Friday, 22 September 2017, marks the 8th celebration for World Rhino Day. This is an international ecological event that raises awareness of the need to protect the five existing species of rhinoceros: white rhino, black rhino, Indian rhino, Javan rhino and Sumatran rhino. Three of these rhino species are listed as critically endangered due to extensive poaching.
World Rhino Day was started by the World Wildlife Fund South Africa in 2010. It was initially dedicated to the protection of African rhino species. The following year, 2011, it became international and included both African and Asian rhinoceros species.
In Namibia, rhino poaching has increased over the past years with about 40 rhinos lost this year. Save the Rhino Trust (SRT) is one of the organisations dedicated to protecting the desert-adapted black rhino in the country. Together with the government, SRT facilitates black rhino conservation efforts, unifying the local communities, NGOs, and other international partners to ensure the long-term survival of the species.
Countrywide, through the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and SRT, the public is being engaged on rhino conservation. SRT is constantly looking for innovative ways to deal with threats to the species, and together we will save the rhino
Learn more about rhinos and the work of Save the Rhino Trust here.