The Earth is an exceptionally extraordinary place. How many other worlds out there have such a tremendous diversity of life? I’m continuously stunned at what this planet holds. Just when I thought I knew all of the locals, new ones are discovered. Yesterday it was announced that 350 new species were found in the eastern Himalaya. That’s in addition to the 6,000,000 we already knew about. Not a day passes where I’m not thoroughly stunned at the beauty around us.
 
In the face this astonishing glory is humanity…or rather the aftermath of humanity. People have not been kind to this planet and have made a series of horrible choices. These decisions have led to the near extinction or absolute loss of species. As if unable to learn from this, the same mistakes continue for years. From an outsider’s point of view it might appear as though we are intentionally destroying all that we know. According to the UK’s Joint Nature Conservation Committee, 112 invertebrate species have been lost since the Industrial Revolution fired up. Consider that…that’s just one nation and just one type of living thing. Based on findings at forest.org an estimated 35 – 150 species evaporate every single day. If those numbers are accurate, that’s up to 54,750 each year.
 
Thoughts like these not only make me immensely sad, but absolutely furious. Every choice we make every day has the potential of significantly impacting a life. Some decisions add to the extinction list…others add to the protected list.
 
When I came into these numbers I made the decision to stand behind my convictions and not just pay lip service. Each month, beginning with today’s actions, I’m donating to an organization dedicated to protecting, defending, or re-introducing species somewhere on Earth. Today I adopted a Sumatran rhino from the World Wildlife Fund.
 
Sumatran rhinos are the smallest in the rhino kingdom. They can be half to full height of a human. They’re herbivores with extremely prized horns. There are only about 300 of these little guys left. They’re currently so endangered that Rhino Protection Units physically guard them, yet poachers still find a way. I don’t want these guys to die on my watch. Humans put them in this situation; it’s up to us to get them out of it.
I’m in need of a name for the rhino. If you have any suggestions, please let me know.