White Rhinoceros are the second-largest land mammal and their name comes from an Afrikaans word, a West Germanic language, “weit” which means wide and refers to the animal’s mouth. Also known as the square-lipped rhinoceros, white rhinos have a square upper lip. Two genetically different subspecies exist the northern and southern white rhino, and are found in two different regions in Africa. As of March 2018, there are only two rhinos of the northern white rhino left, both of which are female. They live in Kenya and are protected round-the-clock by armed guards. Their near extinction is due to decades of rampant poaching for rhino horn.
Rhino poaching in Southern Africa is the illegal act of slaughtering Rhinoceros in the southern African countries of Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa, where most of Africa's rhinos live. The most common reason for rhino poaching is to meet the high demand for their horns in Asian countries, where the horn is predominantly used in Traditional Chinese Medicine but is increasingly being used as a symbol of wealth and prosperity. In previous generations, the most common rhino poaching activity was hunting for recreational purposes. Because of excessive poaching, rhino populations have decline rapidly since the 1970s, leaving some species critically endangered and facing extinction.
Rhino poaching is illegal and there are several organizations in place to save the rhinos and prevent poachers and traffickers. International rhino horn trade is illegal; however, a lucrative black market exists stemming from the rising demand from South East Asian countries, particularly Vietnam and China. Rhino horn is estimated to be valued at $60,000 per 1 pound (0.45 kg) on the black market, a value approximately three times that of gold.
In 2023, 499 rhinos were killed in South Africa, a worrying increase of more than 10% compared to 2022. Moreover, the numbers highlight serious ongoing concerns for Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park in the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Province, which has been heavily targeted in recent years and lost 307 rhinos to poaching during 2023, which represents more than 60% of the national poaching losses and is an increase of 33% compared to 2022.
Join us for a tour and see these magnificent creatures in South Africa. Tours where chances are the best to see them are:
Email info@amatungulu.com for more info.
Video is taken somewhere in Kruger National Park, a baby Rhino frolicking between vehicles with mommy close by.
See you soon!
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