The rare northern white rhino is one of the planet’s most majestic creatures. But sadly, environmental overdevelopment and ivory poaching have rendered this noble rhinoceros subspecies all but extinct, with only a single known animal left in existence.
So, in an incredible act of selflessness, one nonprofit conservancy group decided to go the extra mile and give this magnificent beast an amazing gift: They took her to Six Flags!
That’s right! Over the weekend, a group of activists got together and took Khari, the last animal of her kind, on a day-long excursion to Six Flags: Fiesta Texas. Members of the African Wildlife Preservation Society reached into their own pockets and spent more than $100,000 to transport Khari all the way from the Ol Pejeta wildlife refuge in Kenya to San Antonio, treating her to rides like the Hill Country Racer, Superman: Krypton Coaster, and dozens of other attractions. Awesome.
“The day was all about Khari,” said Dan Chambers, president of the preservation society. “Our handlers were there to help guide her around the park, but for the most part we let Khari go wherever she wanted. She ate some cotton candy and splashed around in the Lone Star Lagoon for a little bit. She seemed to really enjoy the #iPoP musical revue. Our number one priority was making sure Khari had an unforgettable experience, and it seems like she did.”
From the time the park opened at 10:30 a.m. until the final fireworks show at 9 p.m., volunteers made sure that Khari, whose subspecies once populated the African savanna by the thousands, was having the time of her life. They went all out!
“Khari’s been dealt a tough hand due to careless polluters and heartless poachers,” Chambers said. “There’s nothing we can change about that, but we can give Khari the chance to have her picture taken with the Looney Tunes characters and buy her some glow necklaces at the end of the day to wear around her horn. So, that’s what we did.”
Inspiring! It’s sad to think there will never be another animal like Khari, but thanks to one dedicated group of individuals, at least she got a special day that was all about her.
