Today, 22 September, is World Rhino Day.  This year, the day holds a renewed sense of urgency as poaching and habitat loss pushes rhinos closer to the edge of extinction in Africa and Asia.  The theme is “Five rhino species forever”

All five currently remaining species of rhino are listed on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Redlist of threatened species, and three of the five classified as critically endangered.

The White Rhino is the most prevalent: just over 20,000 of the Southern sub-species, but only 4 of the Northern sub-species in the wild.  The white rhino is the largest of the rhino species.  The two African rhino species,black and white rhino, are in fact the same colour, a dark grey, with the word white  indicating  a wide (weit in Afrikaans) mouth.

The Black Rhino is the smaller, shyer and more aggressive of the African species. These solitary animals weigh 900-1400 kilos.  There are believed to be only around 5000 black rhinos remaining in the wild.

The Greater One Horned Rhino, also known as the Indian rhino, lives in India and Nepal.  It is the second largest of the 5 rhino species, weighing in at between 1800 and 2700 kilos.  There are believed to be only around 2,500 of these creatures left in the wild.

The Sumatran Rhino is the oldest rhino species, indeed the oldest living mammal, being the closest living relative to the famous woolly rhinoceros that lived in Europe and Asia in the Ice Age.  In addition, it is the smallest, at just 500-800 kilos, of all 5 rhino species.  The Sumatran Rhinos live in  Southeast Asia, including: Sumatra, Indonesia, Bhutan, northeast India, southern China, Cambodia and Borneo, but there are now fewer than 100 in the wild.

The Javan Rhino, about the same size as the Black Rhino and the least aggressive of the species, is critically endangered and is the rarest large mammal in the world.  There are fewer than 50 of these creatures remaining, and the population is so small that it cannot possibly survive unaided.

Given the rarity and solid beauty of these animals, I consider myself extremely lucky to have seen both black and white rhino in the wild.  The current conservation efforts are having success in some areas, with particularly good news for the White Rhino, so hopefully generations to come will still get to see them. To end this post on a positive note, here is a selection of photos.

White Rhino, Zambia

South Africa

South Africa

White Rhino, Zambia

White Rhino, Zambia

White Rhino, Zambia

South Africa

Black Rhino, Kenya

For more on World Rhino Day and Rhino Conservation:
World Rhino Day
Save the Rhino
International Rhino Foundation

Linked to Camera Critters.