Every moment counts
Since 2008, when the free trade of rhino horn was made illegal, poaching has hit an all-time high. Rhino horn is the highest paid commodity on the black market, going for upwards of $100,000 per kilogram. It has been the rhino who have paid the price. From 2008-2021, an average of three rhino were killed a day, resulting in a 95% decrease in their total population.
Rhino horn has been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine, but it has become an omnipotent elixir in Asian countries, with uses ranging wildly from curing cancer to increasing virility. With centuries of myth behind it, the fact that rhino horn is made up of keratin (the same thing as your fingernails) and has zero medicinal value doesn’t seem to matter. Ingesting horn is the equivalent of chewing and eating your nails.
With their greatest value sitting prominently on their face, the black market and poaching have made them worth more dead than they are alive.
Schedule a lecture for your group
If you are in New Mexico, Diana has an informative and educational lecture and an interactive slideshow of her work with rhino in Africa that she will present to groups who want to learn more. Structured as a fundraising event for Veterinary Conservation Coalition, the presentation is an hour long and will plunge you into the depths of the fight to save rhino from extinction.
Venues must be able to accommodate seating and visual aid requirements.
If you are in surrounding areas, reach out to see if Diana will be available for travel to your location.
Take a trip
Let Diana be your guide in a once-in-a-lifetime trip to a working reserve in the heart of South Africa’s Northern Cape. Attendees are given an incredibly exclusive experience at a bush camp, fully immersed in hands-on conservation efforts. Learn firsthand from the reserve’s owners about conservation, ecosystem, and the boundless beauty of Africa’s wildlife. Helping with patrols, watching the anti-poaching K9 teams work to protect the reserve and its endangered inhabitants, and exploring with intimate game drives are just a few of the highlights. The most exciting task is taking an active role in a rhino dehorning project, from tracking to horn trimming, you will be on the ground alongside the attending veterinarians. Are you ready to have the closest encounter of your life with a living, breathing rhinoceros? This is without a doubt a life-changing adventure.
Spots are on a very limited basis, with currently only two trips a year. Reach out for more details to see if there is a spot open for you.
Donate
Help us protect the most vulnerable species. With your donation, we can fund critical projects to preserve the most susceptible animals on the continent. With your help, we can provide frontline veterinarians with equipment not available or affordable in Africa, cover veterinary care and rhino dehorning projects, assist the reserve owners with their greatest needs in protecting their at-risk inhabitants, fund rehabilitation, research, and more.
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A 2022 study in Namibia found no long-term side effects and no population productivity changes in a study of black rhino as a result of dehorning.
Dehorning
A 2022 study in Namibia found no long-term side effects and no population productivity changes in a study of black rhino as a result of dehorning.
Albuquerque vet helps rhinos in South Africa
“Three rhinos are killed at Kruger National Park every day,” she said. “If we can bring awareness to these endangered animals, all the better.”
