Uma Thurman Rescue White Rhinos in Africa, Calls Experience "Surreal"

Actress Uma Thurman doesn't mind getting down and dirty to fight for a cause she believes in and that's just what she did during her visit to South Africa. In a recent interview with Town & Country, The Slap star opened up about her crusade to rescue endangered rhinos and explain why she chose to act as an advocate for the once nearly extinct species.

The 45-year-old actress and activist set out to Africa earlier this year on a mission to help prevent the eradication of white rhinoceroses in the area from poachers. Thurman, in particular, had her heart set on a mother white rhino and her calf who are desperately under attack from poachers looking to obtain their horns by any means necessary. She teamed up with the Wildlife Safaris, Conservations Solutions group, and the Botswana government to transport and monitor the animals in a secure and safe area. It was a humbling experience for Thurman, as she recalls getting up close and personal with the massive yet delicate creatures.

"It's a spiritual, surreal experience, to have subdued, without stress, such a prehistoric animal," said Thurman to Town & Country. "To hear its deep breaths, to smell it, to touch its skin - even a rhino has soft bits. To see how delicate they really are, how vulnerable. There is the obvious excitement of it all, but also a quietness in the midst of all the panic."

South African white rhinos were once nearly extinct and are still in great danger from poachers with looking at possible extinction threat again within the next 10 years; Thurman calls it a "rhinocide." The animals are highly sought after due to beliefs of their horns harnessing special healing powers like the cure for cancer and the improving virility. Rhinos are reportedly killed in horrible fashion, hacking off their face for seemingly easier access to their horns. The less rhinos there are the more valuable the horns become. The magazine also states the horns are sometimes mashed into a powder and used as a party drug. An undamaged horn can sell anywhere from $750,000 to one million dollars.

Thurman also provides assistance to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which provides civilian foreign aid in places like Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe in an effort to help end extreme poverty and promote democratic societies. Despite feeling like her efforts to help save the one rhino and her calf were minuscule to the cause, she's a firm believer that every bit of help pushes the cause towards the right direction.

"I think so many of us feel that there is no point - Who are we? What can we do? There are so many dire situations, and it's all out of our control. And there is sort of truth to that. But what I learned in Africa is that one must make an effort anyway. Because you just don't know. Until the story is concluded, there is always hope."

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Africa