Where do five rhinos go for a honeymoon?
If you are like me, you may be concerned about where the world is going. It is clear that we are facing mass species extinction, accelerating rain forest destruction, droughts, floods and fires greater than normal, global warming and serious over-population. Earth is the only planet we have, and it would be much more sensible and less costly to preserve it than toying with the preposterous idea of colonizing Mars if Earth becomes uninhabitable! Isn’t it crazy?
Combining the level of consumption in the West with the over-population and pollution of developing countries has brought us to the very brink of extinction of more than one million species!
Raw diet - great but….
For many years now, I have been conflicted about feeding dogs a raw diet. From the medical point of view, it is the best food they can eat but in terms of its environmental impact, meat production causes serious damage to the environment as well as suffering to countless animals.
I have reduced my personal meat consumption to only those times when I visit people who serve meat; I don’t want to make a fuss or offend anyone. As a company, we choose the most sustainable ingredient choices available and package our products in glass. We do not use chemical preservatives and whenever possible, we buy organic. Yet, I still live with the underlying guilt that just my mere existence causes damage to the planet!
Rhinos have been roaming this planet for millions of years, but in only a short period of less than one hundred years, we have brought them to the brink of extinction because of human greed, ignorance, and poverty that are at the core of rhino horn trafficking!
Almost thirty years ago, I was preparing for my veterinary college admission exam and was introduced to a young naturalist who knew my dad. At the time, I already had one year of experience as a laboratory attendant at the veterinary college under my belt. Working as a helper increased the chances of admission to vet school and it gave me an opportunity to prepare for the exams with more knowledge of what was needed. I was happy to share my knowledge with my new naturalist friend, we both got in and became friends.
Today, my friend, Dr. Rabas, is the director of the most successful rhino conservation program in the world as they bred and raised 46 black rhinos - the highest number outside of Africa! The exciting part is that this year they are sending five of them back to a nature reserve in Africa. Three females and two young males are heading off for their African honeymoon with hopes to help restore the rhino population.
How much does a rhino ticket cost?
Flying five rhino “hopefuls” to Africa costs $150 000 USD which is a lot of money! Unfortunately, about $50 000 of the needed funds have yet to be collected and time is running out!
When I heard this, I made the decision that Dr. Dobias Natural Healing will contribute $7500 to the cause. In our minds, protecting dogs goes hand-in-hand with saving endangered animals and there is no reason big enough not to give to this cause!
At least I tried…
This weekend, I was brainstorming how to help the rhino program and made a list of a few people whom I have helped in some way and who could help because of their financial situations. Sadly, despite their wealth, two of the three declined my request. The third person gave me a gift of $500, which is great but far from what I think they could give considering I have provided them with countless hours of free consultations over the past many years in the value of many thousands of dollars.
To be honest…
Until this very moment, I was unsure whether I could gather the courage to write these lines but being quiet does not feel right. It makes me sad that many people who have significant resources are often unwilling to pitch in to conservation and environmental causes despite their consumption and carbon imprint being much higher than average.
What can you and I do?
If you have been with our community for some time, you know I have never asked for a donation of any kind for at least the last five years. We do contribute to a variety of animal charities and environmental causes on your behalf, but we do so as a percentage of our product sales.
Today, I am reaching out to you because time is running out! The rhinos are about $50,000 short of getting their honeymoon in Africa 🦏🌍 and it would feel so good if we, our community could help!
No amount is too small because there is strength in our numbers!
And if we collect more than needed, we will give the rest of the money to dog causes as listed on our giving page.
Please click here to make a contribution.
Thank you for reading this piece and for your consideration and please give your lovely dogs a hug for me.
With much gratitude,
Dr. Peter Dobias
PS: You can also click below to watch a brief interview I recorded when I visited the rhino conservation centre, click here:
And do not forget to share the link to this page with ANYONE you think could help. Thank you kindly!
