In the Opeleta district of Africa, it is one of the largest black rhino sanctuaries in Kenya. The reserve is currently home to four of the world's rarest white rhinos. The northern white rhino is the only remaining number in the world. Some of them come from the Czech zoo. Rhinos in zoos are brought to protected areas because they cannot breed in zoos, and bringing them back to African nature reserves is because they are able to increase their chances of breeding in a natural environment.
The skin of the rhinoceros is particularly hard and rough, it feels like stone to the touch, and of course, the soft tissue part is also very soft. In addition to the hard skin, rhino horn is also extremely hard. In fact, the tissue composition of rhino horn is similar to that of our human nails, which is composed of keratin, calcium carbonate, and some other proteins. But because rhinos across Africa are at risk of poaching, conservation staff regularly trim their horns to keep them as small as possible to prevent poachers from catching them.
Especially around 13 years ago, poaching for rhino horns reached its peak, and over the past 20 years, rhinos have been hunted by countless poachers, resulting in a very small number of rhinos today. Poachers are extremely cruel, and they cut off the horns of rhinos alive. Poachers use a machete to cut the bone and dig out the entire horn of the rhinoceros. Many rhinos can't bear the pain and die slowly, and the poachers will hunt these protected animals by all means. Such as dart guns, heavy shotguns. AK47 rifle, etc.
In fact, it is precisely because of the existence of rhinos. Many countries here have established protected parks. About 75% of the world's rhinos live in South Africa, so the reserve is a guardian and the last refuge for rhinos. Most rhinos are very docile. He would not attack unless she felt threatened, or threatened her cub.
Sanctuaries usually shear the horns of rhinos. Make their horns smaller and not suitable for human consumption or decoration. That is, to make the rhino horn lose its value.
These animals have many of the same feelings as humans. So they also feel fear and helplessness.
More than 25,000 rhinos live in the wild in Africa and Asia worldwide, and more than 2,000 are farmed in zoos. Of the five extant species of rhinos, 2 are on the verge of extinction, and the remaining 3 are under threat.
The greatest threat to rhinos is coming from humans. Since there is still a demand for rhino horn in the international market, poachers can thus reap very high economic benefits. In Chinese mainland, Taiwan, South Korea and some East Asian countries and regions, rhino horn is made into traditional medicinal herbs. Arab countries see rhino horn as a symbol of social hierarchy; in Yemen and Oman, rhino horn is used to make dagger handles used in ceremonies.
Throughout the 1980s, many poachers did whatever it took to gain, and the black rhino population plummeted as a result. From 1981 to 1987, 95 percent of Tanzanian black rhinos fell under the guns of poachers, reducing their number from 3,000 to 100. As the market booms, rhinos are always under threat of poaching. As the population grows, the habitat of rhinos is also shrinking. In Asia, the destruction of rainforests due to agriculture and human settlement is also devastating rhino habitats. Humans occupy more and more woodland, and rhino herds, especially Asian rhinos, are separated by villages and farms. This leads to a small percentage of rhino herds living alone and inbreeding, weakening genes and birth defects.
To save rhinos facing extinction, both white rhinos and Asian rhinos were listed in the Washington Convention in 1973. Black rhinos were not included until 1977. While these actions ended the legal trade in rhinos, black market trade flourished.
In 1993, the Chinese government issued a ban on the use of rhino horn. Although there are no wild rhinos in China, no rhino species are listed as national protected animals. But as a member of the International Wild Trade Convention, China has consistently supported a ban on any rhino product trade.