Amazing people and organizations are teaming up to help complete one goal; stop poaching, and save the rhinos. According to the International Rhino Foundation, progress started in 1989, when the Black Rhino foundation was created because of a decrease in the animal’s population. The foundation supported this mission and helped to virtually end poaching of black rhinos. In 1993, the organization realized that other species of rhinos were also becoming endangered so they grew to become the International Rhino Foundation, or IRF.

Today, on social media, a movement centered on helping save the rhinos has been circulating through millions of phones. Instagram accounts, including @samkolder, @karmagawa, @vetpaw, and @rhinorescueproject have shared images and videos of rhinos and the missions going on in South Africa.

An organization called the Veterans Empowered to Protect Animal Wildlife (VETPAW), is working with the other organizations and people previously mentioned to prevent the loss of more rhinos. VETPAW has been conducting Operation Rhino Shield since May of 2016, according to VETPAW’s website. They created a team of veterans to go to South Africa placed at private reserves where rhinos are being threatened. The organization also began adding more patrols and security in the areas of endangerment to stop poachers.

Sam Kolder is the creator of the short film “The War Against Poaching” which has been recently publicized on Instagram. People have been sharing the film on their story to spread the message to their followers. The video has been viewed over four million times on his Instagram, and the full video on YouTube has been viewed by over 400,000 people as of Dec. 13, 2018. Kolder created this video with Karmagawa, a community on social media that donates and supports charities by selling apparel, to promote donations to their projects and spread the word about what’s happening to the rhinos. According to Sam Kolder on Instagram, Karmagawa has already donated 25,000 dollars to VETPAW and Kolder himself will be donating 10,000 dollars. Kolder also made a website for The War Against Poaching where his full video can be found along with ways to spread their message, volunteer, and donate to the mission.

The Rhino Rescue Project is a non-profit organization that began in 2010 after a rhino was poached on a reserve. The project works to find ways of making the horns of rhinos invaluable to poachers without dehorning them. The process of horn infusion was the solution to this issue and is something that Kolder discussed in his short film. The way infusion works is by injecting and infusing the horn with a substance that “renders it useless for ornamental or medicinal use.” This treatment will work for three to four years and then will be needed to be infused again. Not only does this avoid injuring or creating health risks for the rhino, but it decreases poaching.

According to the Huffington Post, South African rhinos may be extinct in as little as the next 10 years. The war against poachers is not over.

If you want to help this cause by donating, adopting rhinos, or buying items, use the links below:

http://vetpaw.org/vetpaw-donate/

http://thewaragainstpoaching.com/

https://rhinos.org/give/

http://rhinorescueproject.org/how-you-can-help/

https://karmagawa.com/