Rhino Conservation

The African black rhino and Indian one-horned Rhino are one of the world's most gravely endangered animals and rhino conservation is one of the key priorities worldwide. The reason rhino conservation is necessary is purely because of the illegal poaching of these rhinos down the years which has had a devastating effect on their numbers in wild (as recently as 1970 there were estimated to be 65,000 black rhinos in the wild) and similar fate is of Indian rhinos which are in hundreds and poached for their precious horn fetching millions in International wildlife trade.. Another profitable outlet for rhino poachers is the Yemen, where rhino horn is used to make the handles on traditional daggers.Poverty in Africa and India worsens the grim scene.Sadly, as long as the poaching ofthese rhinos in poor countries remains highly profitable there will always be illegal poachers and - as a result - the need for rhino conservation projects.

Rhino conservation in Africa is vital for many reasons. The most obvious and immediate necessity for rhino conservation is to stop the rhinos themselves from becoming extinct (which is a very real possibility). However there are also secondary benefits to rhino conservation. Rhino conservation helps to conserve other African species which also benefit from the anti-poaching measures put in place to try and protect black rhinos. For example rhino conservation helps to protects elephants (who are poached for their ivory) and antelopes (who are poached for the bush meat trade).

Aside from the anti-poaching measures that are put in place, other African wildlife also benefits from rhino conservation in other ways. A key strategy of rhino conservation is to provide large, protected spaces to allow black rhinos all of the space they naturally require to roam and graze. When rhino conservation projects provide such protected areas for black rhinos a knock-on effect is that lots of other wildlife also benefits.

POACHING-HABITAT LOSS For rhino conservation to work effectively it is sometimes necessary to physically re-locate gravely endangered herds to areas where they have more security and, as a consequence of this, greater breeding potential. This aspect of rhino conservation is obviously extremely specialised and requires plenty of funding, so the support of wildlife conservation organisations such as the WWF is absolutely vital.

In India one-horned rhinos are found in world famous Kaziranga and Manas National parks in the north-eastern part ,Assam. Though strict mearures are being taken to salvage this wonderful species but ongoing insurgency and borders with Bangladesh, Mynmar, Bhutan ,inhospitable terrain, poverty and easy money are making enforcement measures almost ineffective and poaching is going on.

Rhinos and other large animals need a sizeable area to support them. If people encroach on their territory, the animals are forced into ever smaller pockets. This fragmentation usually results in a shortage of food and a limited gene pool for breeding. Efforts are being made to create wildlife corridors to link remaining rhino areas so the animals are no longer isolated. It is widely recognised that conservation measures work best when the local people are given responsibility for managing wildlife and receive the income from associated tourism. If people are forced to compete with wildlife for scarce resources, human needs will always win out.

Another issue associated with habitat loss is that large animal species end up sharing ever smaller areas. It is common for elephants and rhinos to clash with one another if forced into close proximity.

INTERNATIONAL EFFORTS FOR CONSERVATION The trade in rhino horn has been banned by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) since 1980, but poaching still poses the greatest threat to the species. Rhino horn commands a high price in parts of Asia, especially China, where it is used as a medicine for rheumatism, arthritis and fever. Indian rhino horn is particularly sought after.

Rhinos are poached for other reasons too. Rhino horn is also sold as a decorative material. For example, it is used for the carved handles on ceremonial daggers (Jambiyas) worn in some Middle Eastern countries. There is also a lucrative trade in rhino hides and meat.

There are two ways to stop poaching. The first is to protect the rhinos by creating reserves with armed patrols to try to prevent poachers getting access to the animals. The second is to reduce demand through outreach educational programmes aimed at traditional medicine practitioners and their patients.