by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 4:12 PM ET, Fri December 1, 2017
There are many ways to get involved in the effort to save rhinos from extinction.
One can donate to organizations working to protect them from poaching (such as the World Wildlife Fund), refuse to buy rhino horn products and help raise awareness about their battle for survival by spreading the word on social media and other platforms.
There has been a huge surge in poaching of the animals since 2008, particularly in South Africa, which has seen record numbers of such incidents. In 2016 alone, nearly three rhinos were killed every day. The decline of the species is due in large part to the fact that rhino horns are worth about $400,000 in places such as Shanghai and Saigon.
Habitat loss also threatens rhinos, especially in southeast Asia and India, as human populations rise and forests are degraded or destroyed.
Today, very few rhinos survive outside of protected areas and all five species of the animal are threatened.
Now, there is yet another way to help save these important animals from extinction.
Opened in February, Saruni Rhino lodge is offering travelers the opportunity to track endangered black rhinos on foot in Kenya with the help of local expert guides and rangers.
Remarkably, the lodge is located in the heart of the first sanctuary dedicated to the protection of rhinos in all of Africa, known as The Sera Community Conservancy.
Formed by the Samburu people of north-central Kenya, the conservancy's goal was to link the three rival ethnic groups that live in the area: Samburu, Borana and Rendille. These groups have a bloody history of ethnic conflict but have come together to create the conservancy and to protect the critically endangered black rhino.
The Saruni Rhino lodge meanwhile, was opened by an Italian writer and safari guide in order to serve visitors who come to visit Sera, according to the Financial Times. Equally noteworthy, Saruni Rhino lodge is run by a staff made-up entirely of Samburus, a local tribe less well-known than the Maasai.
By visiting Saruni to walk with the rhinos, travelers are directly helping to support the local community, while also reinforcing the fact that protecting the rhinos is important to the area's economic prosperity.
These are key dynamics in the battle to save endangered species.
Guests at Saruni Rhino are able to do one rhino walk each day, either in the morning or evening, according to Lonely Planet. An added bonus, they see far more than rhinos.
Elephants, warthogs, zebras, jackals and baboons are all regularly spotted in the area-some even venture onto the resort grounds.
As for accommodations, the options include luxury villas or camp tents. There are also rhino-tracking safari packages available that include walks, drives, meals and transfers from the local public airstrip or private airstrips.
Guests must stay at least two nights, and the cost of the experience includes an additional conservation fee that goes toward the upkeep of the park and the local community, Lonely Planet reported.
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