Black Rhino: Population Stabilising

The black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) is a mammal belonging to the rhinoceros family. It is the second largest rhinoceros species on the African continent, after the white rhinoceros.

Weighing up to 1,400 kilograms, these animals inhabit savannahs and open landscapes and are found today, among other places, in East and Southern Africa. There they feed predominantly on soft plant matter, primarily various species of acacia. They are solitary by nature and live in territories of up to 40 km² in size. Like all rhinoceroses, a female gives birth to a single calf per pregnancy, which is nursed for up to two years. The origins of the black rhinoceros lie in Africa and date back some 17 million years, though close relatives of the species also occurred in East Asia during its evolutionary history. The species is heavily hunted for its horns and is threatened with extinction.

The black rhinoceros population in Africa has recovered slightly after dramatic declines in the 1970s. Between 2012 and 2018, the number of individuals in the wild rose from 4,845 to 5,630. Nevertheless, the animal remains threatened with extinction.

The subspecies of Diceros bicornis, the south-western black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis occidentalis), has recovered sufficiently for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to downgrade it in its updated Red List of Threatened Species from “vulnerable” to the category “near threatened”. Since December 2019, experts have assessed nearly 4,000 additional animal and plant species. In total, the list now encompasses 116’177 species. 31’030 are considered threatened — approximately 850 more than in December.

The recovery of the black rhinoceros shows that conservation efforts are working, said acting IUCN Director General Grethel Aguilar. However, she warned that easing up on these efforts would be dangerous: “Poaching and illegal trade remain acute threats.” She stressed the importance of involving local communities in conservation programmes and ensuring they benefit from them.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature, which has 1,300 members, defended itself in February against allegations that it was under undue influence from trophy hunters or manufacturers of goods such as leather products. Representatives of hunting associations were attempting to expand hunting rights for endangered species in influential IUCN bodies, according to an article on the website Buzzfeed. The organisation responded by stating that well-regulated hunting plays a positive role in conservation — for instance, revenue from hunting licences can be used to employ game wardens who protect wildlife populations.

Horn powder as an imaginary cancer cure

The white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) is also under threat. Although there are more individuals of this species than of the black rhinoceros, the downward trend is more alarming. Between 2012 and 2017, the number of white rhinos fell by 15 percent to 18’000, according to the IUCN. This effectively wiped out the population growth achieved in the five years prior. Particularly problematic is poaching in Kruger National Park in South Africa, home to the largest population. The northern white rhinoceros is suspected to have already gone extinct in the wild.

The white rhinoceros is more sought after by poachers than the black rhinoceros because it has a larger horn, according to the IUCN. Ground into powder, the horn is believed in countries such as Vietnam to be a remedy for cancer, despite there being no medical evidence whatsoever to support this claim. While an estimated 1,450 rhinos were poached in 2015, that number had fallen to just under 900 by 2018, according to the IUCN. Preliminary figures for the previous year pointed to a further downward trend.

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