Sumatran rhino appeal

 

We’ve been around longer than the Alps

We’re the Sumatran rhinos. This is our story.

Our ancestors roamed the earth over 50 million years ago; around 10 million years before the Alps were formed. Sumatran rhinos are the smallest of only five surviving species of rhinoceros and are the last living relatives of the woolly rhino family.

Small, nimble and hairy, our species has been in existence for around 25 million years, meaning that we have been on Earth longer than any other living mammal. But over the past hundred years our numbers have dropped dramatically, due to our habitat being destroyed and poachers killing us for our horns.

Today, there are only about 275 of us left in the world.

…to be continued?

With your help, Save the Rhino will make sure Sumatran rhinos are around a lot longer.

The number of Sumatran rhinos is dwindling - and fast. But with your donations, we’re going to turn things around. Here’s how:

Eradicating poaching

Poachers are one of the main reasons for the Sumatran rhinos’ decline. Your donations will help keep them at bay, by helping to equip the brave members of Rhino Protection Units (RPUs) who apprehend poachers and destroy their traps. Even small donations can quickly add up to make a big difference; for example, £77 pays for the whole operational costs for a team of 4 rangers for a whole week.

Protecting habitat

Another threat to the Sumatran rhinos’ survival is the destruction of their natural habitat. Save the Rhino-funded RPUs regularly patrol Way Kambas and Bukit Barisan Selatan National Parks, two crucial areas for the Sumatran rhino to live and flourish. They help to detect and deter illegal logging and fishing, encroachment and forest fires lit by poachers.

Promoting breeding

With so few Sumatran rhinos left, successful breeding is vital. As well as supporting the protection of wild populations, Save the Rhino International also funds the captive breeding programme at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in Way Kambas. Andalas, a five-year-old male born in Cincinnati Zoo, has been brought to Sumatra to breed with the three females in the Sanctuary.

A happy ending?

Although the Sumatran rhinos’ situation is desperate, your support can help bring the species back from the brink. One hundred years ago, there were fewer than 100 Southern white rhinos. Today, thanks to the hard work of staff at the reserves and generous donations from people like you, numbers have exploded to over 14,500.

Let’s do the same for the Sumatran rhinos. Please donate online by clicking here and selecting the third project option 'Sumatran rhino appeal', or send a cheque made out to “Save the Rhino” to Save the Rhino International, 16 Winchester Walk, London SE1 9AQ. Please write “Sumatran rhino appeal” on the back of the cheque. 50% of your donation will go to our Sumatran rhino appeal, the other 50% will go to Save the Rhino’s other projects.

Thank you.

Save the Rhino is a registered charity in the UK. Registration number 1035072