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September 22 is #World Rhino Day and the International Rhino Foundation (IRF) has recently released it’s annual report, State of the Rhino, to #KeeptheFiveAlive.
Every September, the International Rhino Foundation (IRF) publishes their signature report which documents current population estimates and trends, where available, as well as key challenges and conservation developments for the five surviving rhino species in Africa and Asia.
According to the IRF report …
The total worldwide rhino population is estimated to be fewer than 27,000 animals. South Africa accounts for about half of the total black rhino population on the African continent and is home to the world’s largest population of white rhinos. Currently, 2,056 black rhinos and 12,968 white rhinos are estimated to remain for a total of more than 15,000.
Illegal trade in rhino horn continues to drive poaching, with an estimated 1,000 rhino horns traded each year.
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Poaching remains the greatest threat to African rhinos. Since 2017, there have been 2,707 recorded rhino poaching incidents in Africa, 90% of which took place in South Africa. During 2020, when governments implemented COVID mitigation measures, including lockdowns, there was a significant reduction in poaching. Now that travel has reopened, poaching is on the rise again.
South African poaching statistics for the first half of the year show a loss of 210 rhinos on state properties and 49 in privately-owned reserves. KwaZulu-Natal recorded a loss of 133 rhinos to date in 2022, which is more than triple the 33 rhinos killed there in the first six months of 2021.
White rhinos are decreasing primarily due to poaching losses. The population has decreased by almost 12% in the last four years, from an estimated 18,067 to fewer than 16,000 today.
Black rhino populations suffered a drastic decline at the end of the 20th century. Between 1970 and 1993, the population of black rhinos decreased by 96% from approximately 65,000 to only 2,300 surviving in the wild. Since 1996, intense anti-poaching efforts and strategic translocations to safer areas have allowed the species to slowly recover. Poaching still looms as the greatest threat however AfRSG estimates a 12% growth in black rhino populations in recent years, from
approximately 5,495 individuals in 2017 to more than 6,000 today.
READ State of the Rhino | International Rhino Foundation (rhinos.org)
DONATE Through grants and field programs, IRF has funded rhino conservation efforts in ten countries in its 31-year history, focusing on scientific research, anti-poaching, habitat and population management, conservation breeding, community support, wildlife crime investigation, legal training and support to fight illegal wildlife trade, environmental education and demand reduction. Over the past decade alone IRF has invested more than $20 million in rhino conservation and research.
Stay informed and become part of #TeamRhino by following the International Rhino Foundation:
Facebook: @InternationalRhinoFoundation
Twitter & Instagram: @rhinosIRF
Spread the message by using the World Rhino Day hashtags: #WorldRhinoDay #WRD2022 #TeamRhino #KeeptheFiveAlive
