AK's Honorary First Family

Michael Werikhe and his two children, Acacia, 9, and Kora, 7, were recognized as the honorary first family of Disney's Animal Kingdom during a ceremony April 22 at Conservation Station.

Werikhe, known throughout the world as "Rhino Man," has led a one-man crusade to boost public awareness of the plight of the black rhinoceros. By walking thousands of miles across four separate continents, he has raised millions of dollars for the conservation and survival of the endangered black rhino.

Werikhe is one of four eco-heroes who share their stories with guests at Conservation Station. In interactive displays, Werikhe along with eco-heroes Jane Goodall, Melissa Poe and George Schaller help guests find information on conservation efforts around the world.

Born in Mombasa, Werikhe first became aware of the danger posed to the black rhino while working in a warehouse filled with rhino horns, elephant tusks and leopard skins confiscated from poachers by the Kenyan game department. The atrocities he witnessed so disturbed him that a few years later he set out on foot -- a 300-mile trek from Mombasa to Nairobi -- to inform his countrymen of the perils that face the black rhino.

In 1985, Werikhe walked 1,250-miles across Africa and risked life-and-limb by crossing through the then war-torn country of Uganda. He followed that with a 1,800-mile journey across Europe in 1988 and a 30-city U.S. tour in 1991.

Werikhe has received numerous awards for his conservation efforts for the black rhino including the United Nations Environmental Program's Global 500 Award in 1989 and the Goldman Environmental Prize in 1990. He is also honorary vice-chairman of the East African Wildlife Society.

"The rhino has long been a symbol of conservation in Africa," Werikhe noted at the Goldman Environmental Prize ceremony. "If we cannot take care of our symbol, what hope is there for the rest of our natural habitat and ultimately for man, himself?"