THE brother and sister of cult author Douglas Adams are to climb Africa's highest mountain in a bid to save one of the continent's most endangered species.

Douglas, who died suddenly in 2001 aged just 49, was celebrated all over the world for his surreal sci-fi comedy The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Who could forget the odyssey of the dressing-gowned Arthur Dent and his pal Ford Prefect?

But the writer worried that the world would soon forget the rhino and worked tirelessly to stop that happening.

In 1994 Douglas joined Save the Rhino International on its first Kilimanjaro Challenge to help raise money and awareness of the plight of the world's few remaining rhinos.

His siblings Jane and James Thrift are carrying that work on in a big way. They founded the prestigious annual Douglas Adams Memorial Lectures which attract world-class speakers.

Now they plan their own assault on Kilimanjaro.

James, who runs a shop in Shaftesbury, said The Hitch Hiker's Guide was a story about the world being demolished by hideous creatures from another planet.

"It was meant as a joke," he said.

"Now, animal by animal, tree by tree, the world is being demolished around us - not by Vogons but by humans.

"Douglas's passion for things was infectious and I suppose that is why I can no longer sit by and watch the wholesale destruction of such a magnificent species as the rhino which has been around for 45 million years.

"For them to be virtually wiped out in under a century is unforgivable - and for what? To make Yemeni dagger handles.

"This isn't animal cruelty, it's animal genocide.

"It's going to be a tough climb - the effects of altitude sickness can be very unpleasant but if it helps raise awareness of the real effort going on in Africa to save rhinos then it will have been worth it."

You can donate to the project at www.rhinoclimbb2006.com or call James on 01747 850486.

First published: August 29