On the surface it seems really depressing. All the time, all the money, all the effort to try and preserve these animals in the face of ever increasing pressure. We record the ones we lose and feel those losses sorely but cannot say how many we have saved or similarly track our successes.
Perhaps it is time to look at the animal itself for inspiration. What is it about these animals that has so many dedicated conservationists dedicating their lives to trying to prevent their extinction?
Great, grey boulders of animal. Tough skin, shrewd eyes, listening ears, mobile mouths and ridiculously small tails ... and of course the famous and deadly (in more ways than one) horns.
Anybody who has ever seen one of these animals going about its business in its natural environment cannot doubt its intelligence and personality. Grumpy, stubborn, forceful, self confident, smart ... lovable against all odds. Doctor House of the bushveld! They are special and unique and the world without them will never be the same again.
This is why we do what we do and it is why you should care. We do it so that the children and their children and theirs will be able to see these amazing creatures for themselves someday. So that the world does not lose that indefinable something that the rhino brings to it.
Well written post about these rare creatures! Thanks can never express the emotion I feel for what you do for all of mother nature. If it were not for people like you who care so deeply, we would be without sooo many species today. Money in the wrong hands is evil and self-serving without care for long-term effects. Stupidity in itself is self-serving. Thank you for this blog to promote awareness to such horrific acts such as rhino horn harvesting.
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