Stop poaching African rhinos, petition

From eNature.com in the USA:

Save the Rhino Sign Our Petition To Help End Poaching Of Africa’s Last Rhinos!

They once roamed wide swaths of Africa. Now they’re making a last stand. And you can help them survive.

Please sign our petition encouraging measures to protect Africa’s last remaining rhinos!

Dear Friend,

Rhinos are almost gone from the wild. The Western black rhino species has been declared extinct and the two other rhino species found in Africa are close on its heels towards disappearing from the face of the planet.. From 13 rhinos killed in 2007 in South Africa alone to a projected 1,027 rhinos killed by the time 2014 draws to a close, rhino poaching rates in Africa have skyrocketed.

You can help protect Africa’s remaining rhinos by signing this petition!

Black rhino and calf

All this for a lucrative black market where poachers make millions of dollars from people who buy the illegally traded rhino horn, falsely believing it can cure cancer and other ailments.

However, there is hope….

The U.S. government is making moves to list rhinos as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The listing closes a loophole that was being abused by traffickers, and strengthens the anti-poaching efforts being undertaken by African governments and conservation partners such as the African Wildlife Foundation.

Will you sign our petition urging action to protect our remaining rhinos from the poaching that threatens their extiction?

Adding your voice to the effort to protect rhinos will make a difference. Don’t let poachers drive South Africa’s rhinos into extinction.

Sign this petition if you agree that illegal wildlife poaching has no place on our planet.

Thank you for your help– it really can help make a difference!

Sincerely,

Robin McVey
Public Editor, eNature.com

Poachers slaughtering Africa’s elephants and rhinos with impunity are often shielded from police by powerful connections, but a group of conservationists has turned to the anonymity of tip-offs to try to stem the killing. The founders of WildLeaks— a sort of WikiLeaks for the environment— say it is the first secure, online whistle-blowing platform dedicated to wildlife and forest crime: here.

“‘I am strong. I am a woman. And I bite like a Mamba!’ 22-year-old Leitah, told photographer Julia Gunther. Leitah is a proud member of the Black Mamba Anti-Poaching Unit, stationed on and around the Balule Nature Reserve in South Africa, located near the Kruger Reserve, home to the critically endangered black rhino as well as the endangered white rhino. Along with 23 other women and two men, Leitah spends 21 days a month patrolling the reserve, teaching locals about wilderness preservation, and keeping an eye out for poaching activities.” (Read more here)