Photo of the Day

1 Comment 24 January 2011
Written by Sarah Pappin

”Imperiled Beauty”

Photo credit: Laura Cornish

A hearbreaking update today from Saving Rhinos informs us that the insatiable demand for rhino horn has claimed a shocking number of rhinos in Zimbabwe already this year. Seven rhinos have been slaughtered in for their horns since the start of 2011 in this nation alone, including three critically endangered black rhinos (one of them a calf) and four white rhinos. The horrific news means the worldwide count for poached rhinos could now be at least fifteen, across a total of four countries. A report last year announced Zimbabwe was down to its last 700 rhinos, a frightening number that highlights the sheer magnitude of this lucrative trade. Estimates for 2010 put South Africa’s count at 333 rhino deaths, all lost for a ‘traditional medicine’ that has been scientifically discredited. Looking at Laura’s photo, it’s simply disturbing to think of these incredible creatures being viciously killed just for a part of their body that is made from a substance that grows on our very own bodies.

Click here for the full story.

“How can we reconcile the moral chasm that lies between a 5,000-pound rhino carcass and a few pounds of harvested horn? It’s difficult not to feel that all of humanity has let these animals down by failing to protect them from our species’ worst impulses.”

— Jeff Corwin

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