Southern White Rhino (Ceratotherium simum simum)
The Southern white rhino was one of the first rhinos to be on the brink of extinction in our lifetime. At the beginning of the 20th Century, there were perhaps only 50-200 Southern white rhino surviving. Like other rhinos, the Southern white has recently been persecuted by poachers who sell its horn for medicinal or ornamental purposes in the Far East and Middle East. But, at the end of the 19th century, Southern white rhinos were decimated by farmers and hunters, in South Africa, much as the American bison was in the United States. Thanks to the efforts of dedicated conservationists, researchers and concerned individuals (especially in South Africa), Southern white rhinos were protected and have recovered to about 14,530 animals. They are now the most abundant kind of rhino in the world – in fact, their numbers are greater than all the other kinds (taxa) of rhinos combined. However, continued conservation vigilance is needed. Poaching pressure is still intense and almost all Southern white rhinos live in a single country.
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