[Columbia, SC] - Riverbanks Zoo animal keepers who are members of the American Association for Zoo Keepers (AAZK) are serving up pasta to protect rhinoceroses and their habitats at Main Street United Methodist Church on August 6 from 5 to 7:30 pm.

"Zoo keepers across the country know that they contribute to conservation every day through their jobs, but many also want to be able to contribute personally and financially," said Cheryl Lutz, a Riverbanks small mammal keeper and AAZK treasurer. "Sponsoring events like Spaghetti for Rhinos allows us to make a financial commitment to conservation by creating a community-centered event."

Bowling for Rhinos, and its counterparts like Spaghetti for Rhinos, started in 1990 when conservation-minded zoo keepers recognized the extreme plight of rhinos in the wild. While there were once over 100 species of rhino, only five exist today. All five - the white, black, Indian, Sumatran and Javan rhinoceroses - are endangered. Less than 5,000 exist in the wild today.

One hundred percent of money raised by over 60 AAZK chapters across the country goes to support rhino sanctuaries in Kenya, Java, Indonesia and Sumatra. Since 1990, Bowling for Rhinos and its sister charities like Spaghetti for Rhinos have raised over two million dollars, all of which has gone directly to conservation.

Riverbanks' resident black rhino, Gemstone, left the Zoo in 2004 on a permanent loan to Peace River Refuge in Aracadia, Florida so that she could have a long term mate.

The SC AAZK's August 6 spaghetti dinner at Main Street United Methodist Church will be banquet style and meals will include spaghetti, a vegetable, bread, drinks and homemade desserts. Tickets are $7 for adults, $4 for children ages 5 to 12, and children under age 5 eat free.