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“The poaching scene in Africa is now more dire than I ever remember it to have been in the more than 50 years I have lived in the beloved continent. Though all animals are in trouble, rhinos are top of the hit list for one reason only…the demand for horn!” – Anna Merz, Animal Conservationist

Did you know the world's white rhino population has now plummeted to Near-Threatened status? The reason is illegal poaching.

Rhinos are hunted, shot and brutally butchered for their horns. Worth tens of thousands of dollars each, trade in rhino horns has come to rival that of illicit drugs. It is a trade to which the white rhino is particularly vulnerable as each bears not one but two horns. Severed horns are sold illegally across Asia as an ingredient for aphrodisiacs and traditional medicines. They are also used as handles for daggers.

The need to save the white rhino is the need to preserve one of the largest land mammals on earth. We cannot allow this magnificent creature to be eradicated by greed or to be extinguished from the world's future biodiversity. This is why I'm asking for your support of the Toronto Zoo's participation in the White Rhino Species Survival Plan (SSP). We have contributed successfully to this international program, breeding 4 rhino babies in captivity. What we have to do now is ensure our future success… which brings me to some very exciting news ...