The Beatles legend hopes the endearing calf will help spread his famous message of “love and peace” for the last of these iconic creatures. With Africa’s soil stained red by the mass slaughter of rhinos for their horns, Ringo is not only championing the endangered creatures’ fraught cause but also helping the orphan rescued recently from the Kenyan bush. Ringo has been providing his “Starr power” to the Texas-based Nobelity Project, which raises funds for rhino conservation films and educational partnerships.

IG Ringo has been providing his “Starr power” to the Texas-based Nobelity Project

After watching endearing footage of the calf walking, running and receiving mud baths, Ringo offered to work to support his namesake as well as the greater rhino issue, says the conservation organisation.

We hope Ringo the Rhino's charm will help carry the word Turk Pipkin, Nobelity Project

When Nobelity Project’s founder Turk Pipkin visited its Ol Pejeta Conservancy partners in Kenya recently he filmed the story of the baby rhino who had been abandoned when it was two weeks' old and left barely alive. Three months later, the rhino has grown into a “cute, rambunctious and healthy” calf, says Pipkin but he still needed a name. One came straight to mind.

“I thought immediately of Ringo Starr, whose love of rhinos made him a great fit for this beautiful baby,” says Pipkin.

IG The former Beatle threw his support behind the baby rhino of the same name

IG The Ol Pejeta Conservancy is battling to save rhinos

“With Ringo’s name, this baby rhino – and many others – might have a little better chance of survival. “Ringo's name and support is a great opportunity to bring awareness to Ol Pejeta's multi-faceted approach to stopping the slaughter and saving every rhino. “We hope Ringo the Rhino's charm will help carry the word to the uninformed consumers of rhino horn that they are the causing the slaughter of one of the greatest species on earth.” The Ol Pejeta Conservancy is battling to save rhinos with its team of 32 armed rangers and a K-9 unit working to protect its black rhinos, the largest group left in East Africa.

IG The black rhino population has been decimated from 65,000 to the current figure of 2,500