Endangered Species Report

By Anonymous -

Endangered Species Report- 4/14/16

Black Rhinoceros 

Image result for black rhino


Honestly, the Black Rhinoceros seems hopeless. In just 22 years, 96% of their population was depleted because of poaching, illegal wildlife trade, increase of want for rhino horns, habitat loss, and multiple other curses on this poor species. In fact, one subspecies of the Diceros bicornis(black rhino) is actually thougth to already be extinct. They're so endangered that the headline of a UK newspaper actually said "DOOMED", with-guess what- a picture of the Black Rhinoceros on it. I think that pretty much proves how much this species has gone through.

First off, let me give you an overview on the black rhino. No, it is not actually a "black rhinoceros", it's gray like most rhinos. Their diet mainly consists of trees, bushes, and fruit, probably because it has a pointed upper lip. They often feed at night, and also have good hearing and a great sense of smell. You'd think that because of all the strong parts these herbivore mammals have, they wouldn't have much trouble, but still....

Multiple threats surround the rhinoceros. Diceros bicornis boasts two horns, with one being significantly longer than the other, making them a prime target for the illegal horn trade. The demand for rhino horn is still rising today, and wars near this species' habitat stop conversation efforts. Along with this, poaching has increased recently, because of the previously mentioned rising want for rhino horns due to need for folk remedies and dagger handles(I find the latter a bit strange). 

 Not only does the mammal's horns hurt their chances of surviving, simply the lack of willingness to help from the government is also somewhat of a problem. Without too much support from these types of people, there isn't much we can do other than build sanctuaries and hope the small amount of laws actually made will be enough to help. 

 So, after reading all of this, you may be wondering why this rhino is so important. Well, not only is it morally wrong to just let a species die, the rhino actually helps boost income from tourism in certain places. As well as this, rhinos are also rather charismatic(in their own way), and can help fund for conversation efforts. Plus, when rhinos are taken care of, other species are too, so in some ways they're kind of like an umbrella. There's also the generic "rhinos help the ecosystem" fact, but it's true, so being common isn't that bad.

 What can we do to help, however? Plenty of things, but if you lack money(or simply don't want to spend money on donating), never fear! As I have probably said before countless times, you can spread the word to your families and friends. Informing them might not help instantly, but the fact that more people are informed is still a helpful thing. You can even just put it on your pages for social media if you want. 

 Overall, this rhino is very important, both in ecotourism and other species. This rhino species is very threatened, however, and it'll take more than a few sanctuaries to save it. Right now, though, we can only wish that companies like WWF are working hard to save them, hope that our efforts are helping, and pray for the rhinos...


Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Mammalia
Infraclass:Eutheria
Order:Perissodactyla
Family:Rhinocerotidae
Genus:Diceros
Gray, 1821
Species:D. bicornis

If you want to learn more, check these links:
(Also I used them for this report xD)
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/black-rhinoceros/
http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/black-rhino
https://www.savetherhino.org/get_involved/donate/ten_good_reasons_to_save_rhinos
http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/6557/0
And also wikipedia, but don't go searching that up

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