Former Beatle Ringo Starr Wants to Save Rhinoceros from Extinction

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We had absolutely no idea that Ringo Starr (aka Richard Starkey) is a fan of rhinoceros -- or is rhinoceri? And we were serious Beatle fans, having camped outside his home in Weybridge, an upscale neighborhood back in 1966, just to get a glimpse the turtlenecked mop-top drummer hiding behind his Tudor estate's high hedges.

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But apparently, he's long had a fondess for the horned critters. “I’ve always loved rhinos,” Starr explains. “They were close to my and Keith Moon’s heart. In fact I had two huge ones made and gave one to Keith. Mine is still out on the grass here in England."

To raise awareness of the plight of several endangered species of rhinos, Ringo has changed the image on his homepage -- formerly one of his cat -- to an adorable rhino on a TV with the words "Save the Rhinos" on the screen.

An announcement was sent out by the PR organization repping The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust on Tuesday. Established in 1977 by Dr. Dame Daphne Sheldrick in Kenya, the organization has hands-on practical experience and extensive knowledge of the black rhino and African elephants. 

If you want to catch Ringo and his All Starr Band in concert, he'll be onstage on July 21, 2012 at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles. New to the All Starrs are Steve Lukather (Toto) and Gregg Rolie (Santana & Journey), who will join All Starr vets Richard Page, Todd Rundgren, Mark Rivera, and Gregg Bissonette. 

Maybe you can even get backstage and talk about saving rhinos.