November 12, 2011

• Mother Nature weeps: The death of the Black Rhinos

  Environment

  BBC reported that according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, a subspecies of Black Rhinos, the Western Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis longipes), are now extinct.

  This is such a sad story. Mother Nature weeps. Apparently they have fallen victim to the greed and need of people.

  "You've got to imagine an animal walking around with a gold horn; that's what you're looking at, that's the value and that's why you need incredibly high security," Simon Stuart of IUCN was quoted by BBC as saying.

  The following information is directly lifted from The Sixth Extinction, a website created by Peter Maas of the Netherlands.

  Western Black Rhinos

  Length: 3-3.8 meters or 10-12.5 feet
  Height: 1.4-1.7 meters or 4.5-5.5 feet
  Weight: 800-1350 kg or 1750-3000 lbs
  Characteristics: Has two horns, one longer anterior horn and another more posterior shorter horn. Has a relatively pointed snout and a pointed prehensile lip.

  Range and habitat: Once ranged throughout the savannah zones of central-west Africa. The last  survivors of this subspecies remained in northern Cameroon. (African Rhino Specialist Group, 2003) 

  Food: The black rhino is principally a browser, using its prehensile upper lip to grasp stems, branches, twigs and leaves. (Emslie, R. and Brooks, M. (1999) African Rhino. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan).

  The story: The black rhino has suffered great losses due to hunting and poaching particularly in the beginning of the 20th Century. Beginning in the 1930's, a spectacular rehabilitation of the numbers of the Western Black Rhino was observed when the administration introduced strong protection measures. Afterwards, efforts to protect wildlife declined and since the 1980's the harmful effects became clearly visible. (Planton, H. 1999. Rhinoceros Noir du Nord Ouest de l’Afrique (Diceros bicornis longipes): Le Compte à Rebours Continue. Pachyderm).

  In 1980, an estimated 25 Western Black Rhinos were still alive in Chad, but by 1990 it was considered extinct in this country. Also in 1980, an estimated 100 individuals were present in Northern Cameroon, but by May 1993, this population had declined to between 30 and 35 animals. During 1994, three more killed rhinos were reported and in 1996 at least another four animals were killed. Two rhinos are known to have been poached since 1996, one of which had been radio-tagged. WWF sponsored surveys of range areas in 1996-97 indicated that at least 10 rhinos remained with a possible eight other unconfirmed. (Emslie and Brooks, 1999).

  In 2000, Dr. Martin Brooks of IUCN estimated that just ten of the rhinos were still alive and could have drifted too far apart from each other to breed. (Times Online 2006. West African black rhino 'is extinct'). Genetic research showed that the Western Black Rhinos showed the least genetic diversity. (Harley, E.H., Baumgarten, I., Cunningham, J., and O'Ryan, C. 2005. Genetic variation and population structure in remnant populations of black rhinoceros, Diceros bicornis, in Africa. Molecular Ecology).

  Early 2006, a panel of experts systematically scoured 2,500 kilometers (1,200 miles) of habitat in Northern Cameroon. This intensive survey of the West African Black Rhinos has failed to locate any sign of their continued presence in their last refuge in Northern Cameroon. As a result, IUCN announced that this subspecies has been tentatively declared as extinct.

  Causes of extinction: The extinction of this subspecies of black rhino was caused by pouching for their horn, lack of finance, limited anti-poaching efforts, limited local capacity for conservation management, failure of courts to hand down sentences that can act as a deterrent to potential poachers, and genetic and demographic factors.

  Looks to me like a case of impunity.

  (Source: BBC, IUCN, The Sixth Extinction, and WWF | Photo credit: BBC/AP, AWF, Bush Warriors, True Wild Life, and Desktop Wallpapers 365 | Video credit: National Geographic)

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