RHINO THREATS
In 2018, 769 rhinos were brutally murdered in South Africa alone. There are many threats around the world affecting each species of rhino, with the two biggest being poaching and habitat loss. The sad reality is that both of these threats are down to us, and our misuse of the planet and its environments. This does, however, make it all the more simple to solve, as we have caused this, and we have the ability to not only stop it, but also each do our part in reducing the larger crisis that is the mass extinction of most species across the globe.
POACHING
Poaching is now synonymous with rhinos, as it has been one of the main causes of their rapid decline in numbers since the 20th century, with around 96% of black rhinos being poached between 1970 and 1992. The sad truth is that this mass-scale poaching does still occur in areas of the world such as South Africa and Southern Asia, due to a corrupt governmental system and the repugnant desire of the worthless keratin that makes up every rhino's horn due to its fictitious medicinal qualities proven to be bogus and yet believed by so many in the Chinese tradition. It is heartbreaking that such destruction is the result of fake claims.
HABITAT LOSS
The danger of deforestation and habitat loss has caused conflict between rhinos and their human neighbours since before our generation was around however, due to the increasing economic stability in developing countries such as South Africa and India, the threat is rising significantly. Clearance of land for a variety of economic uses such as agricultural production and logging, as well as human settlement, have led to 18 countries loosing their rhino populations. The difference in rhino population distribution before and after major increases in habitat loss is devastating, as seen in the image below showing the Sumatran rhino's historic and current distribution.
But its not so simple...
We would all like to put blame solely in the hands of the perpetrators, whether that be poachers or loggers, but the reality is that the root of the problem at hand stems from the things we must use to solve said problem; Money and power.
Some poachers know no better than to kill rhinos as a means of feeding their family, and with the demand for rhino horns making them worth more per kilo than solid gold (a staggering £36,300) it is no surprise people are making such repulsive decisions if it means their families can survive another month.
This helps us realise where we should focus our efforts if we want to put an end to the poaching and deforestation devastating the rhino population, as the illegal dealings of keratin (rhino horn) is a much harder obstacle to solve yet the solution will lead to a much larger cut in rhino deaths per year than just stopping poachers.