On Saturday, June 30, amongst Montana traffic and pedaling pedestrians, brothers Max and Henry Langer held a bake sale fundraiser in an effort to Benefit wildlife conservation organization, WildAid.
WildAid is a non-profit organization based in San Francisco whose objective is to raise funds for wildlife protection in third-world countries and oceans. The organization hosts a myriad of fundraisers for eight different endangered animals. The focus of Max and Henry’s fundraiser was the Northern White Rhinoceros.
According to the WildAid website, 1,028 rhinos were poached in South Africa in 2017. The high-volume of poaching is largely due to the fact that it is widely believed in several African countries that Rhinoceros’ horns have curative properties. Due to this, the world has lost 95% of its total Rhinoceros population over the last 40 years. Wildaid aims to remedy this issue through fundraising for conservation.
A passion animal-enthusiast since age three, Henry Langer, 9, became interested in Wildaid about year ago. Upon researching the organization’s website, he noticed the dire urgency of Rhinoceros endangerment and knew that he wanted to support their work.
“I really love helping animals, I would maybe want to be an animal conservationist when I grow up, and wanted to help them,” Henry said.
He said his efforts were prompted by the plight of the Northern White Rhino.
“I choose Rhinos because there’s only two left in the whole world and they’re both females. And so they’re going to try and take a male Western White Rhino and breed them,” he said.
Over the two hours in which the bake sale lasted, the Langers raised $1,003 dollars that they later donated to the cause. Their bake sale offered vegan and gluten-free options in addition to traditional baked goods. Henry said he approached local businesses for support. Products sold at the stand were donated by local eateries Sweet Lady Jane, Tocaya Organica, Kye’s and The Butcher's Daughter.
The funds raised will be going towards stopping illegal poaching and trade. Donations like the Langers’ are what make WildAid’s progress possible. The organization has gotten over 100 Vietnamese CEOs to pledge never to buy/sell Rhinoceros products and has caused wholesale rhino horns to decrease by half in the Chinese market between 2013 and 2015. WildAid donations are tax-deductible and donations can be made via their website, www.wildaid.org.
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