VETERINARY nurse Abby Gould will be running in Sunday’s London Marathon dressed in a rhino costume weighing more than 10kg.

Abby lives in Kingsteignton and works at the town’s Milestone Veterinary Centre. London will be her third marathon so far this year. She’ll be running alongside 15 others, also dressed in rhino costumes, to raise awareness of the rhino’s global plight.

She said: ‘I’ve done lots of fundraising for the Save the Rhino charity, as in 2010 I went to South Africa and worked at the Moholoholo rehabilitation centre and the Thula Thula endangered species centre.

‘What I saw there made me worry about the declining rhino population and the number of rhinos killed for their horns. And it’s getting worse.

‘The money I raise will go to Save the Rhino International, which works to conserve all five rhino species by supporting conservation programmes across Africa and Asia.’

Since 1960, the black rhino population has decreased by more than 97 per cent due to poaching. Since 2008 poachers have killed more than 5,940 African rhinos.

‘Rhino poaching is currently at a crisis point,’ added Abby. ‘By the end of 2015 the number of African rhinos killed by poachers had increased for the sixth year in a row with at least 1,338 rhinos killed by poachers across Africa in 2015.

‘South Africa has by far the largest population of rhinos in the world and is an incredibly important country for rhino conservation. However, poaching levels have dramatically escalated over recent years.’

Abby said the current poaching crisis is due to the growing demand for rhino horn in Asian countries, mainly Vietnam and China.

She said: ‘Although rhino horn has no scientific medical benefits, consumers are using it to treat a wide range of conditions, from cancer to hangovers.

‘Because of its high value it’s now also used as a status symbol by wealthy individuals. The high price fetched for the horn has attracted the involvement of ruthless criminal syndicates who use high-tech equipment to track down and kill the rhinos.

‘Also, the recent poaching of a rhino at Parc Zoologique de Thoiry in Paris is truly shocking. This is the first incident of its kind in a European zoo.’

Abby has also raised funds through a quiz night, raffle, and workshops for pet owners on emergency first aid at the Milestone centre.

She said Thula Thula, one of the centres in which she worked in South Africa, experienced a brutal attack in February, during which two members of staff were sexually assaulted and beaten. Two rhino calves were lost during the attack.

Abby added: ‘The attack was for a tiny lump of keratin carved out of the face of a living creature. I am beyond angry, I am so upset, I am heartbroken.

‘This attack made me even more determined to raise money to support the safety of the rhinos. If a person broke into your home, abused your family and ripped out your nails would you stand for it? It’s time to stop the devastation that is happening.’