What 2018 Meant to Rhinos
Before we kick 2019 off properly, it’s time to take a look at how last year treated our favourite member of the Big Five. We’ve put together a summary of the main events (both good and bad) that took place in the world of rhinos last year.
The 3 most promising solutions to rhino poaching
We need to stop the slaughter of our rhinos. Rhinos are being poached for their ivory horns, which are more valuable than gold in Southeast and Far East Asia. Here are the top 3 solutions that experts have devised.
Hope for the northern white rhino subspecies: rhino impregnated in California
A southern white rhino female, named Victoria, has been impregnated via artificial insemination, researchers announced on Thursday. “It’s very exciting because this is our first pregnant rhino from artificial insemination here at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park,” Barbara Durrant, director of reproductive sciences at the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research told AP. […]
IVF techniques to provide hope for Northern White Rhino
Scientists hope that advances in in vitro fertilization (IVF) techniques can offer hope for the survival of the northern white rhino, after the last male of the species died last week. The death last week of Sudan, the last northern white rhino male, has led to worries that the subspecies will go extinct, as the […]
The DNA of rhino conservation
Forensic science is key to help protect rhinos and other wildlife under siege, believes Dr Cindy Harper. Harper, who heads up the Onderstepoort Veterinary Genetics Laboratory at the University of Pretoria, has been instrumental in doing DNA profiling of rhinos and setting up the so-called RhODIS electronic database system at the university. Read more about […]
Taking care of the survivors
By Jorisna Bonthuys Dr. Johan Marais knows the ugly face of rhino poaching all too well. He is one of the veterinarians involved in taking care of the survivors. Marais, one of the founding members of Saving the Survivors, is regarded as one of the best rhino surgeons in the world. He is part of […]
Rhino horn consumers remain key
By Jorisna Bonthuys The rhino’s horn is something that only became a characteristic feature of this animal later in its evolutionary history. We know from historic records that some prehistoric rhinos looked more like little horses or modern tapirs (animals with long noses that live in tropical forests). Some even had woolly coats! The diverse […]
Is it black or white? Or grey?
Distinguishing between SA’s two endemic rhino species is by no means black and white. In fact, when it comes to the colour of their hides it’s pretty much all grey. A popular theory holds that the animal we know and love today as the white rhino was initially named by Dutch explorers or settlers for […]
Only 3 northern white rhino left
There are now only three northern white rhino left in the world. Nola, a 41-year-old female who was one of just three of her kind, was euthanized at a safari park in San Diego USA on Sunday. This leaves only Sudan, the last surviving male, and two females who live under constant armed guard in […]
Conservation success story from Nepal
The conservation story of the critically endangered greater one-horned rhino in Nepal remains a beacon of hope and a case study of success for other countries to learn from. At its lowest point in the 1960’s the population of Rhinoceros unicornis (also called the Indian rhino) numbered just 100. With effective conservation and anti-poaching measures, […]