Issue
The rhinoceros is facing extinction. In 1970, there were about 70,000 rhinos and today there are about 28,000. Each year over 1,000 are slaughtered for their horn because of the false belief that the horn has medicinal value. The horn trades on the black market for more than gold or cocaine. Poaching has been linked to international crime and wildlife products are a source of income for terrorist groups. South Africa has the largest population of rhinos and so the highest rates of poaching.
Response
PA Rhino Conservation Advocates (PARCA) was formed with a mission to help prevent extinction of the rhino. We do this by educating the public about the crisis facing the rhino. We also raise funds that support the translocation of rhino out of areas with high rates of poaching to areas of safety in Botswana. Moving 1 rhino costs $45,000. Not only are the rhino moved to areas with zero-tolerance for poaching, but the genetic diversity can be increased which is also critical to survival of the species.