October 2, 2008
Weekly News UpdateBlack Rhinos Released Into the Wild
Conservationists hope the recent release of endangered black rhinos into the wild will put the species on the path to recovery. (Photo credit: Gary M. Stolz/US FWS)
Captive-bred black rhinos were released this week into their natural habitat in Kenya. The release of black rhinos into the wild was hailed by conservationists as a victory in the effort to return black rhinoceros populations to normal. During the nineteenth century, black rhinos were widespread across the continent of Africa. Although black rhinos are typically solitary animals, European explorers recounted seeing dozens of black rhinos over the span of just one day. Unfortunately, black rhino populations quickly plummeted across eastern, western, and central Africa due to rampant poaching by settlers.
The main reason behind the poaching of black rhinos is the desire for the rhinos' horn. In the 1960s and 1970s, poaching reached an all-time high due to high demand for rhinoceros horns in the Middle Eastern and Asian markets. In the Middle East, rhino horns are made into daggers carried by Yemeni men as a status symbol. In Asia, rhino horns are used in the creation of traditional medicines touted as a cure for fever. As a result of these demands, black rhino populations decline significantly. In the 1970s, the black rhino population in Kenya was estimated to be 20,000 animals. Since that time, the rhino population has declined to only about 500 animals. Clearly, unless conservation biologists intervened, black rhinos were on the very brink of extinction. In order to protect the black rhinos from extinction, the remaining animals were confined to wildlife sanctuaries.
Members of the Kenyan Wildlife Service and members from the Zoological Society of London are working in collaboration in the effort to return black rhinos to the wild. A primary part of the recovery effort is to make the wild a safe place for the rhinos. The prevention of poaching is key to the black rhinos' survival in their natural habitat. Anti-poaching efforts, such as increasing the penalties for poaching and an increase in anti-poaching patrols, were instituted. Another important aspect of the black rhinos' recovery program was the development of a breeding program. As a part of the breeding program, researchers worked to maintain individual populations at an optimal size and moved rhinos of reproductive age from one population to another to help bolster healthy populations.
Introducing healthy black rhinos back into the wild is the first step in returning black rhino populations back to normal levels. A combination of vigilant anti-poaching patrols, education programs, and the maintenance of a healthy breeding population will be necessary to ensure the long-term success of black rhinos in the wild.