Save the Rhino

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 was also known to be a conservation movement enthusiast.

Save the Rhino International works to conserve viable populations of Critically endangered rhinos in Africa and Asia. They recognise that the future of wildlife is inextricably linked to the communities that share its habitat. By funding field projects and through education, the goal of Save the Rhino is to deliver material, long-lasting and widespread benefits to rhinos and other endangered species, ecosystems and to the people living in these areas.

The aims of Save the Rhino are:

NB: 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.

For rhino populations to qualify as being "wild", three conditions must be satisfied:

Primary objectives of Save the Rhino:

The funds SRI raise are used to support projects that address rhino conservation through a number of measures:

Save the Rhino:

Douglas Adams 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.

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