Today is World Rhino Day, an annual event to celebrate our favorite animal, to bring awareness to the growing threat of extinction of the rhino and how you can help put an end to the poaching, protecting our horned friends.
According to the International Rhino Foundation (IRF), four of the five remaining species of rhino are threatened by growing poaching rates. Three of those being critically endangered and two of those species, the Javan and Sumatran rhino, are known to have less than 100 remaining. Human development in rhino habitats continues to affect their lives as well, as spaces needed for a proper rhino population have dwindled. Today, on World Rhino Day, in addition to donating to IRF, you can show your support for rhinos everywhere by sharing your pics and messages on social media, and tagging them with #TeamRhino.
In celebration of this day, we would like to introduce you to Andatu, a Sumatran rhino that neoRhino's owner is a proud sponsor of. But he's not just any average rhino... after a 16 month labor process from his mother, Ratu, on June 23rd, 2012, he was the first Sumatran rhino to be born at an Asian facility in over 120 years and only the fifth ever born in captivity worldwide! He was a big boy too, weighing in at about 60 pounds, his name meaning "gift from God." By July he had grown to a healthy 150 pounds and by November, he approached near 400 pounds. His favorite activities are hanging out in mud wallows and climbing on his mom, even at that size.
Andatu still continues to grow, living well with his mother in Indonesia's Way Kambas National Park and neoRhino sponsors him annually to keep him strong and healthy. To learn more about Andatu and the World Rhino Day cause, visit the International Rhino Foundation's website at www.rhinos.org.
But we shall leave you with a video IRF provided us of Andatu on his third birthday having a blast. Take care and Rhino on! #TeamRhino
