At the same time, it is evident that there is no room for complacency as poaching and illegal trade remain acute threats,' said Dr Grethel Aguilar, Acting Director General of IUCN. 'While Africa’s rhinos are by no means safe from extinction, the continued slow recovery of Black Rhino populations is a testament to the immense efforts made in the countries the species occurs in, and a powerful reminder to the global community that conservation works. The IUCN Red List now includes 116,177 species of which 31,030 are threatened with extinction. Population models predict a further slow increase over the next five years, according to today’s update. The selling of his rhinos’ horns? Are they not the number one driver of rhinoceros poaching, the thing Hume claims to want to eradicate?įor the uninitiated, rhino horns are made of keratin - the same material as human fingernails - and there are ways to remove them without causing pain to the animal, and without damaging growth plates so that they eventually grow back (at a rate of around four inches per year).Between 20, the Black Rhino ( Diceros bicornis) population across Africa has grown at a modest annual rate of 2.5% from an estimated 4,845 to 5,630 animals in the wild, respectively. Now, I know what you’re probably thinking. The legal selling of his rhinos’ horns allowed Hume to expand his herd from 200 to 2,000. What started out as a plan to combat poaching has morphed into a conservation operation for John Hume, one that’s 2,000-rhinos strong.Īccording to National Geographic, nearly 15 years ago, Hume launched a breeding farm on his own “vast, privately owned savanna” in South Africa with nearly 200 southern white rhinos - a “nearly threatened” species, and the only of the five rhino species that is not currently endangered. That is, at least in part, thanks to Hume’s efforts.

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