Rhino numbers in Africa 'highest for decades'

Paul Eccleston, The Telegraph 17 Jun 08;

The rhino is staging a comeback in Africa, a new survey has revealed. Numbers of both the black and white rhino are at their highest level for decades.

Figures from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) show there are now more than 21,000 African rhinos.

The biggest success story is the black rhino (Diceros bicornis), which increased its numbers from 3,730 in 2005 to 4,180 in 2007 although it remains Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of species.

Numbers increased by about 450 animals with the discovery of new populations or boosted in other cases by the transplanting of animals to areas where they were previously scarce such as North Luangwa National Park, Zambia.

"This is fantastic news for the African black rhino," says Dr Richard Emslie, scientific officer of the IUCN SSC African Rhino Specialist Group.

"However, these magnificent creatures are not out of the woods yet. They are still classed as Critically Endangered and face increasing threats of poaching and civil unrest. There is no room for complacency."

Similarly the white rhino (Ceratotherium simum) also boosted its numbers from 14,540 in 2005 to 17,480 in 2007.

It is listed as Near Threatened on the Red List but one of its two subspecies, the Northern white rhino, is listed as Critically Endangered and may already be extinct.

Poaching for its prized horn restricted it in the wild to Garamba National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo where numbers fell from 30 in April 2003 to only four confirmed animals by August 2006.

Dr Martin Brooks, chair of the IUCN SSC African Rhino Specialist Group, said: "Worryingly, recent fieldwork has so far failed to find any presence of these four remaining rhinos.

"Unless animals are found during the intensive surveys that are planned under the direction of the African Parks Foundation, the subspecies may be doomed to extinction."

The majority of African black rhino can be found in just four countries - Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia and Kenya but with increasing numbers in other range states. All countries with breeding populations have recorded increases, except Zimbabwe, whose numbers are slightly down.

Poaching for its horn remains the biggest threat to the rhino and while it is under control in many countries it has been responsible for significant losses in both the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe.

"Even though protection from poaching is critical, effective rhino conservation must also include intensive monitoring and biological management to ensure annual growth rates of at least 5 per cent per year so that surplus rhinos are made available to create new populations," said Dr Brooks.

Group: Northern white rhinos near extinction
Yahoo News 17 Jun 08;

The northern white rhino of central Africa is on the verge of being wiped out, a conservation group said Tuesday.

The four surviving specimens of this rare subspecies have not been seen since August 2006, said Martin Brooks of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, which compiles an annual list of the world's most endangered animals.

The rhinos, which lived in Congo's Garamba National Park, were the last remaining northern white rhinos in the wild.

Other rhino species have fared better in recent years, according to IUCN. The number of southern white rhinos in Africa increased to 17,480 last year from 14,540 in 2005. African black rhinos increased to 4,180 in last year from 3,730 in 2005.

"They are still classed as critically endangered and face increasing threats of poaching and civil unrest," said Richard Emslie, a rhino specialist working for IUCN. "There is no room for complacency."

Rhinos are hunted by poachers for their horns, which are prized as trophies and as ingredients in traditional medicine.