Rhinos are powerful and majestic animals. Scientists predict that 100 years ago, around 500,000 rhinos roamed the Earth. Nowadays, that number is much smaller. It is thought that a mere 27,431 rhinos exist today and many of these are housed in zoos or wildlife preserves.
At Tsavo Trust, it is important for us to understand the reasons behind the Rhino’s existential plight. Understanding is the first step one must take if we are to help combat the situation.
So, in this article we will explain the various reasons which have led to the Rhinoceros’ desperate situation and what can be done to fight them.
Poaching
First and foremost, poaching. Rhinos are killed purely for their horns. Poached rhinos are usually found completely untouched except for a gruesome wound on their noses where their horns have been forcibly removed.
But, why are some people so infatuated by the rhino’s horn?
Rhino horns are occasionally used to make ornamental trinkets such as handles for daggers. In these instances, the horn is a status symbol to demonstrate one’s wealth. Stories like this make us at Tsavo Trust extremely upset, the lengths some people will go to show how successful they are is truly astounding.
Another use for the rhino horn is as a traditional medicine used in China. The horn is ground into a fine powder and dissolved in boiling water. Supposedly, it helps to treat fever, rheumatism, gout and other ailments. It has been proven to be false, but the power of superstition remains strong and the demand for the horn still exists.
In recent times, there has been a growing demand for the rhino horn in Vietnam as a cure for hangovers and terminal illnesses.
Habitat Destruction
Habitat destruction is always a factor for any endangered species. As a species, we humans have been and are still thriving. Our communities get bigger and bigger and many animals are unable to exist alongside us.
The solutions to issues like these are difficult. Whilst preserving the habitat of rhinos should be a top priority, we cannot limit the growth and development of communities around the world.
One way in which humans can improve is by developing new and innovative ways of living alongside animals like Rhinos and Elephants. At Tsavo Trust, we are very interested in finding workable solutions to limit the friction between animal and human populations.
Lack of Genetic Fitness
Sadly, rhino populations have become so small that they now lack any robustness in their genetic make-up. Rhino populations are very scattered and the collection of rhinos that do exist near enough to each other for mating often suffer from imbalanced sex ratios and age distributions.
Rhinos suffer from a very high failure rate in reproduction and fertility. This makes it very hard to improve their population numbers.
How to Help
If you want to help stabilise and, hopefully, increase the rhino populations, there are a few things you can do.
Firstly, you can donate to charities like ourselves which are vital in the efforts to prevent poaching and in thinking of new ways to promote healthy human-rhino co-habitation. Most charities offer a rhino sponsoring program where you can ensure that your money is being used by the right people.
Finally, you can help to raise awareness about the issues rhinos face. In particular, spread awareness about the rumours and misconceptions about the supposed properties of a rhino’s horn to try and reduce the demand and therefore the incidence of poaching.