About african rhinos

African rhino: a success story

Black rhino
Also called the ‘hook-lipped’ rhino, the black rhino has a prehensile upper lip, which is used to browse and feed on twigs of woody plants and legumes. In 1997, there were 2,599 black rhinos remaining in the wild. Today, they are 3,725 individuals in a patchy distribution from Cameroon in the west to Kenya to South Africa.

There are four black rhino sub-species, three of which are classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN-The World Conservation Union: southern-central black rhino (Diceros bicornis. minor), south-western black rhino (D. bicornis bicornis) and the east black rhino (D. bicornis. michaeli). The West African black rhino (D. bicornis. longipes) is classified as Probably Extinct.

White Rhino
Also known as the ‘square-lipped’ rhinoceros, white rhinos have a squared (not pointed) upper lip. They are larger than the black rhino and have almost no hair.

There are two white rhino sub-species. The northern white rhino (Ceratotherium. simum. cottoni) is considered a Critically Endangered sub-species and now only survives in Garamba National Park, DRC. The population continues to decrease, with only a reported four individuals remaining in the wild in mid 2006.

The southern white rhino (Ceratotherium simum. simum), on the other hand, is one of conservation’s greatest success stories. Thought to be extinct in the late 19th century, in 1895 a small population of less than 100 was discovered in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa. After more than a century of protection and management, the southern white rhinos are now the only non-endangered rhinos. Classified as Near Threatened by IUCN, they currently number about 14,500 animals in protected areas and private game reserves.