Rhino Conservation


Perhaps one of Africa's most iconic creatures, the rhino is a must-see on any wildlife enthusiast's checklist. Sadly, however, these magnificent animals are endangered, and this issue is getting increasingly worse. With white rhino populations only numbering 20,000 and black rhino numbers at an all-time low of around 5,000 - the issue is becoming critical.

In 2017, more than 1,000 rhinos were poached from the wild in South Africa alone, and the number continues to increase across Africa. The key reason behind this is the astronomical price of rhino horn. Amazingly, it can reach $100,000 a kilogram on the black market (with a rhino horn weighing in on average between 1-3 kg), rivalling, if not overtaking, the price of gold, platinum and other hugely lucrative industries. This is just one of the many reasons that rhino conservation is more important now than ever before, and with The Great Projects, you can play your part in this. 

Rhino conservation projects are, therefore, critical in combating this tragedy, and the rhinos need your help on the front line! You could contribute to rhino conservation in a number of ways - whether it be notching and monitoring, or game capture and care, every little helps!

So, take a look at the projects we have on offer, and we can help you start your rhino conservation journey today!

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Rhinos At A Glance

ENDANGERED STATUS
Endangered/ Critically Endangered
NUMBER REMAINING IN THE WILD
Around 29,000
ENDEMIC REGION
Asia and Africa

How Endangered Are Rhinos

There are five different species of rhino, each of which are endangered but to different extents. The most endangered is the Javan rhino, and the fact that there are only 58-61 remaining makes it the rarest large mammal on Earth. The Sumatran rhino has marginally more of its species remaining with 100, and the Greater one-horned rhino has a population of around 3,300. Then we come to the two more well-known rhino species. The Black rhino is estimated to have around 5,455 individuals remaining, and the White rhino 21,077. These numbers are a clear indication that something needs to change soon.

Threats Rhinos Are Facing

Rhinos may look strong and almost invincible, but they are not and they are struggling to survive. Reasons include:

  • Poaching - as mentioned above, since 2007 the number of rhinos being poached for their horn is increasing dramatically, and with over 1000 rhinos being killed each year this is a huge percentage of the population being wiped out.
  • Habitat Loss – a lot of the land that the rhino lives in has been cleared for human settlement and logging, and this is further limiting the already small land mass the animal has to live on.
Fast Facts
  • The black rhinoceros is in fact grey in colour. They often assume the colour of the local soil in which they wallow.
  • The oxpecker bird is a welcome passenger to the rhino as it picks parasitic ticks out of the rhino’s skin. The birds provide another valuable warning service to the rhino as it is known to screech loudly when humans approach.
  • Some rhinos have been de-horned to make them worthless to poachers!

 

Where you can go
Contact Info
UK Office
The Great Traveller Ltd,
3 Dairy Yard
Star Street
Ware, Hertfordshire
SG12 7DX
United Kingdom

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   Sat 10am-4pm

T: +44(0) 208 885 4987