Texans Offering Sanctuary to Endangered Rhinos

The stars at night, are big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas. Looks like some rhinos may be coming to check out that beautiful night sky.

Africa has a huge problem with poaching of the rhinos in the area. Africa is home to two main species of rhinos, the black rhino and the white rhino. According to the World Wildlife Fund, the black rhino is on the critically endangered species list. That is the highest level an animal can be put at before it goes extinct. The white rhino comes in on the near threatened  level on the endangered species list.

Why do people poach rhinos? For their horns. Rhino poaching hit a record in South Africa last year, home to almost all the rhinos in Africa, with 1,215 killed in 2014, according to South Africa's Environment Ministry.

International crime syndicates are after rhino horns, which are used in traditional Asian medicine and sell at prices higher than gold to the newly affluent in places such as Vietnam, where a belief, with no scientific basis, exists that they can cure cancer.

Well some proud Texans are trying to save a tremendous amount of rhinos from meeting this fate by letting them roam on a 100,000 acres in the southwest area of Texas. The climate is quite similar to what the rhinos would be used to. Here's the problem, this is not going to be easy or cheap.

"This is not for the faint of heart or for the faint of checkbook," said Seale, head of the Texas-based Exotic Wildlife Association's Second Ark Foundation, pointing out no public money will be sought for the effort, which is still in its early stages. If the group does get the donations, this will be the largest attempt, outside of Africa, to get the rhinos to safety.

"There is a lot of red tape on both sides and there would be a need to quarantine the animals," Seale said. "Most of the rhinos that would be transferred are orphan, baby rhinos." The challenges are formidable. Most of the rhinos would be under three years old and younger animals would have to be fed milk by bottle.

If things go well in Texas and South Africa can put a lid on poaching, the Lone Star-raised rhinos could eventually be returned to Africa. None would be hunted in Texas, said outdoorsman Alan Warren, who is part of the Texas group. "It's not about hunting, it is about preserving and saving the species from certain annihilation in South Africa," Warren said.

It looks like the plan is trying to bring 1,000 rhinos over to Texas. I am only guessing this because it's called Project 1,000. No numbers have been released yet and once again this is in the very early stages. I just think it would be cool if the black and white rhino got taken off the endangered species list, thanks to some helpful Texans.