A conservation success?
13.1 October 2018
I have been lucky enough to have witnessed first-hand the amazing wild animals of Africa but I am now deeply concerned about some of their long-term survival. For instance, up until recent times rhinos roamed in their millions across large areas of the African savannah – but in the nineteenth century due to excessive hunting and loss of habitat due to agriculture and urban development they suffered severe population declines.3
African White Rhinos are the Earths second largest land mammal. Adult males can reach 1.85m in height and weigh as much as 3.6 tonnes. Females are smaller – but can still weigh up to 1.7 tonnes.4 Each White Rhino has two nasal horns formed of compacted hair.5 The front horn averages 600mm but can occasionally reach up to 1500mm in length.4 It is this – the rhino’s most characteristic feature – that may yet prove to be the downfall of the species.
“Iconic species that have valuable assets, such as horns or pelts, suffer greatly from persecution.
African mega-herbivores epitomise threats posed by such human persecution.”6
The Southern White Rhino (Ceratotheriumsimum)7 was once widespread in the bushveld areas of southern Africa2 but was hunted nearly to oblivion in the colonial period.5 It is estimated that there were only 20-50 animals remaining in 1895. These were concentrated in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park in South Africa. The species was rescued from extinction by the establishment of protected areas on state and private land.2 Imfolozi was designated as one of Africa’s first game reserves in part to conserve the last few remaining White Rhino.
Effective field protection, habitat preservation, and biological management were critical to conservation success.2
By 2015 after decades of protection and translocation the Southern White Rhino had become the most numerous of the rhino taxa with some 20,375 animals in the wild and semi-wild.4 Until recently this had been claimed as a “major conservation success story”.4 However since 2007 there has been an upsurge in black market prices for rhino horn and a consequential increase in poaching.2
In 2007 some 13 individuals were killed by poaching – by 2015 this number had risen to an unsustainable 1175.2 This increased poaching poses a real threat to this subspecies2 which are now categorised Near Threatened – that is close to qualifying for a threatened category in the near future – on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List.7
“Over the past decade and a half, rhino horn has become a party drug, health supplement, and a hangover cure – a luxury product conspicuously consumed by new wealthy elites.”8
Historically rhino horn has been used as a traditional medicine in countries such as China. More recently though it has become a luxury cure for hangovers and a status symbol in Vietnam.2 This medicinal and recreational use of rhino horn has created the black-market demand and high value which has triggered widespread poaching and resulted in recent declines in rhino populations in southern African countries9 and now threatens the species with extinction.8
Rhino horn is also a highly sought after material for making carved handles for ceremonial daggers, called jambiyas, in some Middle-Eastern countries, particularly Yemen.10 This ornamental use of rhino horn has also had a devastating effect on rhino populations.8
“Poaching of white rhino has increased dramatically since 2006 – most likely fuelled by the recent increase in the value of rhino horn.”6
“On the black-market it is reputedly worth more than its weight in gold.”11
Over recent years poaching levels have increased in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Swaziland as a response to significant increases in the value of rhino horn.10 In 2012 prices peaked at about $65,000 a kilogram11 – though it is thought to have declined since then.
“Increasing black market prices for rhino horn, and increased poaching of rhino and involvement of criminal syndicates in recent years pose a significant threat to rhino populations.”10
Thus, there is a pressing need to reduce poaching through effective action to reduce demand.6 Changing market demand in countries like China and Vietnam is reversible through the use of education and marketing campaigns that attempt to make such consumption socially unacceptable.8
“We should focus on reducing demand through social marketing, education campaigns, lobbying and intergovernmental co-operation.”2
Urgent efforts are now required to stop the illegal poaching and end the illegal trade in rhino horn before this charismatic mammal is lost to the Earth forever.4
Sudan the Rhino - RIP12
13.2 November 2018
The conservation success of the Southern White Rhino contrasts with the “shocking and dire fate”14 of the Northern White Rhino. The species was once fairly numerous but is now recognised as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Recent research has proposed that lineages of the African White Rhino could have diverged as recently as 200,000 years ago. Based on morphological and genetic differences it was proposed that the Northern White Rhino (Cleroteriumsimum ssp.Cottoni) be considered a separate species.13 14
“The northern white rhino has been all but destroyed by uncontrolled hunting in the colonial era, and more recently [by] poaching for their horns.”15
The Northern White Rhino once ranged across southern Chad, the Central African Republic, southwest Sudan, northwest Uganda and north Democratic Republic of the Congo.4 As recently as 1960 there were an estimated 2360 individuals but by 2003 it was estimated that only 30 individuals survived.4 The last confirmed population of the subspecies was in the Garamba National Park in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. But these last remnants were lost there when the park became a conflict zone.9 There have been no reported sightings since 2006.13
“By 2008 the northern white rhino was considered by most experts to be extinct in the wild.”15
“It is with great sadness that Ol Pejeta Conservancy … announce that Sudan, the world’s last male northern white rhino, aged 45, died…on March 19th 2018.”16
The demise of Sudan, the last male of the subspecies, leaves only two female northern white rhinos on the planet – his daughter Najin and her daughter Fath.16 In the absence of finding any additional Northern White Rhino in the wild this subspecies is highly unlikely to be viable in the longer term.13
“The Northern White [Rhino] which once roamed Africa in its thousands is in effect extinct.”9
Scientists from US, Italy, Germany and Japan are proposing artificial reproductive techniques (ART’s) including in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment at estimated cost of $9 million to try and bring the species back from the brink of extinction.16
They plan to remove eggs from the last two females and use ART’s and IVF to create Northern White Rhino embryos that could be carried by surrogate rhino mothers.9 Another proposal is to take cells from frozen rhino tissue which would be reprogrammed into stem cells that could then be turned into sperm and eggs to then create embryos.16
“There are no guarantees that this may be successful and it is likely to take some time and be very expensive.”2
“The idea that hi-tech saves species may detract from support for species such as law enforcement, biological management and monitoring on the ground. Field conservation efforts – need our support”18
There is a real danger that such hi-tech solutions will lull humanity into thinking that science will always be able to step in and save the day. There is a danger of being deluded into thinking that humanity can allow a species to the very brink of extinction – or beyond – and modern technology can bring them back.
“There is no easy answer regarding the Northern White Rhino. It is now functionally extinct…the best lesson we can learn from that is to never let that happen again with any other species.”18
Going, Going – Gone?
13.3 December 2018
Fossil records indicate that the Perissodactyla, or odd-toed ungulates order of animals that include tapirs, horses and rhinoceroses, originated in the northern continents in the Palaeocene era some 66-56 million years ago.5 The rhinos spread south and up until recent times roamed across vast areas of Asia and Africa in their millions.3 It is estimated that there once existed some 50 genera the family Rhinocerotidae.5 Today only five remain – and their continued existence hangs by a thread. In 2015 it was estimated that there were only some 30,000 rhinos now surviving on the Earth.3
In Indonesia populations of the Sumatran and Javan rhino are extremely low and both species are listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.3 There are now less than 80 Sumatran Rhino in the wild. Their populations were decimated by poaching and habitat loss due to forests being destroyed for palm oil and paper pulp.3 The Javan Rhino has an estimated population of just 67 living in the Ujung Kulon National Park3 making it “now among the rarest animals on earth.”19
By 1900 due to wholesale colonial hunting the Greater One Horned rhino of India had been reduced to fewer than 300 animals and it was on the brink of extinction. Happily, today due to conservation efforts there are some 3550 individuals in India and Nepal.3
In Africa a hundred years ago the population of Black Rhino was estimated to be one million.19 Today due to large scale poaching the populations have been reduced to under 5500 individuals.3 The Southern White Rhino is estimated to now number just over 20,000 individuals2 while the Northern White Rhino has been tragically reduced to just two.
Humanity needs to work on a combination of initiatives to save the rhino – this should include reducing the demand in rhino horn to prevent poaching, and to protect habitat – before this charismatic mammal is lost forever.4
Poaching remains the major threat to the continued survival of the white rhino.6 Effective field protection of rhino populations has been critical. Many remaining rhino are now concentrated in fenced sanctuaries, rhino conservation areas and protective zones where law enforcement efforts can be concentrated at effective levels.13
International legal measures and enforcement action can play a key role in saving the rhino.2 The trade in rhino horn is completely illegal11 as the African Rhino are listed on CITES Appendix 1 and commercial trade in rhinos and their products is prohibited.2 To save the rhino the whole world needs to work together to enforce the ban on the trade in rhino horn.
Sudan – “the last known male northern white rhino” – died on 19th March 2018.12 Sadly it may be too late to save the northern white rhino but his death should inspire us to keep up the fight to retain the few remaining rhinos that do still survive.12
“It’s very sad to lose Sudan, because it clearly shows the extent of human greed and what sort of impact human beings can have on nature…if we don’t take care of what we have, we will definitely continue to…lose other species that are currently endangered.”1
Around the world many iconic mammals are facing the real threat of extinction. Most large cats, such as lions and cheetahs, are in decline and African elephants are also increasingly threatened by poaching.19 In the not too distant future charismatic animals like pandas, tigers and rhino’s may well only exist in zoos or protected wildlife areas.19 Many of the forces of the current extinction event are of our making – humanity is altering the atmosphere, cutting down tropical rainforests, and poaching for ivory and horn. We stand at a critical point in time – it will be the decisions we take now that will determine if these important mammals survive or not. Our action – or inaction – will determine their fate and decide “which evolutionary pathways will remain open and which will forever be closed.”19
This then will be humanities enduring legacy – whether or not elephants, tigers, polar bears and rhinos continue to walk the Earth.
“In an age where billions of dollars are poured into saving companies going bankrupt, and trillions into wars of arguable provenance, can we not spare a fraction of that to save a unique and charismatic mega-vertebrate – and begin to address our disastrous impact on planet earth?”14
