What You Can Do
IRF works around the world to protect endangered rhinos and conserve their habitats. But wildlife conservation begins with each of us - and you too can make a difference. Learn more about ways you can help to save rhinos!
Raise Money for Rhino Conservation. IRF depends on donations from individuals like you to fund rhino conservation programs around the world. You can support our efforts to save rhinos from extinction by making an online contribution today.
Use GoodSearch.com to help Rhinos! What if the International Rhino Foundation earned a penny every time you searched the Internet? Or how about if a percentage of every purchase you made online went to support rhino conservation? Well, now it can! GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up!
GoodShop.com is a new online shopping mall which donates up to 37 percent of each purchase to your favorite cause! Hundreds of great stores including Amazon, Target, Gap, Best Buy, ebay, Macy's and Barnes & Noble have teamed up with GoodShop and every time you place an order, you’ll be supporting your favorite cause.
Every time you do an online search, just go to www.goodsearch.com and be sure to enter the International Rhino Foundation as the charity you want to support. And, be sure to spread the word!
Combat Illegal Wildlife Trade. The primary threat facing rhinos today is poaching. Endangered rhinos throughout Africa and Asia are slaughtered for their horns, which are used in China as traditional medicine, and in the Middle East to make ceremonial daggers. Rhino horn is traded throughout the world on the black market, where an individual horn can often fetch more than $20,000. This trade is illegal - it is restricted by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), an international agreement signed by more than 160 countries, including the U.S. Unfortunately though, due to high demand and high prices, trade in rhino horn continues.
Reduce Habitat Destruction. Rhinos are in terrible peril from forest loss and habitat conversion. Because rhinos are herbivores and browse for vegetation, they require a large area of land in which to live - an individual rhino territory can be anywhere from 25 to 100 acres. As forests continue to be cleared at alarming rates throughout rhino ranges in Africa, Indonesia and India, rhinos and other species are left homeless, without enough food or shelter to survive in the wild.Much of this habitat destruction is being driven by the international market and human demand for timber, paper, and other forest products. About 2.3 million square miles of forest are harvested annually to supply global consumption. As a consumer of these forest products, you can make a difference! Don't buy illegally harvested wood and paper products. Look for products certified by the Forest Stewardship Council or the Sustainable Forestry Initiative to ensure that you are supporting responsible forest management. And recycle everything you can!
Spread the Word. Make your voice heard! Write to your Congressional representatives and urge them to support legislation and funding to protect rhinos and other endangered species, combat illegal wildlife trade, and reduce forest destruction. Visit www.congress.org to look up contact information for your representatives. Stay Informed. Sign up for IRF's e-newsletter and receive regular updates on our work to protect and conserve rhinos! You can also visit the Rhino Resource Center to search through thousands of references on the five living rhino species. Lessen Your Impact on the Earth. The Earth is heating up because gases produced from vehicles, power plants, deforestation, and other sources are building up in the atmosphere, acting like a thick blanket over our planet. Climate change is beginning to alter life on Earth, and could have disastrous consequences for many species already fighting to survive, like rhinos.
Rising temperatures are changing weather and vegetation patterns across the globe, forcing animal species to migrate to new, cooler areas in order to survive. The rapid nature of climate change is likely to exceed the ability of many species to migrate or adjust. Experts predict that one-fourth of Earth's species will be headed for extinction by 2050 if the warming trend continues at its current rate.
