigns, and habitat protection. Find a conservation you connect with by researching online. Read the articles and information on the site to learn about the issues rhinos face. There are a number of organizations that work to protect rhinos, including the World Wildlife Federation (https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/rhino).

Donate money to rhino conservations. When you find a conservation or 2 (or more!) you connect with, you can easily send money to help their conservation efforts. Visit their website, and click on the “Donate now” button, usually located at the top of the page. Then, select the amount you wish to donate and complete your payment.

Sign up for monthly donations if you can afford it. When you are at the donation page on the conservation’s website, look for the “Donate monthly” link, usually immediately next to the link to select donation amount. Select the amount you would like to donate each month, press continue, and type in your credit or debit card number. You can donate for as long as you’d like, such as 3 months, 6 months, or 1 year.

Adopt a rhino from a rhino conservation organization. Visit the organization’s website, and click on the “Adopt a Rhino” button at the top of the page. Here you can select an adoption package that works for you and your budget. Most come with gifts for your support, including a plush rhino, photograph of your rhino, adoption certificate, and species card. With some organizations, you can pick out an individual rhino to adopt. Sometimes you can name them yourself! Your adoption fee supports rhinos directly, such as veterinary care, anti-poaching efforts, and encouraging sustainability in local communities. The average adoption fee is either about $50 or $100 (£35.69 or 71.39).

Throw a fundraiser to raise donations and awareness. You can easily start up your own fundraising effort through organizations like the World Wildlife Federation. Decide what you want to do to raise money, and create your own fundraising page online. Set a goal of how much money you want to raise, like $500 or $5,000 (£356.95 or 3569.50). Then, spread the word! Share your page with your community to get donations. For example, with WWF you can raise funds for your favorite animal, participate in an athletic event for donations, celebrate your birthday and ask for donations as gifts, or create your own fundraiser. You can also make a fundraiser with your friends or family to establish your own group, or you can join an existing fundraising group.

Volunteering and Educating Others

Volunteer for rhino conservation charities and nonprofits. Visit a conservation’s website and click on the “Get involved” or “Volunteer” tab. To register, select the volunteer opportunity that interests you, and complete the interest form. Fill in your name, contact information, and birthday, and answer any questions regarding your skills and interests. The organization will contact you after they review your form. You can volunteer to work in conservation offices, events, and study abroad programs.

Sign and share petitions to stop rhino poaching. Search online for petitions supporting efforts to save rhino species. Browse through the list of petitions, and select the petitions that speaks to you, such as saving the black rhino or stopping horn trade. Choose a petition, and type in your name to sign it. After you sign the petition, send the link to your friends and family and have them sign it too. Your signature shows your support to helping rhinos, and sharing the petition with others helps spread awareness. For example, visit https://www.change.org/ and search for “rhinos.” You can share the petition on social media or email it to your contacts.

Spread the word about the devastation of rhinos to everyone you know. Educate others by talking about rhino poaching often. Offer rhino species statistics, facts about dwindling populations, and ways others can help. Encourage other people to reach out and help rhinos. The more people understand how severe this issue is, the more you can help rhinos. Tell your friends, family, coworkers, and community about how close to extinction rhinos are and how poaching has wiped out their population. Take any opportunity to share knowledge about rhino conservation, like waiting for the bus, while running errands, or sharing a meal with friends. Mention how habitat destruction has resulted in countless rhino deaths.

Contacting Government Officials

Write letters to government officials in Africa and Asia. Grab some paper and a pen, and write a letter to officials, such as South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa. Mention your concerns for the rhino’s survival, and highlight why you care. You can also explain that you are worried about the impact of tourism on the local community and how this affects the rhino’s population. Write something like, “Dear President Ramaphosa, I am deeply saddened to hear that there were more than 1,000 rhinos poached in South Africa in 2017. This truly hurts. The rhino is a majestic and powerful creature deserving help. Please help save the rhino. Please stop poaching.” The address for President Ramaphosa is Union Buildings Private Bag X1000, Pretoria, 0001 Tuynhuys Private Bag X1000, Cape Town, 8000. You can find contact information for officials in Africa or Asia by searching online or reviewing conservation websites.

Host a letter-writing campaign. In addition to writing your own letters, get your community together, and have everyone draft their own handwritten letter to government officials in Africa or Asia. Instruct everyone to write their own personal thoughts and feelings, and ask them to include why they think rhinos need to be saved. For example, 1 person can explain why the way rhinos are killed is unethical, and another person can encourage longer jail times for poachers. Contact your class, school, church, sports team, coworkers, parents, and teachers. Ask everyone you know! You can send your letters directly to the government, or you can find a conservation hosting letter-writing campaigns and mail them to their address. That way, all the letters they collect can be mailed in together.

Send emails to government officials asking them to help rhinos. In addition to sending letters, you can also send emails. Write something similar to your sentiments in your letters, or focus on an entirely different topic of rhino conservation. Perhaps in your letters you wrote about how small the current rhino population is, and you send emails about poachers cutting of their horns. You can find the email address of government officials by searching online. Search for something like “Contact President Ramaphosa” on Google. To email president Ramaphosa, send your message to [email protected].

Call government bodies if you live in Africa or Asia. Besides from sending letters and emails, you can also call government offices and explain why they should to help. When you connect with someone on the line, relay your thoughts about why the government needs to get involved with saving the rhino. You can say something like, “Hello there. I live in Cape Town, and I have growing concerns about the rhino species. I just read a news article about how the last white rhino has passed away. I feel it is necessary the government gets more involved now.” For example, to call in South Africa, you can dial either the Pretoria number at +27 (0)12 300 5200 or the Cape Town number at +27 (0)21 464 2100.