One More Generation’s Carter & Olivia Ries are Helping to Conserve South Africa’s Rhinos
http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2013/10/19/one-more-generations-carter-olivia-ries-are-helping-to-conserve-south-africas-rhinos/
Interview:
Jordan: Certainly rhinos have taken quite a hit on the horn lately (No pun intended). Last year, a record number of poached animals were recorded on the African continent, as I understand. Can you guys elaborate on this and discuss the trend this year?
Olivia: The main reason rhinos are being poached at such increased rates is greed and money. The more rhinos we lose, the more valuable their horns become. My dad calls it “Supply and Demand.” I am not sure what all that means. The bottom line is that some countries still believe that rhino horns can make you feel younger or healthier but the truth is that horns are made of the same stuff as your hair and fingernails. Who wants to eat that?
Carter: I agree with Olivia, greed is what is driving the demand together with a decreasing inventory which is driving the increase in value. The sad part is that it has been scientifically proven that rhino horns have no medicinal value at all. To prove our point, my sister and I collected a bunch of hair, fingernails and toenails from local salons and sent a giant box of it to the Chinese embassy with a note suggesting they put that in their soup instead of killing rhinos. They never wrote us back 
Jordan: I hear you are planning a trip to South Africa in the near future. Can you tell me about it?
Olivia: Yes, we depart on Oct 25th in an effort to try and meet with South African President Jacob Zuma. We have been collecting letters from kids all around the world asking President Zuma to please get serious about saving the species before it is too late. Our goal was to collect around 1,000 letters and then bring them to President Zuma to show him that the whole world is begging him to save rhinos from certain extinction. So far, our campaign has collected almost 10,000 letters from literally around the world from kids and adults who care about saving rhinos for at least One More Generation… and beyond.
Carter: We are also planning to visit numerous schools in South Africa and we have even been invited to meet with the folks at the US Embassy and to present to all the students at the American International School in Johannesburg. We are also being accompanied by a film crew during the entire trip who will be producing a documentary on our efforts and to showcase all the heroic efforts from many of the organizations and people who are fighting to save the species.
Jordan: You have already worked with wildlife in need of rescue. For example, you helped with animal recovery during the aftermath of the Gulf Oil spill. With so many species on the brink of extinction how did you decide to help African rhinos?
Olivia: My brother and I had been adopting Cheetah’s from South Africa for years and in late 2011 we made a trip to South Africa to award a big check to the founder of the Cheetah rescue center we had been working with. While in South Africa, we learned first hand about the serious crises of rhino poaching and that unless everyone gets involved, rhinos will become extinct in out life-time.
Carter: We quickly partnered with a local NGO in South Africa called Rhino SA(http://www.rhinosa.co.za/) and developed our Community Rhino Presentation, which was designed to educate kids and communities around the world about the issue of rhino poaching so more people would get involved. Rhino SA has been focusing on educating the youths of South Africa about the need to preserve their heritage and OMG has been focusing on spreading the word throughout America and even globally. Our campaign has received letters from all over the world. It really makes us feel great to know so many people cared enough to write us. We only hope the President of South Africa can find some time to meet with us so we can share the voices of the youth of the world with him and all South Africans.
Jordan: I just got back from India. Are you familiar with the plight of Asian rhinos as well as African rhinos?
Olivia: Yes, we actually feature all five remaining species of rhinos in our presentations in an effort to educate everyone that all rhinos need our help and that the Javan rhino is already considered extinct since their numbers are too low to save the species.
Carter: In the case of the Asian rhinos, they not only face the treat of being poached for their horn but they also face severe issues with regard to habitat loss. The Sumatran rhino is loosing their natural habitat (just like so many other species in the region) to the deforestation caused by the demand for palm oil.
Jordan: I was so impressed with OMG that I’d love to know how I could help out, although part of me thinks that you should be advising me. What is the most rewarding part about being environmentalists?
Olivia: As we travel around the country and even globally, we are constantly asked how others can help out and make a difference. We always tell them that the easiest way to help endangered species is through animal adoptions. We tell everyone that the first step is to educate yourself on the various issues causing so many species to be pushed to the bring of extinction and then to realize that we all need to get involved. Animal adoptions help those organizations who are working so hard to save the species by supporting their efforts financially. As for your question regarding what is most rewarding part of what we do, I would have to say that our jobs allows us to not only learn about the various issues but it also allows us to teach others so they too can realize that collectively we can make a difference. I also love the fact that we get to travel all around the world and meet so many new people who are also looking for ways to help.
Carter: If anyone would like to get involved in our work and help out, we encourage them to consider donating to our organization so we can continue to do what we set out to do. Donating is simple, they merely need to visit our website and decide at what level they would like to help (http://onemoregeneration.org/products-page/). They can also decide to bring one of our community educational outreach programs to their school or community to help educate more people of the issue.
As for what is most rewarding to me, I would have to say it is when we are finished with a speaking engagement or lecture somewhere and we have so many people come up to us and say “I had no idea that I too can make a difference regardless of my age“. That is probably our number one message, “Anybody can make a difference… if we can, you can too“. I also love traveling and inspiring others to stand up and help, regardless what they are passionate about.
Jordan: What are some of the local projects that you work on?
Olivia: My brother and I love to help out locally. We frequently participate in community clean-up events and we also partner with other organizations and help them with their work. We have helped out at protests in front of aquariums which keep dolphins and other mammals in captivity, we have also spoke at local hearings where we demanded local power companies start using more renewable energy sources as wind and solar. We even protested the use of bullhooks at circuses, which still feature animals in their shows....
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