Rhino Crisis Round Up: Rhinos Killed in India, Kenya & More

India’s Kaziranga National Park has unfortunately lost another rhino, as a female rhino was found dead this week in the park’s Bagori range.

PTI reports that “empty shells and a mobile phone” were recovered near the rhinos body; she was at least the tenth rhino killed in India since the start of 2012.

In Kenya, the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy was hit by the rhino horn scourge, and posted the following on their Facebook page:

Two nights ago, the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy sadly lost a 17-year-old male rhino to poachers. Nengoitei was brutally killed and his horns removed. This is the 5th poaching incident Lewa has suffered to date. Investigations are on-going. The hefty sum paid for African rhino horn today has attracted criminal groups ready to cash in at the expense of an entire species, and this incident is a harsh reminder of the threat facing rhinos across their entire range. Lewa will continue to do its very best to protect this endangered species and avoid any recurrence of this nature.

Also in Kenya, six suspects charged for possessing a rhino horn and ammunition were released on bail, with a hearing date coinciding with World Rhino Day — September 22nd, according to Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).

Tragically, South Africa’s rhino death toll is still rising. The Department of Environmental Affairs states that the latest count is 381 rhinos killed this year.

Meanwhile, Sumatran and Javan rhinos are included in a “new list of the species closest to extinction” compiled by 8,000 scientists from the IUCN Species Survival Commission.

“However, if we take immediate action we can give them a fighting chance for survival. But this requires society to support the moral and ethical position that all species have an inherent right to exist,” says Ellen Butcher, ZSL, co-author of the report

Sumatran rhinos number less than 200, and there are fewer than 50 Javan rhinos still surviving.

Want to help? Check out the International Rhino Foundation to find out how you can help ensure a future for critically endangered rhinos.

Countdown to #worldrhinoday

World Rhino Day: 22 September 2012

World Rhino Day is almost here and the rhinos definitely need your help!

The big day is September 22nd — connect with the cause on facebook.com/WorldRhinoDay, check out the World Rhino Day website to see what’s happening near you, and get some inspiration at Ideas for World Rhino Day.


White rhino via Shutterstock

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