The Farmers Mart Jun/Jul 2015 - Issue 40 | Página 5

Farm News MEDIVET HELPS SAVE THE RHINO »»Supporters of a campaign to save the rhino have raised over £6,000 to support efforts to protect rhino in South Africa, where the breed faces extinction through poaching. The money was raised during a UK tour by international wildlife campaigner Dr William Fowlds of The Wilderness Foundation, who travelled to the UK to launch the Medivet Saving the Rhino campaign #MedivetRhino. The Medivet partnership has also given £30,000 to Dr Fowlds, the Wilderness Foundation Medivet Project Co-ordinator, to support his work as a wildlife veterinarian and as a champion of the cause. “The increase in rhino poaching means that there might be no rhino left in five years,” he explained. “We’ve been trying to educate consumers in China and Vietnam – the main markets for rhino horn – where inhabitants believe the powdered horn has many properties, one of them being a cure for cancer. In fact, it’s made of keratin – the same material as our hair and fingernails. The horn’s high market value in South-East Asia has made it a status symbol.” Dr Fowlds explained that although rhino are still being killed at a rate of one every eight hours, efforts on the ground are having a positive impact. “Money raised by the Medivet campaign is being used Two less for the poachers to support vets like myself, who are helping badly injured rhino. It’s also paying to train tracker dogs who detect rhino horn and track poachers and are one of our most effective weapons in the fight to stop the trafficking of illegal wildlife products.” One poaching survivor, named Thandi by rescuers, was featured on international media including the BBC, and recently gave birth to a healthy calf in a game reserve in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Dr Fowlds describes the moment he saw Thandi’s calf, Thembi, which means ‘hope’ in the isiXhosa language, as “one of the best days of my life”. “Medivet partner John Smithers says. “Our practices are the first in the industry to offer an innovative way to donate, through Pennies, the digital charity box. We want to do whatever we can to help save these wonderful animals from extinction.” http://www.medivet.co.uk/ news/medivet-rhino/ Established in 1999, W Dale & Son has grown to provide a regional agricultural contracting operation, nationwide shredding and screening operations, and the supply of green waste compost Tel: [phone] | Email: [email protected] | www.greenwasterecycling.co.uk Riverside Farm, Boroughbridge Road, Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 5AA www.farmers-mart.co.uk Jun/Jul 2015 5