Black rhino populations have been devastated through illegal poaching for medicinal purposes in China and also for the making of ornamental daggers in the Yemen.  Most populations are now extinct and there is only one  population left in the wild, this is in Namibia.  With this project local villagers are paid to spend their lives one to one with the individual rhinos to protect them from poachers, this is dangerous work, and many die for this cause every year, however they still continue to protect them every year.  Help this project, so we can save this species from extinction.

Through working with Save The Rhino Trust - Namibia, their mission is to serve as a leader in conservation efforts in Namibia's remote Kunene region through conducting monitoring, training and focused on desert adapted Black Rhino to ensure long term security for these and other native wildlife.  They also help develop sustainable futures for the local communities.

Black rhinos live in tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas and shrubllands in Eastern, Central and Southern Africa.  Black rhinos get most of their sustenance from trees and bushes, which means they have a pointed lip which enables them to pluck the leaves and fruit from the bushes, unlike its close relative the white rhino which has a squared lip to enable it to eat grass.  Black Rhinos are semi solitary, only coming together to mate, once the calf is born they will stay with mothers for up to 3 years.  The black rhino's horns are the reason for the decline in their numbers.  Some cultures believe rhino horn holds powers to heal illnesses and is seen as a symbol of strength therefore it is used in the majority of Chinese medicine.  Due to the demand for this they are on the verge of extinction.  Rhino horn is also being used for ornaments, and for traditional daggers in Africa, their numbers are also declining due to deforestation. 

Through working with the local community Save The Rhino Trust hopes to educate the community as well as provide them with work to prevent them from working for poachers.

 Your donation goes towards the resources required for this to be possible.  100% OF ALL DONATIONS GO DIRECTLY TO THE PROJECT NO ADMINISTRATION COSTS OR COMMISION IS TAKEN FROM DONATIONS MADE.  

AWF works with projects around the world to encourage conservation, education, research and awareness of the worlds wildlife and the declining numbers of the animals at the hands of humans.

Through making a donation to one of the AWF projects you will be helping raise awareness and make a difference.

To donate to a specific AWF project or to the AWF as a whole see the other justgiving pages for:

*AWF - Humpback Whale

*AWF - Orangutan

*AWF - Vaquita

*AWF - Blue Whale

*AWF - Elephant

For further information on the projects and AWF go to www.whalenation.org