Southern white rhinoceros6/8/2023 Pure economics, fuelled by human greed, was cleverly used as a powerful incentive to keep the Southern white rhino from extinction. The Southern white rhino, protected by both the state and the private sector, has become a poster child for effective conservation of one of Africa’s largest land mammals. They also still face persistent habitat loss as human populations spread and more land is developed. Illegal poaching for its horns continues – ground up rhino horn is still in demand in traditional Asian medicine and carved horns are popularly used to make ceremonial daggers in Yemen. The Southern white rhinoceros is, of course, not free from all threats. While the white rhino is more or less thriving, the black rhino, which occurs in countries with less economic stability, has dramatically declined over the years and is now critically endangered. Owners of private game ranches were provided with enough economic incentive, and the laws to protect them, to enable breeding and management of the animal’s population on their properties. Ironically, it was the market for legal white rhino trophy hunting that contributed to the species’ recovery. They all but hunted them into extinction before governments took notice and began to take action to protect the remaining rhinos. Later this week, Hume will auction his rhino. Today, at 81, his money is all but gone and he is throwing in the towel. In the 19th century, Dutch and English settlers in southern Africa killed rhinos for meat and sport. John Hume spent his vast fortune on a 30-year quest to save the rhinoceros. In contrast, very few of the northern subspecies were remaining as of 2015, with just three confirmed individuals, all in captivity. Today there are around 20,000 individuals, making the Southern white rhinoceros the most abundant of all rhinos. Over the decades their numbers gradually increased, helped by the legalisation of rhino trophy hunting in 1968 and successful protection and management measures. In 1900 they were the most endangered out of the five species of rhino in the world, with less than 20 individuals remaining on a reserve in South Africa. The full extent of the security measures taken and the number of armed rangers on guard are kept secret.The Southern white rhinoceros is one of two subspecies of white rhinoceros and is native to southern Africa (with 93 percent of their population located in South Africa). We know that they will target areas where it is easier to penetrate and where the risk-reward ratio is to their advantage," he said. "We are simply diverting them from our reserve. Speaking from the control room however Jones said the exercise is only partially successful, as poachers will merely go and kill rhinos somewhere else. The White Rhino is one of the largest land animals and have the biggest horn of all rhinos Their physiology closely resembles that of zebras and horses, having. Two armed guards stand for a photo at the ranch of rhino breeder John Hume on October 16, 2017, in the North West Province of South Africa. The tight security is meant to dissuade would-be poachers sending the message that "they don't stand a chance," said the farm's head of security, Brandon Jones. Miles of fences, cameras, heat detectors and an army of rangers patrol the site, which employs about 100 people. Today, the Red List compiled by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) categorizes white rhinos as "near threatened", with around 18,000 left following a decline in the last decade. His heavily guarded farm, at an undisclosed location in North West province, has around 2,000 southern white rhinos - a species that was hunted to near extinction in the late 19th century but gradually recovered thanks to decades of protection and breeding efforts. The government said 448 of the rare animals were killed across the country last year, only three fewer than in 2021 despite increased protection at national parks such as the renowned Kruger.
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