Rhinos
The Rhinoceros – from the Family Rhinoceroidae – is commonly referred to as a Rhino. It’s believed that the earliest Rhino is the Sumatran Rhino – descended from the Woolly Rhino over 15 million years ago. These animals, in similar fashion to the Woolly Mammoth, were hunted to extinction by early man. Today’s rhino is a thick skinned, mostly hairless animal with more slender legs than the portly hippo, and three toes. A lot of people are not aware that the Rhino is endangered.
Rhinos are vegetarians who fed on leafy materials and plants and mostly live in a herd -also called a crash. The females have a gestation period of between 15 to 16 months and generally have one calf – very rarely there are twins. Their numbers can’t withstand the rate at which they are being slaughtered.
There are 5 species of rhinoceros in existence today – at this point only the white rhino is not critically endangered:
The White Rhino – the most numerous – and the biggets of the rhinos is actually grey in colour – can stand up to 6 feet at the shoulder and weigh up to 7700 pounds. The white rhino is more sociable and likes to live with other rhinos. The largest are 11 – 15 feet in length. They have a wide mouth and 2 horns.
The Black Rhino – also greyish in colour – is smaller than the white rhino weighing from 1900 to 3500 pounds and typically being 11 – 1 3 feet in length. The black rhino has a pointed mouth which is used to grab twigs and leaves when the animal is feeding. The black rhino is the most solitary of the 5 species and are critically endangered. They have 2 horns.
The Indian Rhino – is found in Nepal and North-East India. He has a thick silvery-brown skin with huge folds and wart like growths. He is a swamp land rhino and is of similar size to the white rhino with males weighing from 5500 to 7000 pounds. They have 1 horn.
The Javan Rhino – is the rarest of the 5 rhino species. In 2009 there were 40 of these animals. In the fall of 2011 the last Javan rhino in Vietnam was shot by a poacher. They are now extinct in Vietnam. Some reports suggest that 35 remain in Indonesia. This animal is critically endangered. The Javan rhino has 1 horn.
The Sumatran Rhino – is the smallest and the most endangered of all rhinos. His skin is a reddish-brown colour and it has the most hair of all the species – having been descended from the Woolly rhino. The adult males can grow to 1500 pounds. They have 2 horns.
Baby Sumatran Rhino – born in captivity!
Rhinos can live to be 40 to 50 years of age. They are gentle and often timid creatures with extremely poor eyesight but with a very acute sense of hearing and smell. They will charge if they feel threatened and can run at speeds of up to 45 km per hour over a short distance.
A Black Rhino Charging
It is illegal to sell or trade in rhino horn worldwide but the horns are in such demand that they are poached relentlessly. The demand comes from both China and Vietnam where the horns are used in traditional medicines. Horns are also fashioned into carvings and dagger handles which are a sought after status symbol. The horns are made of keratin the same subatance as fingernails.
One horn can bring as much as $250,000 in China. In South Africa it is believed that 333 rhinos were killed in 2010 – 448 in 2011 and 633 in 2012. These are dismal statistics.
Some animals have been de-horned to try and protect them but they have been shot by the poachers anyway out of spite.
Rhinos calves or sickly older animals can be killed by lions, crocodiles and hyenas but human poaching is the biggest threat. Because they have such poor eyesight, they can easily be killed at the water holes that they frequent every day, if they are approached from down wind.
It is time that the world put aside the ridiculous need for “mis-guided political correctness and the requirement to understand all cultural sensitivity”. China and Vietnam need to be given a strong message to stop killing these animals. Rhino horn is not a medicine.
CITES – (The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) needs to stand up to the school yard bullies and helo to stop this. When all the incredible animals in Asia and Africa have vanished – what will happen to their tourist industries and what on earth will China do for medicine? I have a feeling that they will cope somehow.
To See A Rhino Foot Ash Tray Is A Grim Reminder of Our Disregard For Animals.
My Bias Is Showing Without Apology!
