SCIENCE NEWS
September 21, 2004
Rhinos in Danger
Africa's northern white rhinocerous is nearing extinction
 |
 |  |
Illegal hunting has reduced the world’s population of northern white rhino to between 17 and 22 animals, just half of what it was one year ago, according to a recent report by the World Conservation Union. If action is not taken soon to protect them, Africa’s northern white rhino is very likely to become extinct.
|  A rhinocerous at the San Diego Zoo Wild Animal Park. |
Rhinos at Risk
The remaining wild northern white rhinos all live in Garamba National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This land was not their original home. Just forty years ago, 2,250 northern white rhinos spread across five African countries. When illegal hunting, or poaching, reduced the entire population to just 15 animals in 1980, emergency action was taken to save them. The Garamba National Park provided a safe habitat for the endangered rhinos, who needed open space to reproduce. Trained rangers patrolled the entire park to stop poachers, and the rhino population began to grow slowly.
Sadly, that progress was lost as poachers from Congo and the near-by country of Sudan returned to the park this year. They carry heavy weaponry, and have killed three guards and 1,000 elephants in addition to half of the rhino population. Poachers hunt rhinos illegally for their horns, selling them to East Asia, where some believe rhino horn powder can cure certain illnesses. Horns also go to the Middle East to make elaborate knife handles. Rhino horns are made of keratin, the same substance that makes up human hair and nails.
Can the Rhino Be Saved?
Saving the northern white rhino requires better training of Garamba Park’s guards and conservation workers. Many organizations have offered to help in the $1 million effort, but educating about the danger of rhino extinction is also valuable. Although rhinos are among the oldest mammals on the planet, only five species of the animal remain. Carol Mitten, a rhino expert from the World Wildlife Fund, shared the bottom line with TFK. “Unless we take better care of (rhinos) by protecting their range from poachers and habitat loss, they will not survive."
