According to conservationists, rhino populations are starting to pick up in Zimbabwe, the species' homeland, suggesting that efforts to protect the species are working.
Zimbabwe's rhino population surpassed 1,000 for the first time in more than 30 years, according to the African Rhino Specialist Group of the IUCN Species Survival Commission. This includes 614 black rhinos and 415 white rhinos, which are listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, critically endangered and near-endangered, respectively.
The International Rhino Foundation was founded 31 years ago during the poaching crisis. Despite soaring food and fuel costs, dedicated conservationists continue to insist on protecting the country's rhinos with "great success," according to the foundation.
Christopher Whitarch, a spokesman for the International Rhino Foundation, said in an interview with ABC News that rhino populations have surged due to intensive conservation, monitoring and management of these animals.
Among the black rhinos of Zimbabwe's Bubai Valley Conservation Society is a small black rhino called "pumpkin", which was injured in a poacher attack, orphaned, and released into the wild a few months later to continue to thrive.
During a routine patrol in July 2020, conservationists at the Loveld Rhino Trust discovered the mother of a pumpkin baby rhino killed by poachers, Whitch said. And near its mother's body, environmentalists noticed "small bloody footprints" and found a pumpkin baby rhino that was only 16 months old at the time and was alive, but was hit in the torso by poachers and seriously injured.
And the will to survive of the "pumpkin" little rhinoceros is obvious from the beginning, its "courage" and "charm" are also obvious, it even took a feeding bottle from the caretaker, which is a strange concept for the baby rhino, making them believe that it will survive.
After months of rehabilitation, the pumpkin baby rhino was released back into the sanctuary in October 2020, home to most of Zimbabwe's rhinos, where she still thrives today.
The "pumpkin" little rhino is regularly monitored, and even a male black rhino of the same age named Rocky is recognized, which gives conservationists hope of mating and breeding.
However, according to the International Rhino Foundation, this year has still been a difficult one for black rhinos. According to the International Wildlife Fund, after a temporary halt in poaching due to coronavirus restrictions, criminal networks quickly adapted to new challenges, with poaching rates and trade starting to rise again this year.
"Large organized crime groups view wildlife trafficking as a low-risk, high-reward crime, and during the pandemic, they became more involved in the rhino horn trade, monopolizing critical networks, and diverting more rhino horn," wildlife conservation groups said in a statement.
@What you see is very scientific