Great news has come from the wildlife front, as a latest report issued by the International Rhino Foundation reveals a mixed picture for the world’s five rhino species.
The number of critically endangered black rhinos has increased slightly, but there is bad news for other rhino species, as per the latest global count released last week by the International Rhino Foundation.
The latest numbers show that black rhino went up from 6,195 to 6,788. White rhinos had declined from 15,942 to 15,752 since the last count in 2021. Black and white rhinos are only found in the wild in Africa.
The number of greater one-hundred rhinos, found in northern India and Nepal rose slightly from 4,014 to 4,075.
But, Javan rhinos have declined from an estimated 76 to just 50, the foundation said, and that was entirely due to poaching. There is only one known population of Javan rhinos left, at a national park on the Indonesian Island of Java.
The global population of all rhinos is approximately 26,700.
Rhinos threatened by new trafficking routes
The international Rhino Foundation says it gets its figures from counts by specialist rhino groups at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the global authority on endangered species.
It doesn’t count rhinos in zoos, only those in the wild or in national parks.
South Africa is home to the largest rhino population worldwide, with approximately 16,056 rhinos, comprising both black and white species.
However, conservationists are concerned about the declining numbers due to poaching.
The Rhino Renaissance Campaign, launched in July 2024, aims to rebuild the white rhino population in Kruger National Park from 2,000 to 12,000 within the next decade.
It also said a new rhino horn trafficking route was emerging between South Africa and Mongolia, while Qatar was becoming a growing hub for horn trafficking.
South African scientists have launched the Rhisotope Project, a groundbreaking initiative that injects radioactive isotopes into rhino horns to combat poaching.
This innovative approach aims to disrupt the illegal Wildlife trade by making g horns detectable at international borders.
Just last year, The Rhisotope Project’s trials involved injecting isotopes into 20 rhinos at a sanctuary, demonstrating the effectiveness of the approach. The radioactive isotopes can be detected by radiation detectors at airports and borders, potentially leading to the arrest of poachers and traffickers.