Today is World Rhino Day!
Rhinoceroses are ancient beings and somewhere between 35-20 million years ago, they were the most abundant and largest mammals on the northern continents living in a variety of ecosystems.
The current five species of rhinoceros all come from different lineages.
· The Sumatran rhino (found in Asia) is the oldest and originated approximately 15 million years ago.
· The Black rhino (found in Africa) evolved 4-10 million years ago.
· The White rhino (found in Africa) evolved 2-5 million years ago.
· The Javan and Greater-One-Horned rhinos (both found in Asia) evolved 2-4 million years ago.
At the beginning of the 20th century the rhino population was around 500,000. Now the total of all species is listed at approximately 27,431.
It is hard to imagine these beings have been in existence for millions of years and now are endangered. The Sumatran, Javan, and Black rhino species are critically endangered while the White Rhino is near threatened and the Greater-One-Horn is listed as vulnerable.
A sharp contrast in population size in a little over a century. This is mostly due to poaching as the keratin (which is the same makeup as our nails) found in rhino horn is believed to have medicinal value to cure such ailments as hangovers and erectile dysfunction. The horn is sold on the black market mostly in China and Vietnam. Since it is sold illegally, the value of rhino horn has been kept high and has more value than gold, if you can believe that.
According to Helping Rhinos, there was a 50% increase in rhino poaching in the first six months of 2021. With the rhino species already vulnerable, this unacceptable loss makes it even more difficult to safeguard their populations.
In honor of World Rhino Day, please check out Helping Rhinos and Ol Pejeta Conservancy to learn of ways you can help support and conserve the rhino species to ensure a brighter future for them.
Photo by Geran de Klerk on Unsplash
References:
http://www.rhinoresourcecenter.com/pdf_files/117/1175860259.pdf
