Saving The Black Rhino Project

I. Bungoma Kenya - Saving the Black Rhino Research Areas for Final Report to Governments and Wildlife Officials:

Bungoma students research for their position paper on how we can work together to save the rhino will focus on the end user demand and end user demand countries.  Some of the areas they may cover in their section:

Main Demand Countries and The Trade Network of Each
End Users – who, where, how many, and why?
Middle Men and their mark up on price – the economics
Politicians who benefit?!  How rampant is bribery?
Laws and Enforcement in each country

Education programs by governments in demand countries to educate their people that rhino horn has no medicinal uses whatsoever, should not be used for Jambiya knife handles in Yemen, and elephant tusks for decoration is not cool – there are human-made substitutes instead!!

Bungoma Kenya – Questions for Kenya Wildlife Officials and US Senator Markey so far:

Our Bungoma students are suggesting asking the following questions to the KWS Official.

Q1. Do the black rhino earn any foreign money to our beloved country Kenya? If not, why? And if yes, how?

Q2.How many black rhinos do we have in Kenya? And, how are they protected from poachers who endanger their life?

Question to U.S. Senator Markey -

What support is the congress (Senate and House of Representatives) putting in place to see that, the black rhino (rhinoceros species) is saved worldwide, whereby, children of the world can learn from it and not redo the same rhino slaughter in future?

Bungoma Students – Earlier Findings and Other Possible Additional Questions to send to KWS Officials:

Situation in Kenya with rhino –

More than 24 rhinos reported killed by the end of June 23rd this 2013

Tools used to kill were guns

Research states that 3 days later in Solio Ranch near Nyeri in central Kenya, one more rhino was killed.

In Ngulia Rhino sanctuary in Tsavo west National park another rhino was killed.

On 27th may 2013 one rhino was killed at Meru national park and on 29th May 2013, 3 more rhinos were killed on private ranch of Oserian Wildlife Sanctuary.

Therefore, students' worry was, why killings are done in sanctuaries and yet are made in order to protect rhinoceros species?

There they are asking the Kenya Wildlife Services to give a better idea on how to save the black rhino, since they are very view in our beloved country Kenya.

Students' conclusion shows that if Kenya does not somehow increase the effectiveness of its security operations concerning wildlife, or figure out another means of stopping the poaching, they might loose more than 50 rhinos at the end of 2013.

What is being done by the Kenyan government:

The Kenya National assembly voted almost unanimously to raise penalties for wildlife poaching and trafficking of wildlife products on 22nd may 2013.

Therefore the decision created an emergency legislation to raise penalties to 15 years in jail and a fine of millions of money.

But despite those new stiffer penalties, poachers and dealers in Kenya still collectively scoff at the Kenya's lawmakers and the new penalties, which leads Kenyans to feel it is losing the battle against poachers, and the illegal trade syndicate.

Bungoma, Kenya – Lyrics of Their Saving the Black Rhino Song:

Bungoma save the rhino song.

(Jungle boys*2 save the rhinos)*2 is a chorus for the song.
stanza 1
we need to save the rhinos ooh! ooh! ooh! jungle boys *2
stanza 2
As the Jungle we must save the black rhino*2
stanza 3
Vietnamese and south Africans let us unite and save the rhino*2

Nairobi, Kenya - Saving the Black Rhino Research Areas for Final Report to Governments and Wildlife Officials:

Finally in terms of our research, we would like to dwell on the Kenyan situation and pay attention to the following key areas:

·       Current population of rhinos, rate of poaching and particulars of existing conservancy in the country

·       Estimation of revenue from wildlife and estimation of how much the government ploughs back to safeguard wildlife-like the rhino

·       Debate on a current controversy on road that is pass through the park; why the controversy, what are the options

·       Animal and human conflict-state, existing laws are they supportive enough, what is being done to strengthen them?

·       Current state of use of new technology in saving the rhino-there is already talks of deploying drones etc./what are the limitations?

Nairobi, Kenya – Questions for Kenya Wildlife Officials so far:

This are the thoughts so far:

The last time we had a very heated debate on the past occurrence of former president Moi burning tons of tusks worth millions of Kenyan shillings? – It was a fairly interesting debate with divergent views.

Nairobi, Kenya – Sketch of Lyrics of Their Saving the Black Rhino Song:

On the day God created the animals and when all was done-it was beautiful, it was lovely...

I am a Rhino, black or white, I am a Rhino, cousins to the elephants, and all the other wild animals, and we are part of that beauty, without us the world is incomplete...

Save me X9 from the depths of the forest of Africa; from Kenya to Namibia, to South Africa X2 Save me for me and for you... (chorus)

Trash the crap, know the truth; neither my horns or meat can make any medicine; I am no magic wand either. That is true for me and for my cousins the elephant....

What is my worth, you dare to ask; I live in the wild, yet I am like glue connecting human hearts; people from distance a far meet and connect because of me; hospitals and schools are built because of me; lives and destinies are saved because of me and my wild brothers...the earth remains BEAUTIFUL because of me and my brothers

back to chorus...hum along...

New York City – Bronx USA - Saving the Black Rhino Research Areas for Final Report to Governments and Wildlife Officials:

Students from NYC Summer Science Club class will focus on the impact social media and this project and expanding to include students the world over can have for helping our governments and wildlife groups worldwide save the rhino and other beautiful animals from extinction by human hands

1. What are the impacts of the "Saving the Black Rhino Game" on student's understanding of the current rhino crisis?
2. How can effectively use social media such as Google Plus, Twitter, Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts to help protect the black rhino?
3.What role can children all over the world play in protecting the black rhino?
4.How can we create networks with rhino sanctuaries all over the world to preserve this critically endangered specie?

New York City – Bronx USA – Questions for Kenya Wildlife Officials so far:

1.How many Rhinos are left in the Kenya wildlife reserve?
2.Have you ever seen a black rhino been hunted by poachers?
3.How many black rhino are left in Africa?
4. Why do you think that the poachers are killing not just the rhinos but other animals in Africa?
5.How can we convince the poachers to stop killing the black rhinos?
6. Are there any international law against poaching?
7.How many rhinos are left in the world?
8. Did you ever save a black rhino from a poacher?
9. What are the average yearly rates of black rhino death and birth? Are there any steps being take to help improve the well being of the rhinos?
10. Being that the black rhino is a native specie from Africa, is there not folklore or reverence for it to help sway the killing of such a great animal?

Questions for US Senator Markey so far:

1. Mr. Senator, is this the first time you are hearing about the black rhino crisis?
2. If you were a Kenyan senator, how would you help protect the black rhino?
3.What can you do to help save the black rhino?
4. Are there any international law against poaching black rhino horns?
5. How are you going to help Kenya, Africa protect the black rhino?
6.Why did you take an interest in helping the black rhino and other animals in Africa?
7.Mr. Senator, do you know how many black rhinos are left in the world?
8. Can the US sent an army to protect the black rhinos and other critically endangered species in Africa?
9. Are you going to encourage president Obama to continue the initiative to protect wildlife in Africa?
10.Are there any international laws being proposed to the United Nation (U.N) to help against the slaughter of black rhinos and other critically endangered species?

New York City – Bronx USA - Lyrics of Their Saving the Black Rhino Songs:


Song #1

We better go go go to east to west searching the rhinos from right to left so were running to save the rhinos alright we got 2 killers and they better stop if they don't we'll call the cops so stop killing the rhinos they are to weak to be killed because they don't have a chance to run away from the poachers from the poachers ........ from the poachers. 

Song #2

I just wanna see you stop killing those rhinos i just wanna see you stop oh! killing those rhinos killing those rhinos ..... killing those rhinos.

 

Questions and Ideas by One Planet Education Network (OPEN) to government and wildlife officials:

As the crisis is deepening with the rhino under greater threat than ever on the ground in Kenya and elsewhere, is the USA and Kenya working more closely together now that the issue has been elevated by President Obama with his stop illegal wildlife initiative?

And what steps might they take together to increase the effectiveness on the ground in Kenya and with other key international partners?

What is KWS doing to counter the increase in the killings and boldness of the poachers and their bosses?

If the money could be found, would a great increase in salaries of security forces or other related anti-poaching related jobs help the cause?

Can the US offer a whole fleet of civilian drones to blanket the countryside in African countries with high-density populations of rhino and elephants?

What kinds of pressure are our respective governments putting on the demand countries?

And what kinds of pressures might be more effective in having those demand governments and their wildlife officials more effectively deal with the issues – how can they improve interdiction in customs, better enforce local and national laws, or increase and then enforce penalties?

Also, maybe more importantly, what can and should those governments do to educate their populace to fully expose and to counter the myth of curative powers of rhino horn for cancer and hangovers, and other presumed false medicinal remedies?

How can we support that educational initiative with our international education programs for the generation who will inherit our world?

And how can we together support one another – our student grassroots global initiative and its extension, and we in turn your difficult job in stopping this trade before the animal’s demise?