Tuck alumna writes book about baby rhinoceros's plight
Today on Dartbeat, we talk with Grace Borgeson Tu'90 about her recently published children’s book, "Douwlina: A Rhino’s Story," and catch up with Borgesonon what she has been up to since her days at Tuck School of Business.
Andrew Pham: Thanks for agreeing to do the interview with me Grace! Tell us a little bit about your book, and what motivated you to write the story.
AP: I understand that funds from the book go to “Care for Wild Africa” and other organizations working to stop rhino poaching. Tell us more about that. I'm also curious about the focus of your Dira brand products.
GB: I live at the game farm every summer running the import business, selling products generating revenue for wildlife support. One of the greatest ways to do that is to sell certified, un-poached game products. We want to create a market that supports wildlife. That’s where it all started, the idea that instead of discarding the materials of an animal that is dying, we can do something about it because no animal lives forever.
AP: What are your plans for the future?
GB: We’re also working on a documentary on how to get involved with solving the black market and poaching, and how to save the rhinos and wildlife. I would like to see illegal horn farming disappear. If we can’t eliminate the demand for the horns, then we need to meet it and enforce legal farm practices that are regulated. It is possible to remove the horns of a rhino without taking its life, but it requires supervision, and we are constantly trying to come up with solutions.