Udopt Launches “Black Rhino Friday” Campaign
This year the ‘Black Friday’ shopping frenzy falls on Friday the 29th of November. To coincide with Black Friday, Udopt is looking to raise awareness of the plight of endangered Rhino’s by launching its own Black Rhino Friday.
What exactly is Black Rhino Friday? Udopt are hoping to piggyback the consumer interest in Black Friday to drum up some much needed support for the Black Rhino by encouraging shoppers to combine their retail splurge with some charity gift giving in the form of a Rhino adoption. Adopting a Black Rhino starts from as little as £3.50 a month and compared to the billions consumers will spend over the holidays, is an inexpensive way to do some real lasting good for the conservation of an animal that is very nearly extinct.
About Black Friday
Black Friday marks the traditional start of the Christmas shopping season and is an import from the United States that starts on the Friday after their Thanksgiving holiday. As we said, the concept of Black Friday is uniquely American but it has grown popular in the UK as well with many retailers looking to have their own Black Friday sales. What retailers do to drive consumers to their stores is slash their prices and offer heavy discounts and unsurprisingly this draws in the crowds. In fact, Black Friday is so popular in the United States consumers spent a staggering US$59 billion over the four day weekend alone which when compared to the £3.00 a month charities such as WWF are asking to help with conservation of the Black Rhino, it really puts things into perspective.
Legend has it that Black Friday was coined by the Philadelphia police department back in the 60’s when masses of shoppers descended upon retail outlets in the area back then. There was so much congestion by motorists and pedestrians that the police began to refer to the Friday after Thanksgiving as Black Friday. A second explanation that has been given is that Black Friday gets its name from the fact that many retailers in the United States finally become profitable over the long holiday weekend, and officially move from being “in the red” to being “in the black”. We’ll leave it up to you to decide which explanation to believe but please spare a thought for the Black Rhino and spare a few pounds for a great cause this Christmas.
About the Black Rhino
- The black rhino is nearly extinct and is hunted for its horn which is popular medicine in the East
- The black rhino is actually grey
- The black rhino is a solitary animal except when females give birth
- Females reproduce once every three to five years and calves stay with the mother until they are three years old.
- The black rhino feeds at night and is a herbivore
- During the day the black rhino takes cover in the shade
- Rhinos have sharp hearing and a keen sense of smell
Image Credit: Black rhino running in this direction. by Derek Keats, on Flickr