Black
Rhinoceros
Solitary
and sometimes very aggressive, the Black
Rhinoceros can generally be found in isolated
pockets of thick
African brush in Kenya, Namibia, South
Africa and Zimbabwe. It grows up to twelve feet long
and six feet high and weighing up to three thousand
pounds. The black rhinoceros is classified as a
critically endangered species due to a reduction
of at least 80% of the black rhinoceros population
over the last 50 years.
The Black Rhinoceros was killed
for sport during the
nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Rhinoceros horn dagger
handles created a high price demand during the
1970s. The hostile animal also made for exciting
hunting and its horn was sought for use in traditional Asian medicine.
The major threat today is the heavy
demand for rhinoceros horn for use in traditional
Asian medicines. In 1994, a kilogram of horn was
estimated to be worth approximately US$60,000 on
the Asian market.
Eastern Black Rhinoceros
The eastern black rhinoceros is one
of four sub-species; about 500 eastern; 1500 south
central or southern, 740 southwestern, and 10
western black rhinos, all living in Africa. The
eastern black rhino, Diceros bicornis
michaeli, mostly occur in Kenya, with a few
in neighboring Tanzania and Rwanda, and about 30
that were moved to South Africa's Addo Elephant
National Park in the 1950s. The eastern black
rhino is 10 to 12 feet long, up to 5 feet high at
the shoulder, and weighs one to two tons. Black
rhinos are endangered primarily as a result of
poaching of their horns as an ingredient in
traditional medicines in Asia and as a ritual
dagger handle by young men in Yemen.
From an estimated 65,000 black rhinos in the
1970s, the number of black rhinos dropped to about
2,300 in 1993, primarily due to poaching
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Attention Rhino Keepers !
Black
Rhinoceros Conservation Links
African
Rhino Owners Association -
conserving endangered wildlife, especially the
black and white rhino.
DragonRidge
- non-profit site for the
conservation of all rhino; links to other rhino
sites.
International
Rhino Foundation - IRF is
dedicated to the conservation of the five species
of rhinoceros.
Rhino
and Elephant Foundation -
working to protect rhinos and elephants in
southern Africa from the threat of extinction.
Save
the Rhino International - helps
to save the rhino through a range of fundraising
adventures, challenges, and activities.
Sebakwe
Black Rhino Trust - securing
a black rhino conservancy in the Midlands of
Zimbabwe to protect a breeding group of black
rhino under free range conditions from poachers.
SOS
Rhino - part of the
non-profit Rhinoceros Reproduction Program with
objectives to focus worldwide attention on the
endangered rhino
These
Rhinoceros species are also endangered
-
SQUARE-LIPPED RHINOCEROS
-
WHITE RHINOCEROS
-
NORTHERN WHITE RHINOCEROS
-
SOUTHERN WHITE RHINOCEROS
-
SUMATRAN RHINOCEROS
-
HOOK-LIPPED RHINOCEROS
-
SOUTH-WESTERN BLACK RHINOCEROS
-
WESTERN BLACK RHINOCEROS
-
EASTERN BLACK RHINOCEROS
-
SOUTH-CENTRAL BLACK RHINOCEROS
-
JAVAN RHINOCEROS
-
GREAT INDIAN RHINOCEROS
