Save the Rhino
Encyclopedia
Save the Rhino International (SRI), a UK
-based conservation
charity, is Europe
’s largest single-species rhino
charity, in terms of funds raised and grants made, and in terms of profile and positioning. They began fundraising for in situ rhino conservation projects in 1992 and were formally registered as a charity
(number 1035072) in 1994. One of SRI's founder patrons was the British writer and humorist Douglas Adams
, who is also known to be a conservation enthusiast.
rhinoceros species
in the wild. Our aim is to increase rhino numbers by providing financial and in-kind support for rhino projects and for community-based initiatives across Africa
and Asia
.
NB:
For rhino populations to qualify as being “wild”, three conditions must be satisfied:
"Genetically viable” populations are generally taken to mean those with a minimum of 20 individuals. In some areas, smaller populations have been known to breed successfully, although it is not know what the impact is on the long-term genetic diversity of such a population.
Ojectives:
developed his deep-seated interest in wildlife conservation during a 1985 visit to Madagascar, which eventually resulted in a book (Last Chance to See
) about the plight of species facing extinction, co-authored by zoologist Mark Carwardine
. In one of the chapters he and Mark visited Garamba National Park
in the Democratic Republic of Congo, home to the last surviving northern white rhinos
. It was when Douglas gave a talk at the Royal Geographic Society about his attempts to catch sight of one of these elusive rhinos by standing on top of a termite mound that Dave Stirling, founding director of SRI, first approached him and asked him to become a patron. Douglas went on to accompany Dave and the rest of the SRI team on their inaugural Rhino Climb Kili expedition; a now yearly event that involves scaling Mount Kilimanjaro
- the highest point on the African continent - with one member of the team dressed as a rhino at all times. Douglas took turns to wear the costume along with everybody else, and his enthusiasm for the project helped to motivate SRI to raise £100,000 to go towards community projects in the areas surrounding Kilimanjaro
.
, fondly known to many as "The Rhino Man," was raised in Mombasa
on Kenya's
Indian Ocean
coast. A lifelong protector of animals, Werikhe walked thousands of miles across several continents on his "Rhino Walks" to educate people around the world about the plight of the rhinoceros.
on 4 October 2006.
During this closing session, a preliminary fundraising result of €515,842.81 was announced, well exceeding the original target of €350,000. Special awards were handed out to participants that made an exceptional contribution to the education target of the Campaign. Almost all of the grants to the 13 beneficiary projects have been sent out and another eight projects on the waiting list will also benefit.
The success of former EAZA Conservation Campaigns have led to an increase in interest of NGOs and zoos outside Europe to support, contribute to, or participate in them. North American zoos, for example, have joined EAZA in the Save the Rhinos Campaign.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-based conservation
Wildlife conservation
Wildlife conservation is the preservation, protection, or restoration of wildlife and their environment, especially in relation to endangered and vulnerable species. All living non-domesticated animals, even if bred, hatched or born in captivity, are considered wild animals. Wildlife represents all...
charity, is Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
’s largest single-species rhino
Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros , also known as rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to southern Asia....
charity, in terms of funds raised and grants made, and in terms of profile and positioning. They began fundraising for in situ rhino conservation projects in 1992 and were formally registered as a charity
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
(number 1035072) in 1994. One of SRI's founder patrons was the British writer and humorist Douglas Adams
Douglas Adams
Douglas Noel Adams was an English writer and dramatist. He is best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold over 15 million copies in his lifetime, a television...
, who is also known to be a conservation enthusiast.
Mission statement
Save the Rhino International works to conserve genetically viable populations of critically endangeredEndangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
rhinoceros species
Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros , also known as rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to southern Asia....
in the wild. Our aim is to increase rhino numbers by providing financial and in-kind support for rhino projects and for community-based initiatives across Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
.
NB:
For rhino populations to qualify as being “wild”, three conditions must be satisfied:
- They must be free-ranging within an area large enough to sustain a breeding group
- The area in question must consist of natural rhino habitat
- They must survive by feeding off natural vegetation in the area (ie, without human intervention)
"Genetically viable” populations are generally taken to mean those with a minimum of 20 individuals. In some areas, smaller populations have been known to breed successfully, although it is not know what the impact is on the long-term genetic diversity of such a population.
Ojectives:
- To increase the number of rhinos in genetically viable populations in the wild
- To provide financial and in-kind support for projects focused on all five of the rhinoceros speciesRhinocerosRhinoceros , also known as rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to southern Asia....
- To encourage and enable the sharing of information, experience and skills between rhino projects
- To measure and improve the effectiveness of our grant-making activities
Grant-making activities
The funds SRI raise are used to support projects that address rhino conservation through a number of measures:- Community conservation programmes that develop sustainable methods by which local communities can creatively manage natural resources
- Environmental education programmes that teach children and adults about the importance of preserving natural resources and address human-wildlife conflict issues
- Anti-poaching and monitoring patrols, which detect and deter poachers and gather information about rhino ranges and numbers
- Translocations, so that rhino from established populations can be reintroduced to former habitats
- Research into the threats to rhino survival and alternatives to the use of rhino horn
- Veterinary work, such as the implanting of transmitters into horns, or removal of snares
Approach
- Pragmatic approach focused on viable populations; SRI are not sentiment-driven
- SRI support the sustainable use of natural resources for the mutual benefit of wildlife, habitat and local communities
- SRI do not create or run their own projects in the field; rather, they find rhino conservation projects that they think are doing a good job, and then fund them
- SRI prefer to work with projects on a long-term basis, rather than making one-off or ad hoc grants
- SRI is a fundraising organisation, not a campaigning one: they do not get involved in political lobbying or petitioning
- SRI believe in the value of partnership working with other in situ and ex situ NGOs and conservation organisations
Trustees
- Robert Devereux
- Christina Franco (Chair)
- Tom Kenyon-Slaney
- George Stephenson
- Nick Tims
- Adam Wylie
Patrons
- Louise Aspinall
- Laura BaileyLaura BaileyLaura Bailey is an English model represented by Liz Matthews PR. She has modelled campaigns for Guess Jeans, L'Oreal, Jaguar, Jaeger, Marks and Spencer, Bella Freud and Temperley London. Laura also works as a writer and has written for Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, Vanity Fair, Glamour, The Independent,...
- Nick Baker
- Dina de Angelo
- Fergal KeaneFergal KeaneFergal Patrick Keane , is an Irish writer and broadcaster. For many years, Keane was the BBC's correspondent in Southern Africa. He is the nephew of Irish author John B. Keane....
- Francesco NardelliFrancesco NardelliFrancesco Romano Nardelli was born on 5 September 1953 in Rome, Italy, where he currently lives. He is an Italian naturalist who has dedicated his life to the protection and conservation of endangered species...
- Martina Navratilova
- Julian Ozanne
- Robin Saunders
- Tira Shubart
- James Sunley
- William Todd-JonesWilliam Todd-JonesWilliam Todd-Jones is a British puppet designer, performer, director, movement consultant and writer, for film, television and theatre in the UK and abroad....
Douglas Adams
Douglas AdamsDouglas Adams
Douglas Noel Adams was an English writer and dramatist. He is best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold over 15 million copies in his lifetime, a television...
developed his deep-seated interest in wildlife conservation during a 1985 visit to Madagascar, which eventually resulted in a book (Last Chance to See
Last Chance to See
Last Chance to See is a 1989 BBC radio documentary series and its accompanying book, written and presented by Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine. In the series, Adams and Carwardine travel to various locations in the hope of encountering species on the brink of extinction...
) about the plight of species facing extinction, co-authored by zoologist Mark Carwardine
Mark Carwardine
Mark Carwardine is a zoologist who achieved widespread recognition for his Last Chance to See conservation expeditions with Douglas Adams, first aired on BBC Radio 4 in 1990. Since then he has become a leading and outspoken conservationist, and a prolific broadcaster, columnist and...
. In one of the chapters he and Mark visited Garamba National Park
Garamba National Park
Garamba National Park, located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa, was established in 1938. One of Africa's oldest National parks, it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980. Garamba is the home to the world's last known wild population of Northern White Rhinoceros...
in the Democratic Republic of Congo, home to the last surviving northern white rhinos
White Rhinoceros
The White Rhinoceros or Square-lipped rhinoceros is one of the five species of rhinoceros that still exist. It has a wide mouth used for grazing and is the most social of all rhino species...
. It was when Douglas gave a talk at the Royal Geographic Society about his attempts to catch sight of one of these elusive rhinos by standing on top of a termite mound that Dave Stirling, founding director of SRI, first approached him and asked him to become a patron. Douglas went on to accompany Dave and the rest of the SRI team on their inaugural Rhino Climb Kili expedition; a now yearly event that involves scaling Mount Kilimanjaro
Mount Kilimanjaro
Kilimanjaro, with its three volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira, is a dormant volcano in Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania and the highest mountain in Africa at above sea level .-Geology:...
- the highest point on the African continent - with one member of the team dressed as a rhino at all times. Douglas took turns to wear the costume along with everybody else, and his enthusiasm for the project helped to motivate SRI to raise £100,000 to go towards community projects in the areas surrounding Kilimanjaro
Mount Kilimanjaro
Kilimanjaro, with its three volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira, is a dormant volcano in Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania and the highest mountain in Africa at above sea level .-Geology:...
.
Michael Werikhe
Michael WerikheMichael Werikhe
Michael Werikhe , also known as “the Rhino Man” was a Kenyan conservationist. He became famous through his long fundraising walks in East Africa and overseas. He started his campaign after learning how drastically Black Rhinos had decreased in Africa. Wherever he walked, his arrival was greeted...
, fondly known to many as "The Rhino Man," was raised in Mombasa
Mombasa
Mombasa is the second-largest city in Kenya. Lying next to the Indian Ocean, it has a major port and an international airport. The city also serves as the centre of the coastal tourism industry....
on Kenya's
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
coast. A lifelong protector of animals, Werikhe walked thousands of miles across several continents on his "Rhino Walks" to educate people around the world about the plight of the rhinoceros.
Background
Supported by Save the Rhino International (SRI), EAZA has two major objectives; firstly to raise international awareness of the threats rhino face and to promote protection of these endangered animals and, secondly, to raise money which will directly support 13 selected rhino conservation projects in the wild in Asia and Africa. Some 125 million people visit zoos and aquariums in Europe annually.Early results
"Save the Rhinos" ended with an official closing session at the EAZA Annual Conference in MadridMadrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
on 4 October 2006.
During this closing session, a preliminary fundraising result of €515,842.81 was announced, well exceeding the original target of €350,000. Special awards were handed out to participants that made an exceptional contribution to the education target of the Campaign. Almost all of the grants to the 13 beneficiary projects have been sent out and another eight projects on the waiting list will also benefit.
The success of former EAZA Conservation Campaigns have led to an increase in interest of NGOs and zoos outside Europe to support, contribute to, or participate in them. North American zoos, for example, have joined EAZA in the Save the Rhinos Campaign.