Africa's Horn Stars!

[Sam Ward]

David Beckham, Leonardo DiCaprio and British rock band Coldplay are just some of the big names from the world of celebrity who have come on board to save rhinos. Not on the regular "A" list there are also several rising horn stars hoping to change the game plan on poaching: rhinos in the wild facing the very real threat of extinction by 2026. While each one is more than deserving of media attention it's important to remember that all travellers can make a difference, every visit to Africa's national parks and reserves helping to provide much needed funding for fuel and field equipment, and more rangers - the battle against poachers fought on the frontline. 

1. Inongwe

Inongwe hit the headlines well before finding fame on the Internet, as when Fwanya met Inongwe true love blossomed. Mosi-oa-Tunya's only surviving white rhino, Fwanya fell head over horn for Inongwe, the female translocated from South Africa to build up the population. Now the star of Acacia Africa's anti-poaching campaign Inongwe operates under the #SaveInongwe hashtag on Facebook and Twitter, the initiative rounding up the stats and the facts and giving it up for the rangers making positive strides on the ground. You can join Inongwe in the war against poaching and sign up for the Bad Hair Day Challenge - simply upload your bad hair day selfie to Facebook or Twitter, add the #SaveInongwe hashtag and nominate or donate to you fave rhino charity.

Safari-goers can meet Inongwe on an optional walking safari the Zambian national park.

2. Gertjie

Mary had a little lamb? Well this story comes with a twist, South Africa now home to a lamb with a horn. Gertjie (also known as little G) struck up an unlikely friendship with a fluffier friend. Today lamb and rhino are bosom buddies, the horned one emulating its BFF and prancing and frolicking across the bushveld. Orphaned when his mother fell prey to poaching earlier this year, Gertjie was nursed back to health by staff at the Hoedspriot Endangered Species Centre, and star of his own 24/7 web cam the rhino's "lamby" antics have caused a stir on the Internet.

South Africa should be on your conservation hit list as 969 rhinos have already fallen prey to poaching in 2014 - 637 meeting their untimely death in the Kruger National Park. 

3. Spike  

Putting some weight behind the campaign, Jackie Chan and Spike the 6,300 pound rhino teamed up to send out an anti-poaching message. The basic message of the "Tools of the Trade" awareness campaign: don't buy any products made from rhino horn! Co-produced with the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), a computer generated rhino horn also features in the award winning video, the Chinese media including CCTV, Xinhua, and Sina.com, donating over US$100 million of media space to the campaign.