NEW YORK, Aug 29 ― Luxury watchmaker Hublot has joined forces with cricket star Kevin Pietersen to protect the rhinoceros.
The Swiss brand has partnered with SORAI (Save Our Rhinos Africa and India), the organisation founded by Pietersen, in a bid to protect the endangered animal. The company and the South African-born former international cricket star ― and Hublot brand ambassador ― have also designed a collaborative watch, to be unveiled on World Rhino Day, September 22.
“There are around 28,000 rhinos remaining worldwide, 23 times fewer than there are African elephants!” said Ricardo Guadalupe, CEO of Hublot, in a statement. “Poaching is one of the main threats they face. Major steps have been taken by governments to introduce regulations but informing consumers and changing their behaviour remains a key challenge in the fight against poaching. If Hublot can play a role in raising awareness, then I would be delighted.”“I am appalled by the brutality they face,” added Pietersen. “There is an urgent need for action, and Hublot's support for this is crucial. By reducing the time it takes to act, we can protect as many rhinos as possible.”
Hublot has yet to reveal any further details about the watch, but in an Instagram post shared with his 1.6 million followers, Pietersen said, “I think it's one of the most beautiful watches I've ever seen & @hublot will be donating straight to the animals to help us in our mission to save them!”
Rhinos ― of which there are five different species ― are poached for their highly valuable horns. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, three of the species are considered “critically endangered,” with the white rhino declared “nearly threatened” and the Indian rhino deemed 'vulnerable.' SORAI aims to protect the animals by caring for abandoned, injured, or orphaned infant rhinos and releasing them back into the wild. ― AFP-Relaxnews
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