western black rhinoceros already gone extinct

Vietnam and China area the worst countries in the world in terms of illicit Rhinoceros trade, so it is almost ironic that the last animal had to survive here… The mainland subspecies, who last haunt was Cat Tien NP in Vietnam, went extinct in 2010 following the last individual’s death at the hands of poachers. Incredibly elusive, these animals lead out a solitary existence among the mangroves, canals, and forests of the remote western part of the island. The Javan Rhinoceros, which once ranged all over mainland SE Asia as well as Java, only clings on as around 40 animals in the remote Ujung Kulon NP. The chobiensis subspecies of Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Zambia is extinct. Most rhinos in East Africa, such as the Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti, Masai Mara, and Laikipia are reintroduced “original” animals are thought to only still occur in Tanzania’s remote, huge, untouched Selous Game Reserve. The Black Rhino has only persisted, native in South Africa and Namibia, and even there, populations are threatened from poaching these healthy, large populations are in trouble.

A few may remain in the wild in their strongholds of the NE DRC and South Sudan. Even the comparatively less threatened Indian and White Rhinos are in trouble: The Indian Rhino’s range is restricted to a handful of tiny pockets in Nepal and India, while the White Rhino’s northern subspecies is almost extinct a handful remain on one game ranch in Kenya, many interbred with the southern white rhino subspecies. The SE Asian mainland subspecies of Sumatran Rhinoceros that used to occur in Thailand, Indochina, Burma, India, and China has also shared that fate, as well as the mainland subspecies of the Javan Rhinoceros. The subspecies situation is even worse: several of the Black Rhino subspecies have already gone extinct. Just examine the facts – Indian and White Rhinos are Vulnerable, with Black, Javan, and Sumatran Rhinos Critically Endangered. Few recognize the plight that plagues these animals it’s not just pandas and tigers that are in trouble, rhinos and elephants need help too whether you wish to believe it or not… All rhino species are on the doorstep of extinction and elephants are not far behind. Sadly though, all of the world’s other rhinoceros species are in trouble. It’s so sad to think that it could have just taken one properly managed National Park in N Cameroon or NE CAR and the species could have been saved. Recent surveys suggest that they are extinct here, in their last stand. Unfortunately the poaching continued, unstoppable, and a comprehensive survey in 2006 failed to locate any sign of the Western Black Rhino in its Cameroon stronghold. Soon after, Sudanese-caused poaching in the NE of the CAR during the 1980s caused rhinos to be nearly extinct (the same poaching which wiped out the CAR’s once famous elephant herds), with very few individuals surviving animals were still clinging on in the north of Cameroon though. Rhino populations crashed in this stronghold, with populations in national parks dwindling to only average abundance in the late 1970s. In the early half of the 19th century, they were reported as being quite common throughout NE CAR and Cameroon, but in the latter half, things took a turn for the worst. The Rhinos were common throughout this range, reaching maximum abundance in the tropical savannahs of Northern Cameroon, and Northeastern Central African Republic. The subspecies recently declared extinct, the Western Black Rhinoceros, occurred from Benin to the Eastern Central African Republic. Several subspecies occur throughout this range.

The Black Rhinoceros used to traditionally occur throughout Sub Saharan Africa from the tropical grasslands of Nigeria, to the deserts of Somalia, clear through the East African Rift Valley to South Africa, and then through the cape and to savannas of Angola. A really sad milestone just happened today, so I felt like writing on it as well as describe the bleak future facing the world’s rhinos.

Western black rhinoceros already gone extinct