- Poachers earn a lot of money by selling rhinoceros horns. An African rhinoceros horn that weighs about three and a half pounds will sell for $15,000. A rhinoceros horn from one of the Asian species will sell for even more – possibly $35,000 – because it is believed that their magic is stronger. Poachers who are caught are severely punished, but so much money is at stake that they are prepared to take that risk.
- There are two sub-species of white rhinoceros, northern and southern. A hundred years ago, scientists feared the southern white rhinoceros would soon become extinct. But with careful planning, their numbers have been increased to 3,500. Now the northern white rhinoceroses are in trouble. Scientists believe there are only 17 of them left in the wild. The northern white rhinoceros is the most endangered animal in the world.
- The only way to save the rhinoceros is to stop the trade in their horns. The World Wildlife Fund, an organization concerned with saving rare animals, is trying to do that. It asks people who buy rhinoceros horn to think about alternatives. There is really no need to use rhinoceros horn, and it has been proven to have no medicinal value.
- The problem with humans is two-fold. First of all, the human population is growing so fast that there is little room left for animals. In India and the Far East, the forests and jungles are being cleared to make room for people. The rhinoceroses are being pushed into smaller and more isolated areas, where they do not have room to live. An even bigger problem is that over the centuries, humans hunted the rhinoceros almost to extinction. They killed them for their horns.
- Some people believe that rhinoceros horns can work magic. Others use them to make medicine. Rhinoceros horns are made of keratin, which looks like coarse, matted hair. Scientist have proved that rhinoceros horns have no special powers, but people’s beliefs are hard to change. Rhinoceros horns are also in great demand in the Middle East countries, where they are made into dagger handles.
- People still hunt and kill rhinoceroses even though it is now against the law. But the areas where rhinoceroses live are difficult to police. The hunters, called poachers, go out secretly into the jungle or the savannah and are able to kill the rhinoceroses before the police catch up with them. They hack off the horns and leave the body of the rhinoceros to rot.
- The rhinoceros family is about 60 million years old. Back then, many types of rhinoceros lived all over the world – in Europe, Asia, and Africa, as well as in North America. Now there are only five species left in the world: the black, the white, the Indian, the Sumatran, and the Javan. All of these rhinoceroses are in danger of extinction, where they live. No on is allowed to kill rhinoceroses for any reason.
- The black and white rhinoceroses live in Africa. Once they were found in many parts of Africa, but today they are scarce. Too many have been killed by people. The Indian rhinoceros used to be common all over India. The Sumatran and Javan rhinoceroses are also at risk. There are only about 500 Sumatran rhinoceroses left in all of Malaysia and Indonesia. The last fifty Javan rhinoceroses live on a reserve in Indonesia.
- Rhinoceroses are vegetarians. They do not eat other animals, but live on a diet of coarse grass and leaves. There is always plenty for them to eat in the wild, whether they live in the African grasslands or the Indonesian jungle. Rhinoceroses are big, powerful animals. The largest, the Indian rhinoceros, stands six feet high at the shoulder. No other creatures in the wild dare to attack them. Only humans threaten the survival of the rhinoceroses.