Why is rhinos so important

Local people also depend on the natural resources within rhino habitat for food, fuel and income. Ecotourism can be an important source of income for local people. Poaching The greatest threat facing African rhinos is poaching for the illegal trade in their horns, which has soared in recent years.

Powdered horn is used in traditional Asian medicine as a supposed cure for a range of illnesses — from hangovers to fevers and even cancer. But the current surge has been primarily driven by demand for horn in Vietnam. As well as its use in medicine, rhino horn is bought and consumed purely as a symbol of wealth. Poaching gangs use increasingly sophisticated methods, including helicopters and night vision equipment to track rhinos, and veterinary drugs to knock them out.

This means countries and conservationists need to match this level of technology to be able to tackle the problem, alongside working to reduce demand. Key Facts. Common name Species. Geographic place Habitat Grasslands, savannas and shrublands; deserts and xeric shrublands.

Two species Despite their names, both the white rhino and black rhino are the same dark grey-brown colour. Black rhinos have hooked lips. Both species of these armoured giants are vegetarian and need to eat large amounts of food every day.

Black rhino Also called the hook-lipped rhino due to their prehensile upper lip, black rhinos are the smaller of the two African species. They were once found throughout sub-Saharan Africa, with the exception of the Congo Basin. They are awesome yet vulnerable My most memorable encounter with a rhino was on the Wolhuter Wilderness Trail in the Kruger National Park.

During the trail, we saw something like 26 white rhinos on foot — quite remarkable considering the pressure they are under. But the one sighting that sticks in my mind was the rhino that we came to within a few metres of. It was resting in a natural hollow and our guide beckoned us to follow him to a ridge overlooking it. Sensing an audience, the rhino had turned and bolted right past the place we had been standing. We were lucky enough to get out of its way but who knows what might have happened had we been caught in the its path?

From that moment on, we stuck like glue to the guide and obeyed his every word. It was a salutary lesson in bush walking, but also evidence of how easy it is for poachers to creep up on these magnificent, prehistoric creatures. We have a responsibility to protect the last bastion of both black and white rhinos. Pic: WWF 2. Without our help this beautiful animal could face extinction in the next 10 years. Morally we should tend to those suffering and help those in need.

Conserving habitat and saving the rhinos not only protects the animals but also the local people. In Africa rhinos are important because of their grazing habits. This helps shape the landscape for all wildlife and the natural resources for the local communities around.

The solution for this cause needs to come globally and help those in need. Powers Project Podcast is a podcast that looks on the outside of the box. It is a thought provoking take on life itself. The end of last year he posted a podcast about saving baby rhinos. He speaks about poaching as a threat of existence and what humans can do to help. The biggest threat to these huge animals is poachers. They brutally saw the horn off and kill the rhino. This is illegal but many horns are sold on the black market.

The black market is a transaction platform where illegal purchases are made. These horns can sell on this platform for thousands of dollars. Mainly used for decorations and in some cases for Asian medicine.

The horn is made from keratin, which is protein and is said to treat illnesses when in powder form. Poachers only take the horn from the rhino and leave the animal to die. This crisis began in and is still affecting Rhino population today.

Due to travelling expenses and quarantine, the selling and moving of the horn is at a slower pace. Another threat is habitat loss. Where rhinos are found, in Asia and Africa the human population continues to increase, meaning the rhino habitats are shrinking. This is because there is a clearance in the land to make room for human settlement, giving the rhinos another barrier to overcome.

Their habitat is needed for their numbers to even survive let alone recover. There are many organizations and fundraisers in place for saving the Rhinos. Although there are no rhinos in the western New York area Buffalo Zoo has still played a role in helping to Save the Rhinos.

They had started fundraising a few years ago but have gone through chances in attempt to do more for the species suffering the most.

As the problem is large at hand the zoo decided to take on a smaller portion of the suffering animals. In the start of the campaign a few years back the Buffalo Zoo was campaigning for all species and giving the proceeds to a variety of different organizations. They have held a fundraising bowling event in support of the Sumatran Rhino.