Northern White Rhinoceros

[Water Rat]

Saw on the news that a 44 year old white rhino died in a zoo in California. They claim now there are only 5 left on the planet. How depressing is that ?

[Mr VJP]

I'm still upset we couldn't save the dinosaurs.

 

[Dinsdale]

With the Chinese coming to be a economic power on the world stage, they have bought up many parts of Africa, political power goes stupid cheap to the highest bidder.

The black market is HUGE in animal trade there, and many species will suffer as Asiatic groups hold onto farsical remedies and cure alls.

Damn shame and glad to have seen some of it before much will disappear.

[Mr VJP]

Are any of the 5 remaining living in the wild, or are they all in zoos?

[WNYBuckHunter]

Are any of the 5 remaining living in the wild, or are they all in zoos?

 

according to National Geographic...

 

"The remaining animals, all captive, include a female at the San Diego Zoo, a female in a zoo in the Czech Republic, and two females and a male at Kenya's Ol Pejeta Conservancy, which is part of a last-ditch effort to breed the extremely rare subspecies."

[Jennifer]

They are all in captivity. Sadly they are already functionally extinct.

[Jennifer]

With the Chinese coming to be a economic power on the world stage, they have bought up many parts of Africa, political power goes stupid cheap to the highest bidder.

The black market is HUGE in animal trade there, and many species will suffer as Asiatic groups hold onto farsical remedies and cure alls.

Damn shame and glad to have seen some of it before much will disappear.

 

The reasons for the global decline in species is much more complex than that, though black market trade is a problem obviously.

 

Habitat loss and fragmentation overall is the #1 issue facing wildlife worldwide.

[Elmo]

The economic boom created a lot of wealthy land owners and business owners who did not really have a formal education.  Sort of an Asian version Beverly Hillbillies if you will.  Except there are now thousands of them.  It's not the college educated Asians who are more cultured and don't believe in all that hockus pockus stuff.  We're actually frustrated by the black eye it's creating in the Asian community.

[Dinsdale]

 

The reasons for the global decline in species is much more complex than that, though black market trade is a problem obviously.

 

Habitat loss and fragmentation overall is the #1 issue facing wildlife worldwide.

 

Of course there always more to wildlife eco-systems in general....

However Southern White were holding their own and increasing in numbers steady recent history (last 30 years or so)as the funds generated in a large part by hunting, especially in SA, made many landowners desire to hold the species.

Even Black had made some modest progress in more remote and park areas.

(White's are even temperement and Black more agressive in nature, making White Rhino easier to relocate and less risk to people and other animals. In general Rhino and poor in eyesight and dumb as a box of rocks, they hear well and use a charge to intimidate what they feel is a threat.)

Specific to Elephant ivory and Rhino horn; poaching is the single biggest threat right now.

Sometimes the good guys win,

"South African authorities have cracked down on the rhino poaching trade

Game rangers have killed three poachers in the past week during an escalation of armed incursions into South Africa's flagship wildlife reserve, where hundreds of rhinos have been killed for their horns this year.

Paul Daphne, a spokesman for South Africa's national parks service, said poaching activity in Kruger National Park has traditionally increased in November and December before tapering off around the year-end period.

Some rangers refer to this phenomenon as "Christmas shopping" by poachers.

The parks service says a total of three poachers were killed in a shootout on Monday and two separate firefights on Thursday.

Three poachers were wounded and arrested in another confrontation on Wednesday.

Many poachers cross into the Kruger park from neighbouring Mozambique.

Press Association"

And,

Out of Africa: Czechs seize 24 rhino horns, charge 16 traffickers

(Reuters) - Czech authorities seized 24 white rhino horns and charged 16 suspected members of an international ring smuggling the prized material to Asia, the customs department said on Tuesday.

The horns, believed in parts of Asia to heal illnesses including cancer and sold as an aphrodisiac, were worth $5 million, customs and police officials said.

Demand has risen especially in Vietnam in the past years, leading to a rise in poaching of rhinos and smuggling of horns from Africa.

Police and customs said the ring employed proxy hunters who used a practice under which hunters can get permission to legally shoot one rhino in South Africa and take the horn as a trophy, strictly for non-commercial purposes.

"They were paid by the gang to hunt rhinos in the South African Republic bring the rhino horns as hunters' trophies to the EU," customs officer Ales Hruby said.

The Czech authorities did not give the nationalities of the suspects.

The suspects face up to 8-years in prison if found guilty.

And just to be clear, my Chinese (Asian) comment is not in any way to be construed as racist. Its simply the market place destination for Ivory,Horn, Lion bone and some other animal products desired in that market. You can find hundreds of articles that confirm my statement.

Edited December 19, 2014 by Dinsdale