World Rhino Day

[Dumay de Boulle]

For all the people around the world who has a love for wildlife (Even those who dont, your children some day may) may we all try our best to save this precious creature from the jaws of extinction. The senseless slaughter of these animals is now officially a disaster, we have lost almost 300 Rhino in South Africa to poaching (I call it murder) this year and that excludes the many calfs left orphaned that could not survive on there own after there parents were slaughtered. They estimate that we will lose well over 400 Rhino thais year....Last year it was 333, the year before that was over 200, and year before over a 100...As you all can see that the epidemic is growing and if we cant do something about we will lose them forever...We have saved them from extinction once before...Lets not have to try again, as we may not be as successful a second time around.


Lets all hope that they will see many wild flowers and the summers they accompany for decades to come.

[Rachel Hollander]

Dumay - I like the field of yellow flowers as the habitat and the hint of movement in the ears. You didn't put your techs but the dof is nice. Those numbers for SA are horrible as is the apparent increase in poaching. Hopefully, events such as World Rhino Day can help draw attention to the problem and put pressure on to stop it.

TFS,
Rachel

[Robert Amoruso]

The environment is superb with those flowers. My preference would be to have captured an image with the head up as well. :tinysmile_shy_t: But I guess this is a lot like our Bison here, they have their heads buried in the grass a lot. :2eyes2:

[Dumay de Boulle]

Thanks folks...I should have said I didn't post for crits, just to get my story across and hopefully increase awareness...Thats why I didn't post the techs!

[Hilary Hann]

Dumay, I share your hopes and fears. It is a beautiful image and I guess the mods will tell us that this is a critiquing forum so I'll just say that any image which can carry a message like this one does is a good image in my book. The flowers and the typical head down feeding, regardless, is so typical of the more placid white rhino.
One thing I will say, the contributing of these photos and stories is very valuable on a forum of wildlife photographers like this, because we are the ones who are out there seeing the changing environment and wildlife. On my conservation forum, we all know about the daily, individual poaching incidents as the tally goes up like the road toll. Thanks Dumay, lovely photo.

[Harshad Barve]

Dumay ,


we have lost almost 300 Rhino in South Africa to poaching (I call it murder) this year and that excludes the many calf left orphaned that could not survive on there own after there parents were slaughtered. They estimate that we will lose well over 400 Rhino this year....Last year it was 333, the year before that was over 200, and year before over a 100...


Horrible numbers indeed , Lets hope for better future of Rhinos and lets do our best possible to save them
TFS

[Morkel Erasmus]

Thanks for posting and for including some up-to-date stats my friend. It is truly a catastrophe with even the Army involved to help fight it...but I fear the level of "hidden" organization behind these syndicates is proving a bit too much for our enforcement agencies...add to that the employees of the Army and Police probably don't have a passion for wildlife like we do and see it as just another task and the criminals can run free if they can't catch them (they're not threatening the general populace after all). Throw into the mix the number of insiders probably involved and 'taking a cut off the top' as well as high profile game farmers, traders and veterinarians who have to date been implicated or partially implicated the plot is as thick as the iceberg that sunk the Titanic...:eek3:

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Dumay, nice rich colours with an excellent clarity & IQ. :cheers:

Can't help but feel it's in your back garden this one, with all those nice flowers. :bg3:

Sadly it may look like we are loosing the battle to save the Tiger, can we add this one to the list like the Polar bear too? It is in our hands, or will our children just be able to see them in books & films?

And they say we are the intelligent ones?

TFS
Steve :wave:

[Stu Bowie]

Hey mate, it sure is a sad state of affairs in SA, and it doesnt look like its going to improve. Thanks for the stats, although not pleasing reading. Your image does portray a happy rhino here, and lets hope they can all stay happy.

[Pieter de Waal]

Thanks for the stats and the lovely image of this Rhino in good times. Agree with all the above and do hope we are not faced with the scenario mentioned by Steve.

[Dudley Watson]

Great image Dumay ...just love the Spring wild flowers as a background to a magnificent creature.