TORREY PINES, Calif. (KGTV) - Motorists and beachgoers in Torrey Pines took a hard double-take Thursday, as a bicyclist rode briskly past crowds and drivers with what appeared to be a rhinoceros in tow.
Instead, the stunt was a part of a larger project and message to battle wildlife poaching - and no, it was not an actual rhino.
Matthew Meyer biked along Torrey Pines State Beach Thursday with a 350-pound replica rhino in order to raise awareness and funding to fight rhino poaching. Meyers is currently biking 2000 miles across the western U.S. pulling "Lunar," the life-size replica.
Meyer and Chris Liebenberg are two former safari guides who have followed the rhinoceros population across southern Africa, according to a release. From their experience, they started "Rhino Ride," a journey that began just south of the Canadian border in Blaine, Wash., and ends in San Diego. The ride is designed to inspire action against the poaching industry.
"Like many wildlife guides, Matt and Chris are realists, well aware of the challenges and risks involved in the struggle against wildlife poaching. But they also are idealists, determined to do something beyond bemoaning the tragedy," a release read.
The ride also raises funds for three organizations: Care for Wild Africa, Save the Rhino Trust, and the 90,000-acre Ol Pejeta Conservancy.
The Ol Pejeta Conservancy recently made waves for a stunt of its own where it posted a Tinder dating app ad for a male white rhino to raise funding for research and rhino conservation efforts.
Watch Meyer make the trek in San Diego on 10News' Facebook Live:
