AUSTRALIAN FANTASY ADVENTURES

BLOW YOUR OWN HORN!

My mother always said, ‘If you don’t blow your own horn, no one will blow it for you’. Since, in the case of the critically endangered Black Rhino, he can’t blow his own horn, I’m going to blow it for him. Here’s hoping that someone will listen.

Photo credit: Michael Hutchinson http://arkive.org

Conservation efforts in the 1990s and over the first decade of this century have helped to increase the numbers of both the white and black rhino. However, in the past six years there has been a marked increase in poaching of the rhino. As a result, since 2009, an estimated 6,000 rhinos have been poached – killed. This information comes to us from the IUCN*. So why the increase?

Greed may be one of the big reasons. It is one of the world’s most expensive commodities, more valuable than gold or diamonds. As a result of this demand, the population of this animal has dramatically decreased (96%) between 1970 and 1992, thus earning its place on the critically endangered list.

Photo credit: Staffan Widstrand http://arkive.org

The Black Rhino is not named for his color but for the fact that it was first discovered along the Black River in South Africa. The Black Rhino and the White Rhino can be distinguished by the shape of the lips. The Black Rhino's lip is prehensile so he can grasp food and draw it into his mouth. The White Rhino's lip is flat across.

Black Rhinos live in central and southern Africa. They are approximately twelve feet in length and about five feet high at the shoulder. Weighing in at about 3,000 pounds, this truly a magnificent animal is considered unpredictable and dangerous. Fear of the rhino has led to its destruction by humans.

Whether we fear it or we want to gain from it, we should do our best to ensure the survival of the Black Rhino. What can be done? I think the below video will help answer that question. There are many people who have dedicated themselves to saving species, including the Black Rhino. It’s something we must continue to do.