Join us for inspirational talks, debates, drinks, and music, where guests can meet conservationists and enthusiastic speakers will share their first-hand account with endangered rhinos. Be bewildered by African plant and animal specimens from the collection of Manchester Museum, and take your first lesson in Kizomba, where the African rhythm will take hold of your feet.
Rhinos once roamed throughout Europe, Asia and Africa, and were known to early Europeans who depicted them in cave paintings. Within historical times, they were still widespread across Africa's savannas and Asia's tropical forests.
But today, very few rhinos survive outside protected areas, and all five species are threatened, primarily by poaching. This poses a major threat to the survival of all rhino species, particularly Africa's endangered black rhino and Asia's critically endangered Javan and Sumatran rhinos. Due to the current escalating poaching crisis, rhinos are facing extinction in the wild in just 10 years. Already the critically endangered black rhino population has been hard hit with less than 5,000 remaining in the wild. There are around 20,000 Southern White Rhinos remaining, but the Northern White has been wiped out in the wild with only two of the species remaining.
6pm Welcome - by Andrew Gray.
6 - 7pm Talks by Professor Susanne Shultz, Professor of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Biology at the University of Manchester and Dr Martin Jones, Principal Lecturer in Ecology, Division of Biology and Conservation Ecology, Manchester Metropolitan University.
7 - 8.30pm Lightening Talks and by Manchester PhD students and public debates. Speakers include Daryl Lott, Franziska Elsner Gearing, Sarah Scott, Joana Borges.
8pm-8.30: Daryl Lott (Supported by Rhino 911) https://vimeo.com/354260307
Talk Title: Don't let me go!
Rare Museum artefacts on display: incredible 100 year old Javan Rhino skull - skull belongs to one of the most endangered species in the world today - less than 70 remain!
African beetles to butterflies from Manchester Museum’s world renown Entomology collection presented by the Curator Dmitri Logunov
Rare African Plants from Manchester Museum’s Entomology collection presented by the Curator Rachel Webster
White Rhino research conservation (MMU)
Black Rhino research conservation (MMU)
International Rhino Foundation
Helping Rhinos.org (Emma Edwards)
Rhino 911 (Daryl Lott)
7.30 - 9pm Music and Kizomba - Abigail Wylie (dance presentation, music and lessons)
