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Save the Rhinos!A bit of history...All five species of rhinos are endangered. In the early 20th Century, the rhino population dwindled to almost nothing. Luckily, we had some concerned conservationists who thought they were worth saving. Efforts in the past century have given the rhino a chance to have a comeback of sorts. The quest to save the White rhino has been most successful. In the early 1900's there were only about 25 of them in existence. Now there are about 12,000! On the other hand, there are only about 60 Javan rhinos alive today. So, there still is a lot of work to be done! To get the numbers for the other species, go here. Why are rhinos endangered?Rhinos are killed for their horns. Unlike elephants and other horned animals, rhino horns are made of keratin, not ivory. There are many people in this world who believe that that the horn has medicinal value. In China, specifically, they use powdered rhino horn to lower fevers. Rhinoceros horns are also seen as status symbols. In Yemen, Muslim men use them as ceremonial daggers. Killing a rhino is illegal, but there are poachers who can receive a a great deal of money for a rhino horn. It is tragedy that rhinos are killed for their horns and left to rot when they could be removed without killing them. In fact, sometimes conservationists resort to dehorning the animals in order to protect them. Conservationists have been trying to decrease the demand by educating the public and making them aware that there are other alternatives. For instance, they have promoted herbs as a better and cheaper means to reducing fever. Conservationists hope that by decreasing the demand for rhino horns, this illegal poaching will stop. What can be done?Along with educating the public, rhino conservationists have resorted to relocation. Sometimes it is known that the rhinos would have a better of chance of survival in a different area. Moving a rhino is a difficult task. Imagine trying to move a 6000 pound creature! Obviously, this requires a lot of hard work and money. Rhinos are often relocated to national parks where they can be guarded and they sometimes end up in zoos. There was a great deal of excitement at the Cincinnati Zoo in 2001 when when one of the rarer species, the Sumatran rhino, gave birth to a calf. This was only the second time a Sumatran rhino in captivity had given birth! Many calves have been born to other rhino species in zoos and parks, but the Sumatran rhino is a more bashful, sensitive creature, so this was conisidered a great success! You can actually see the mother and baby here as two of the rhinos who paint! They are the two pictured at the top of the page. These small successes keep rhino conservationists going. Can I help?There are many organizations dedicated to saving the rhinoceros. Here are a few that you may contact and find out what you can do from there. International Rhino Foundation |