Black Rhinoceros
Diceros bicornis
Fewer than 5,000 black rhinos remain in the world. Their numbers have declined from the 100,000 that existed until the 1970s.
This hotspot is found in South Africa, Mozambique, and Eswatini (formerly Swaziland). The hotspot borders the large and famous Kruger Park in South Africa and Mozambique, which is not threatened. Kruger is home to one of the most important black rhino populations, but outside of it, the species is highly threatened. Poaching seeks to cut and sell the horns in the illegal trade, especially in Asia, where it is still considered to have healing properties in traditional medicine, properties that have never been proven by modern science, not least because rhino horn is composed of keratin, the same substance from which human nails and hair are made.
To find out more about the symbology of the rhino, CLICK ON the yellow sandwiches bellow.
