The protective measures seem to be having an effect: there are more rhinos living in Africa than last year. The increase is the first in ten years. Poaching has greatly reduced the global population.
For the first time in a decade, more rhinos have been found on the African continent than last year. As the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) announced, there were almost 23,300 rhinos living in Africa at the end of 2022 – 5.2 percent more than in 2021.
Accordingly, both the number of white rhinos and black rhinos increased again. Michael Knight, wildlife researcher and head of the IUCN expert group on rhinos in Africa, spoke of “good news” that would allow the organization to “breathe a sigh of relief for the first time in a decade.”
Protective measures led to an increase in numbers
To create the balance sheet, the IUCN combined estimates of the number of animals in different countries. According to this, various protective measures have led to the number increasing again.
The increase in black rhinos was 4.2 percent – their current population was reported at 6,487. The number of white rhinos rose by 5.6 percent to 16,803. It is now important to “continue to consolidate the positive trend and not let up,” said Knight.
Horn sought after as a medicine
Decades of poaching have greatly reduced the global rhino population. One reason for hunting is the high demand for the animal’s horn as a medicine in Asian countries.
According to the IUCN, more than 550 rhinos were killed by poachers across the continent in 2022, most of them in South Africa. Almost 80 percent of all rhinos in the world live in South Africa.