Africa's Western Black Rhino: An Extinct Species

And while some try to save these animals from extinction, others only want to kill them for profit. These poachers have wiped all of the Northern White Rhinos in the wild. They sell the ivory from their horn for large sums of money. Now only 3 Northern White Rhinos survive in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, all have passed the age in which they were able to breed naturally, so they will either become

Also as mentioned in Radiolab, the problem animals are often older males that pick more fights and kill the younger species (“The Rhino Hunter”). The species that are although endangered, removing the specie that is more problematic will benefit the other species more. By targeting only the animals that are problematic, often past reproductive age, it benefits the younger species. For example, the older species are more known for picking fights with other fellow endangered species. This often results in catastrophic, messy fights that can kill or severely injure both of them. By hunting the animal that is more dangerous to a species, will benefit the species more, because it increases their survival without the problematic animal to cause harm. The wildlife conservation’s goal is to preserve wildlife, but if an animal is causing harm to the other animals, it is better for the other animals if the problematic animal were to be hunted, because the money gained would go toward saving the

“Extinction means having no living representatives, having died out” (Dictionary.Com). We’re currently experiencing the worst spate of species die-offs since the loss of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago” (Center for Biological Diversity). Among all the species, there are still animals that have a hope of living the next generation. Despite being threatened they are not endangered. The orca whale, commonly known as the killer whale is a prime example. To date approximately 50,000 orca populations thrive though out the world. Previously the world wide estimate was double that, at 100,000 (Kirby). It has been found in resent studies that the orca population is decreasing due to many hardships they face such as toxins, captivity, and depletion of food.

The white rhinoceros and the Asian elephant possess many similar characteristics, including the way they look, yet also possess many differences such as the two continents they live on. There are five living species of rhino (black, white, Indian, Javan and Sumatran) and only two of the elephant (African and the Asian). All are in jeopardy of extinction with their slow rate of breeding, poaching and in the rhinoceroses, their territorial behavior.

An endangered species is defined by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service as "an animal or plant species in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range." In the United States, these animals can be listed under and protected by the Endangered Species Act. Endangered Species in the United States include the black-footed ferret and the California red-legged frog. The International Union for Conservation of Nature also keeps a Red List of Threatened Species, the most widely recognized list of endangered and threatened species. On this list, for example, are all the surviving subspecies of tiger, which range from endangered to critically

Northern white rhinos, also known as Ceratotherium cottoni, in recent years have gone from over 2,000 to a total of five in existence. Sun, Fatu, Sudan, and Najin are all currently living at the SanDiego Zoo and at Kenya's Ol Pejeta Conservancy; however they were at one time native to the Eastern and Central parts of Africa but would stay South of the Sahara desert. Despite coming from such a harsh environment, Ceratotherium cottoni have a spectacular beauty. Fully grown white rhinos will typically stand about 4 foot 3 inches high from ground to shoulder and range anywhere from 7 foot 10 inches to 10 foot 6 inches in length. They will generally weigh around 1500 pounds however the heaviest recorded weight is 2,204.6 pounds. Every rhino has

The poachers kill the elephants so that they can cut off the elephants ivory tusks; seventy percent of the demand for the ivory is in China. In 1980, there were one point two million elephants in Africa. At the start of 2014, because of poaching, wildlife officials think there are about five hundred thousand elephants remaining (Elephant Poaching). In 1989, CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) banned international trade in ivory to fight the massive illegal trade. After the ban came into force in 1990 major ivory markets were eliminated. As a result, African elephant populations experienced a decrease in illegal killings, especially where they were protected. Because of this, it allowed some elephant populations to recover. According to the World Wildlife Foundation, in 2014 the total population of African elephants was about seven hundred thousand. In South America, the African elephant population is large and expanding, with more than three hundred thousand within the region. Large groups of elephants are kept in well-protected areas. However, conservative estimates were that twenty-three thousand African elephants were killed by poachers in 2013, and less than twenty percent of African elephant range was under protection (Wikipedia). The article “African Elephant” by Martin Harvey states that

They are also the most desired because of that aspect. They include the African Elephant, Black Rhinoceros, Cape Buffalo, African Lion, and African Leopard. The African Lion and Elephant are classified as vulnerable which means if the circumstances threatening its survival and reproduction rate does not improve then they will be likely to become endangered. The African leopard is near threatened but is still at a lower risk. The Black Rhino, however, is critically endangered which means they are very close to being extinct in the wild and the Cape buffalo is the most popularly hunted however it is of least concern for endangerment although in uncontrolled areas the population is on the decline due to poaching and urbanization. (World Wildlife Fund)

Regulated trophy hunting in Africa is helping conservation efforts. In 1895, there were fewer than 50 White Rhinos left in the world. In 1968 when their numbers increased to a little less than 2,000, the South African Government started to allow regulated trophy hunting. Now

Evidence shows that we cannot put an exact figure that will completely end the Rhinoceros poaching issue because we have not found a suitable way that can stop the poaching, ways have been developed to reduce the number of Rhinoceros killings but not put a stop to it.

Main causes for endangerment is destruction of the biome, hunting, and pollution. Some of the endangered animals include gorillas and bengal tigers. Gorillas are endangered because of destruction of the environment and hunting. There is an estimated 80% of gorilla population extinct. The bengal tiger is endangered because of poaching. Since bengal tigers do not die easily from bullets poachers would kill them with poisoned meats to cause the tiger a long and agonising death. There are also endangered plants, such as the orchids and mangrove trees. The orchids are endangered because of how beautiful they are and people just want to pick them. Mangrove trees are endangered because of poachers trying to get there bark off of the tree. So many plants and animals will be extinct if there is not a

I did research on the Asian Elephants which is also known as Elephas Maximus which is the scientific name. These animals are now known as an endangered species. This means a species of plants or animals that is seriously at risk of extinction. Today I will explain many different things about the elephants including their description, habitat, diet, the threats and causes of endangerment, and last but not least their status today.

Half a century ago, White Rhinos used to roam the vast lands of South Africa. But for some reason, the number of rhinos has dropped by a million. The answer to this cause is simple. Poaching. Poaching has continued for many years and has caused a huge number of African animals to become extinct. With only 25,000 rhinos left in the world, this huge situation should not only be recognized in Africa, but should also be noticed all over the world.

One species that is in decline is the Black Rhino. The black rhino is endangered due to European hunters. It was routine for five or six rhinos to be killed per day for food and even for amusement (Black Rhino, n.d.). Another reason black rhinos are in decline is because they have two horns, with the front horn being longer than the rear horn. This makes them popular targets for the illegal trade in rhino horn. Today, black rhinos remain critically endangered due to the increasing demand for rhino horn.

The Black rhinoceros or hook-lipped rhinoceros is separated from the white rhinoceros by their pointed or hooked upper lip that is used for feeding. The black rhinoceros has two horns and although it is named the black rhino its colors range from a dark yellow-brown to a gray color. An adult usually weighs 1,800 to 3,100 lbs. but they have been reported as weighing up to as much as 6,400 lbs. They can stand up to about 6 feet tall and be as long as 9 – 12 feet not counting an average 2 foot tail. The longer of their two horns is typically about 20 inches but some have been known to grow up to almost 5 feet. These horns have many purposes such as intimidation, defense, and feeding. They have thick and durable skin designed to protect against the harsh environments they live in.