For the love of Rhinos

I try not to bring worldly issues to my blog, but this one seemed to really hit home so I will write about it partly to sort my thoughts, and perhaps some good will come of it.  Thank you in advance for listening. 

I was browsing the web news the last week when a headline jumped out at me about the fragility of the current Rhino populations.  The thought of the all Rhinos species becoming extinct during our lifetime became so real to me I became very depressed.  To think that this would be the first large mammal to go extinct since the Woolly Mammoths!   How can we explain that we killed off such a magnificent animal for such selfish motives!  I know this is not the first species we've lost to extinction but just think, "if we can't protect the rhinos, what species is safe?"  Below is the video which explains the situation.
http://news.yahoo.com/video/vietnam-horn-habit-threatens-world-025257898.html

Then on Saturday I went to the bookstore and was browsing the nature section when I my eyes found this  book, "The Last Rhino's," by Lawrence Anthony and Graham Spence.   Coincidence?    My initial urge was to purchase the book since I really seemed to be drawn to it.  And Lawrence Anthony was also author of "The Elephant Whisperer," a bestseller.  But it was a little expensive and I was convinced to check Bookman's for a copy first.  

Tonight I was feeling more depressed since I had just finished removing some cattails from our pond.  Although it prevented more serious action (chemical spraying over expansive area) I still felt like some sort of hypocrite actually removing habitat just to improve a neighbor's "view."   Perhaps I needed to read about successes in environmental protection for positive motivation.   I called 2 Bookman's locations without success, not surprising since the book just came out this year.  As I googled for other dealers I learned that Lawrence Anthony passed away this year just after writing his latest book on the Rhinos. 

Curiosity sent me searching further, and I found this heart wrenching yet positive link about his death, and the "mourners," who gathered in his honor.  You may want to grab a tissue first. 

http://delightmakers.com/news/wild-elephants-gather-inexplicably-mourn-death-of-elephant-whisperer/

I found a copy of his book on Amazon and it is on the way for reading on my bus commute.   I hope it will give me insight on how one man or woman can make a difference in for our animal neighbors in our yard, our neighborhood, and across the world.   I am thankful for your attention if you made it this far.  Last link below appears to be the organization founded by Lawrence Anthony if you would like more information.  

http://www.earthorganization.org/

Thank you for appreciating our natural neighbors here and across the globe!