By: Andrew Uyeno
We were only given one planet. While more and more of us are getting behind animal rights and the protection of endangered species, it’s not enough, as the destruction of natural habitats and poaching are still a big part of our world. These animals are part of our global family. They need some hope. And that’s exactly what we found in a brave rhino from South Africa.
A year ago Hope the rhino was brutally attacked by poachers and left for dead. It seemed all over for this beautiful creature but the group Saving The Survivors was not going to let her go without a fight. They wanted to make sure she was restored to her former glory. A few weeks ago, they performed facial reconstruction surgery on Hope. The surgery was a success and Hope is recovering as she leaves those terrible memories behind her. Saving The Survivors used the same technique that they use for people who have stomach surgery.
Hope’s facial reconstruction surgery took over five hours to complete. The group known for taking care of rhinos has come out to say that “it’s a small miracle” as Hope has yet to remove or disturb her bandages.
Hope is an example of how we need to start caring for the animals we love to celebrate. We have pictures of them on our phones, we travel to go see them, our movies are based around them and yet, when it comes to protecting them, we are nowhere to be seen. Let Hope be an example of how we need to start protecting this beautiful world and everything in it. If we don’t do anything, a few years from now, our children will start to ask, “What are rhinos?” And a world with even one less beautiful animal is a sad world to live in.
