SINGAPORE - Imagine if human beings were hunted down solely for our nails.
Bizarre, yes. But this is the plight facing rhinos today, who are being poached for their horns. There are some who believe that rhino horns have medicinal properties, and consuming them can cure fevers, headaches and vomiting.
"People consuming rhino horns may as well be eating hair and finger nails, as the two are made of the same material. Yet, last year in South Africa alone, more than 1,000 rhinos were butchered for their horns," said a spokesman for Wildlife Reserves Singapore, which runs the Singapore Zoo, in a release. The material is keratin.
To commemorate World Rhino Day, which falls on Monday, or Sept 22, visitors to the Singapore Zoo are encouraged to donate their nail clippings to a "Jar of Nails" as a gesture of support for conservation efforts.
The jar will be available to the public every weekend for the next month until Oct 19, as part of the zoo's month-long programme to educate visitors on rhino conservation.
The programme will begin on Saturday, Sept 20, with a public seminar on the rhino horn trade at the zoo. There will also be a photo exhibition on the critically endangered Sumatran rhino and educational exhibitions about rhinos during the month.
