Wildlife, Nature, Conservation, and Photography
The World Is a Tough Place To Be a Rhino
These gentle giants desperately need our help, and we should care more!
Earlier this year, I ventured out on safari, setting out to experience the beauty of our natural world and its enthralling inhabitants. Amongst these are animals big and small. Unfortunately, some of these animals are persecuted for various reasons to varying degrees.
Elephant tusks are sought for the ivory trade, where dealers are selling finely crafted ivory ornaments and art pieces. However, nothing about this I would consider art. Lions are killed for their bones to use in traditional medicine within Africa. Some animals are simply killed as a cultural ritual of displaying ones’ manhood and strength. But despite all this killing none of these compares to the grave threat faced by our Rhino population. Coveted by some Asian cultures for use in traditional medicines and sexual stimulants, their horn is highly prized and sought by any means necessary.
Rhinos are peaceful, compassionate and gentle animals. They go about their business without disturbance to their surroundings. They do not engage in conflict with their fellow animals. Elephants have been known to attack Rhinos on occasion but even this is rare, as Rhinos simply coexist harmoniously with their neighbors and surrounding environment. Looking at them it is hard to imagine what they did to deserve a fate such as the one bestowed upon them by humanity.
Orphaned Calves Left To Fend for Themselves in an Unforgiving World
Imagine waking up one morning to find your loved ones lying in a pool of their blood, limbs hacked off with a saw or an axe, perhaps while they were still conscious. Their appendages were sold to the highest bidder. Rhino calves sometimes stumble upon a scene such as this. Finding their mothers motionless and unresponsive. All too often calves are left to fend for themselves in a world, that while beautiful, can be unforgiving. The natural world is tough enough already. We do not have to make it any tougher on these beautiful animals.
Humanity Failed Rhinos by Favoring Our Selfish Greed
This is where I am reminded of my recent experience. At a National Park in South Africa, we had the unfortunate experience of being present the same day a Rhino had been slaughtered. As we heard the unmistakable sound of a helicopter flying overhead and anti-poaching vehicles speeding past us as we were viewing the game, we were starting to suspect that tragedy had struck. A White Rhino mother had been killed for her horn. The shocking thing… the entire Rhino population within the park have already been de-horned the previous year. Poachers will kill a Rhino for which is quite literally an inch of the remaining horn. For officials and rangers to remove as much as that would cause pain and discomfort to the animal and thus a small piece is left. The Rhino had succumbed to its wounds on the side of the main road, abandoned and deserted for scavengers to eat the carcass of this once great beast.
This proved to be a stark reminder for the remainder of our trip, of the cruelty of humans towards the species with whom we share this world. Alas, amongst the heartbreak and sadness of the killing of a strong, courageous animal came one silver lining… A Rhino calf belonging to the mother had been saved by rangers. We were allowed to see the baby in question. Sleeping after being darted, the calf, ignorant about the horror which had transpired only hours earlier was loaded onto a vehicle and taken to a safe new home. This calf will wake up to a confusing new world, one which no longer contains the familiar face of a loving mother and protector. A world that must seem so different than the one it had been experiencing only a few hours earlier. Humanity had essentially turned the life of this innocent animal upside down for its selfish greed.
A mere four months before this fateful day, I had the enormous fortune of seeing a White Rhino mother and calf sharing tender moments. They were grazing peacefully in the bush. This same Rhino pairing had an encounter with a group of 4 cheetahs, the next morning, which ended predictably. Not even 20 cheetahs would be a match for a mature, protective mother Rhino. They were likely the same ones who had been separated, so untimely, by man’s greed and cruelty.
The Northern White Rhino Is Functionally Extinct
Black and white Rhino populations in Africa and even South Africa are in danger. This is not in dispute. Despite the success which South African authorities (mostly non-governmental) have had in saving our Rhino species from extinction in the early 2000s, where numbers rose dramatically from around 11000 back up to an estimated 17000 odd, success stories such as these are far too few. For every win, conservationists achieve there seem to be more losses. The starkest reminder of this is that the Northern White Rhino is functionally extinct. This comes after the last Northern white Rhino male, Sudan died in 2018. Only 2 females remain in a private reserve in Kenya, and they are under 24-hour armed guard. Barring a conservation and breeding miracle, the Great Northern White Rhino will die out. A species which along with its ancestors has inhabited the earth for millions of years, wiped out by a species (humanity) still in its infancy, only bursting onto the scene roughly 200 000 years ago.
The sad truth to all of the above is that a Rhino horn is not made from some sort of mystical material or element. Not some ointment that cures even the harshest ailments nor a magical powder that grants you endless fertility and sexual vigor. Rhino horn is composed of keratin. Yes, that keratin. The same material which composes our fingernails. In essence, biting your fingernails would give you the same non-existent benefits as a Rhino horn would. Despite this, the horn is glorified, coveted and trafficked by individuals lacking any humanity and moral compass. Tons upon tons of Rhino horn is shipped to the Far East and surrounding countries by syndicates and businessmen. Sometimes even government officials are involved in the hope of making a quick buck. Profit is what drives humanity. A pursuit that has caused our natural world to deteriorate in front of our very eyes.
Call to Action
A way to combat all of this relies totally on us. We need to acknowledge the threat faced by our mega-fauna. We need to be vocal in our support for the rangers on the ground and the brave people protecting these vulnerable animals. We need to encourage people to visit reserves and national parks. We need to invest in these wonderful places which will stimulate the economy of that area. This will in turn allow reserves to employ more rangers and provide better training. Funds will be put to use to repair old fences and infrastructure. Rangers can be fitted with modern equipment replacing old technology. Syndicates are always evolving and our rangers need to be able to keep up. A part that is also often overlooked is the value that a Rhino population brings to an area. I know of local reserves where people go simply because they can see one of our Big 5 animals. Without these animals, interest might drop resulting in a decline in visitors. More visitors to a reserve also means more eyes and ears. Visitors can spot any disturbances such as broken fences and traps.
We also need to be outspoken towards the perpetrators and put in place harsher penalties. Ignoring the problem and turning a blind eye won’t solve anything. As people who love to view animals in their natural habitat, we face the risk of losing one of the greatest and strongest animals our world has ever seen, as we sit idly by. Profit makes us turn our backs on nature. It makes us turn our backs on those we are meant to protect. A Rhino is a gentle animal. They pose us no danger. They do not pursue us relentlessly. They do not bring hunting dogs to chase us from hiding. They do not lay traps for us from which we are unable to break free and die a miserable, cruel death, eventually grateful as our life is snuffed out and the suffering finally ends. Rhinos do not challenge our existence, so why do we threaten theirs?
