SAVE THE RHINOCEROS

Rhinoceros populations are under siege. More than 90 percent of the world's rhinos have disappeared since 1970; hundreds of rhinoceros species are now down to just five. Rhinoceros conservation projects are struggling to keep extinction at bay, and your effort could be what it takes to help them succeed.

Rhinos have been roaming the earth for 60 million years, but today there are fewer than 16,000 of these animals left. Of the five rhinoceros species not yet extinct, one has fewer than 300 individuals remaining, while the most endangered — the Javan rhino — has dwindled to just 50 animals in the wild.

In addition to habitat destruction, which is responsible for much of the loss of animal life on earth today, the decline in rhinoceros populations is due primarily to hunting. Rhinoceros horns have long been prized for use in Eastern medicines as well as for dagger handles in the Middle East. Each rhinoceros horn can bring tens of thousands of dollars, making the illegal trade a lucrative one.

As a result, despite the implementation of laws and emergency measures to help these great animals stay alive, poachers are the greatest threat to rhinoceros populations today. Since 1980, most of the black rhino population has been wiped out from its traditional range, and it's largely due to illegal poaching.

Conservation programs are one of the rhinoceros's greatest hopes for survival. With the help of volunteers, these efforts have made strides for the rhinoceros through research, education and awareness, care and protection on reserves, and reintroduction in protected areas. A week or more of your volunteer vacation could make a world of difference for the world's tragically endangered rhinoceros species.

• SOS Rhino operates an effort to save the Sumatran rhino in Borneo. The project is located in the Tabin Wildlife Reserve, and volunteers are needed to assist with research, write reports, help with fundraising, and improve the English skills of the field staff. Tracking expeditions require that volunteers be physically fit. The minimum stay is one week.
• Wild rhinos have already disappeared from Uganda (the last one was seen in 1982), but Global Vision International offers a volunteer expedition through which you can help with a reintroduction effort. Volunteers assist with community education and maintenance on the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary created by Rhino Fund Uganda to reintroduce both black and white rhinos into the area. All training is provided; the minimum stay is 4 weeks.
• African Impact offers opportunities to assist with black rhinoceros conservation in Zimbabwe. Volunteers help with research duties on the 10,000-acre conservancy at Imire Safari Ranch. Stays typically last 3 weeks or a month.
• Enkosini Eco Experience participates with the World Wildlife Fund on the Black Rhino Research Programme in the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi National Park in South Africa, which holds roughly 10 percent of the world's black rhinoceros population. Volunteers provide hands-on research and conservation assistance in the field including radio tracking, observation, and help with rhinoceros capture and release efforts.
• Earthwatch Institute offers 15-day expeditions to the Sweetwaters Black Rhino Reserve in Kenya. The goal is to help bring black rhinos back from the brink of extinction; volunteer work involves gathering data and long treks through the bush.