Rhino Bodyguards

           

            The black rhino has a massive price tag on its head, or more accurately on its horn. With a market value of $65,000 dollars on the horn it is no wonder why poachers are willing to go to extreme lengths to acquire these horns. Poachers implement many tactics to attain these horns, the most popular tactic being to use a tranquilizer dart to sedate the rhino. This process is incredibly effective because tranquilizer darts make virtually no sound, this way park rangers are unable to respond to the poaching. After the rhino is sedated, the rhino’s horn is forcibly removed with an ax, which always ends in the rhino’s death. Horns may be removed without killing the rhino however professionals must do it and it leaves a stump. Poachers want the entire horn so they often cleave off a chunk of skin at the base of the horn, which will kill the rhino.

            To counter the threat of poaching, National parks have dramatically increased security. Security has increased to the point where some rhinos have their own personal security details. The Pittsburg-Post Gazette recently released an article entitled “Rhino's hope: A rhinoceros in Kenya has a security detail befitting a rock star”. The article reports that the last living northern white rhino in Kenya is such a prize for poachers that it has its own personal bodyguard. This rhino is critical to the survival of the species because conservationists are attempting to use its sperm to help create test tube rhinos. This is worrisome because if all of the future northern white rhinos are all from the same father, genetic diversity will be small which is deleterious to a population’s survival.
While this post sounds full of doom and gloom there is some hope. The security detail for this rhino was paid for through crowd funding from people across the globe. This shows that there are people willing to spend their earnings on saving these majestic, important creatures.

Introduction

“Poaching is a scourge that could wipe out decades of conservation gains made for black rhinos.”

Matthew Lewis

African Species Expert

The blog and the following blog posts will be about the threats the black rhinoceros faces and the measures taken to mitigate these threats. The Black rhino has been hunted throughout human history but in the past century the rhino populations have been decreasing at an alarming rate. The decreasing population has to do with habitat loss, disease, but mostly has to do with the illegal wildlife trade that is poaching. Theworld wildlife foundation claims that there are only 4,848 Black rhinos leftand that they are critically endangered. 

            Why are rhinos being poached so frequently? The answer to this sad question can be found in South East Asia where the people believe that rhino horn is a sort of “cure all remedy”. The reason why the demand has increased in South East Asia is because of the recent growth of national economies, such as Vietnam, and the growth of global markets. The unfortunate thing is that many people who buy rhino horn don’t believe that it is a “cure all remedy” but rather think of rhino horn as a status symbol akin to a Rolex watch. The demand for rhino horn is so high that the value of a rhino horn is $65,000 per kilogram, which is more expensive than gold.

            The black rhino has practical uses and is a magnificent creature. The black rhino is a megagrazer, which means that it keeps the grass short. Keeping the grass short is important to the ecosystem because the frequency and severity of wildfires are diminished. Black rhinos also contribute to the amount of tourism a country receives. People from all over the world fly to Namibia and other East African countries to see the black rhinos. The black rhino is a magnificent, important creature that conservationists are trying to keep from going extinct.