No sign of Africa's black rhino
2006-07-10 09:47
Johannesburg - West Africa's version of
the black rhino appears to be extinct, the World Conservation
Union said on Friday.
It said an intensive survey has failed to find any sign of
the west African black rhino in its final refuge in northern
Cameroon.
On a more positive note, it said rhino numbers are on the
rise elsewhere on the world's poorest continent after decades of
rampant poaching and habitat loss.
"As a result (of this survey) this subspecies has been
tentatively declared as extinct," Dr Martin Brooks, chairperson of the World Conservation Union's African Rhino Specialist Group,
said in a statement after a meeting in Swaziland.
There are two species of the horned titans in Africa, the
more aggressive black rhino and the larger white version.
Scientists further recognise two sub-species of white rhino and
four sub-species of the black. All are in fact grey in colour.
The northern white rhino is also on the verge of oblivion.
"Restricted in the wild to Garamba National Park in the
Democratic Republic of Congo, recent ground and aerial surveys
... have only found four animals," Brooks said.
Elsewhere rhino numbers are on the rise, partly because of
better enforcement against poachers.
They are targeted for their horns which fetch high prices in
Yemen, where they are used as ceremonial dagger handles, and in
the Far East for traditional medicines. Poachers typically hack
off the horns, leaving the hulking carcass to rot in the sun.
"Continental black rhino numbers have increased to 3 725 as
a whole, a rise of 3.2% over the last two years: this
from an all time low of 2 410 in 1995," the World Conservation Union said.
"The ultimate conservation success story continues for the
other white rhino subspecies, the southern white. Down to less
than 50 animals a hundred or so years ago, numbers have
increased to 14 540," it said.
Also known as the IUCN, the Swiss-based World Conservation
Union's estimates of wild animal populations are considered to
be highly authoritative as they are determined by some of the
best scientists in the field.