Sophie Moore ’17 interned in South Africa with a research team that helps fundraise to prevent the poaching of rhinoceroses.

The internship lasted three months over the summer of 2016 and was based out of the Karongwe Game Reserve in the Limpopo Province, South Africa.

South Africa is home to 90% of the world’s rhino population. Since 2008, poachers have been the cause of the deaths of 5,940 rhinos, according to Save the Rhino International. In 2015, over 1,200 rhinos were killed for their horns.

“At this rate they will be extinct before we know it,” claims Moore.

For two days this past week, Moore had a table set up on Britton Plaza with the sign: “Keep the Rhino’s Horny.” She had a goal of raising $100, but ended up raising just under $300. “It definitely exceeded all of my expectations and I was so overwhelmed and happy about all the support and interest in the cause,” says Moore.

The money raised will go toward providing the team with better training and equipment. “The most important goal right now is to get them a vehicle to do night patrols with, because they currently don’t have one,” Moore says. “They either patrol by foot or by ATV, but the reserve is too big for that method to be efficient. They are extremely hard working and dedicated, but having better resources will make their job more effective and efficient.”

Moore is unsure of the possibility of setting up another table for fundraising in the near future, but she is considering creating a different fundraiser in order to continue raising money for this cause.

“I really wanted to continue to raise awareness and raise money for this cause because it’s so important and close to my heart,” says Moore. “It was awesome to see that the Dickinson community could get behind such a great cause even though we are half a world away from it.”

If you missed the table on Britton Plaza, you can Venmo donations to sophiemoore13.