There are very few places in the world where rhino is today present : the Javan and the Sumatran in Asia which, as the WWF says, are "Critically Endangered" (a subspecies of the Javan rhino was declared extinct in Vietnam in 2011) and the Indian rhino, whose status was changed from "Endangered" to "Vulnerable", but it's still poached for its horn. In Africa there are twho rhino species : the White one and the Black one. The Southern white rhinos are classified as "Near Threatened" while the Northern white rhino is believed to be extinct in the wild and few of them live in a sanctuary in Kenya; black rhinos have doubled during the past two decades but their number (2,480) is very low compared to the 100,000 that existed in the early 20th century.
Rhinos are threatened for many reasons :
- Poaching : in 2013, more than 1000 rhinos were killed only in South Africa and considering their already low number, this is a huge amount. It's hard to stop the action of the poachers as they serve the interests of an enormous illegal trade and the people who lead it simply substitute a poacher when another one is caught, they have no scruples. There are anti poaching programs, whose participants are trained hard to fight against this pressing issue, but unfortunately this is not enough.
- Habitat loss : the territories where the rhinos live are often "invaded" by multinationals to convert the areas in plantations or by populations who have nowhere else to go and settle in the rhinos habitats.
- Reduced genetic diversity : this is the case of the Javan rhino, whose very small population may make it hard for the species to remain viable.
- Natural disasters : the area where the Javan rhinos live is subject to a danger of tsunamis and volcanic eruptions.
- Disease : in recent years, four Javan rhinos have died from disease.
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The two African rhino species are increasing in number but they remain threatened by poaching and some populations are at serious risk of extinction.
Once upon a time, in Africa's savannahs...there were over a million black and white rhinos. After the Europeans' arrival, the rhino numbers and distribution quickly declined. An escalation in poaching happened between the 1970s and the 1980s, as a result of a high demand for rhino horn, used in traditional Asian medicines and valued for dagger handles in the Middle East.
Today, thanks to conservation and anti-poaching efforts, some African rhino populations are stable or increasing, though poaching still occurs. Anyway, it is hard to find African rhinos outside of protected areas and sanctuaries.
WWF is at the forefront of conservation of African rhinos. In 1997 they adopted a strategic and proactive approach to rhino conservation: the African Rhino Programme (ARP). This programme works in cooperation with many partners (government bodies, other conservation groups and NGOs, the private sector and local communities).
Thank to WWF's anti-poaching projects rhinos are now recovering. When the ARP launched there were 8,466 white rhinos and 2,599 black rhinos in the wild: nowadays there are over 20,000 white rhinos and almost 5,000 black rhinos.
However, there's still more to do. Expanding existing protected areas and establishing new ones, improving security monitoring against poaching and improving local and international law in this field, promoting well managed wildlife-based tourism experiences to provide additional funding for conservation efforts.
To help WWF...
Don't buy rhino horn products, donate towards much-needed anti-poaching equipment and support for rangers across Africa and spread the word sharing this information with others!
For more information http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/rhinoceros/african_rhinos/
