A Needle in a Haystack
– Steven Kiley
The rhino YPO Interns have successfully completed a 2 month stay in South Africa and Botswana. Loads of challenges have brought us new insights into the conservation and preservation of our planet in general. Unique ways of seeing how one can help and what nations internationally can pursue are all components that I can take away into shaping me into a better person. Before I declared to officially join the rhino conservation internship, I knew very little about rhinos and the current plight against them. Now after enduring 8 weeks in the bush and experiencing multiple components to anti-poaching, I have a better insight into protecting wildlife every day. The war against rhinos and other wildlife cannot be defeated by one single country. My group and I have decided to take the information gathered from interviews, personal experiences, and group exercises and compose an educational presentation aimed at the main demanders of rhino horn trade; the Vietnamese and Chinese. Our group may seem to many like just a needle in a haystack trying to educate an entire culture and way of life for many people. However, what if entire nations put pressure on main demanders to cut mass demand on rhino horn?
The preceding question may seem close to impossible to tackle for many people. However, through the help of Dex Kotze, our leader, conferences are currently being constructed for major Asian cities including Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, and Hoh Chi Minh City, Vietnam where myself along with four interns will meet to give presentations on rhino conservation. Top executives and their families from YPO will meet and witness graphic images and eye-opening statistics regarding rhino poaching and current demand numbers. The non-governmental organization StopRhinoPoaching.com will be introduced and efforts will be described regarding anti-poaching units and how poachings are currently are handled. Unfortunately, most people do not have access to top officials in many of these Asian countries. My group and I however can use resources we have been given along with our expertise in rhino conservation to create a societal change. The needle being our group, and the haystack being Asian culture, can quickly swap roles as policies and pressure reach an all-time high.