Closer to Home

This is a picture of the men who are working tirelessly to raise funds for the protection of the rhinoceroses under their watch. They had a bike-a-thon in August 2011and raised 20,000 rand. They bought a few items-bullet proof vests and some night vision equipment, but there is still a tremendous need for supplies.

As far as the training goes, I ran twenty miles last weekend, and I felt like I could have run more. The marathon is less than a month away, and I feel ready. My resolve is bolstered by the story in today's LA Times: a raid on a smuggling ring much closer to home than I'd ever imagined. Less than twenty miles away from where we live, people were profiting from the illegal poaching of South African rhinoceros horns. It sums up the whole issue really well, so I encourage you to read it.Just click here or go to Pages heading and click on Justice in California to read all about it! Go U.S. Fish and Wildlife Inspectors! This is truly a global effort.....

Don't forget to donate!
Matt Luber

The Awful Truth

 54 rhinos have been poached in South Africa so far this year. That is in the first 44 days of 2012, which means that this is shaping up to be a terrible year for the rhinos in South Africa. If the slaughter continues at this pace, the estimate is that 450 rhinos will be shot, killed and have their horns hacked off and sent to South East Asia to be ground up and used for it's perceived "medicinal properties" . It is not actually being used as an aphrodisiac, as previously thought, but is used in Traditional Chinese medicine to  treat fever and high blood pressure, amongst other things. 

To these respected doctors I say, Ibuprofen and yoga/lifestyle change/diet modification PLEASE instead of the needless killing of these soon to be extinct animals.

I will be running the Los Angeles Marathon on March 18th, 2012. I am raising as much money as I can in the next month and will be giving 100% of what you give to the people who are on the ground fighting this war against poaching.

Please read the most current updates and donate what you can.Every dollar will go toward equipment upgrades, bullet proof vests, night vision goggles-whatever the teams on the ground so desperately need.


Please take the time to look at the most recent news regarding this volatile and dire situation by clicking on the links just below the Pages heading.
Thanks for reading!
Regards,


Matt Luber