Unabated poaching activities threaten to wipe out this species by 2020

Apr 14, 2014 18:25 GMT  ·  By

Wildlife researchers and conservationists warn that, unless poaching activities and accompanying illegal trading activities involving animal body parts are immediately put an end to or at least limited to a certain extent, it is very likely that the world's remaining wild rhinos will become extinct by the year 2020.

Times of India tells us that, back in 2007, just 13 rhinos living in the wild were killed by poachers. By comparison, recent figures say that, in 2013, as many as 1,004 animals belonging to this species were tracked down and butchered by illegal hunters.

Oddly enough, this happened despite the fact that, with the help of conservationists, high officials in countries inhabited by these endangered animals took care of implementing several green-oriented campaigns intended to put a dent in poaching activities.

It is estimated that, presently, the world is home to about 20,000 white rhinos and 5,000 black rhinos. What conservationists and wildlife researchers are worried about is the fact that, should illegal hunting activities flourish in the years to come as they did between 2007 and 2013, this species will go extinct by the end of this decade.

“There are now just 20,000 white rhino and 5,000 black rhino left in the wild. If poaching carries on at the rate it is now for six more years it will devastate the numbers,” conservationist Will Travers with environmental group Born Free Foundation told the press in a recent interview.

“There will probably be no free-living rhinos as the remaining numbers will be fenced off in military-style compounds which are alarmed and heavily guarded by armed patrols,” Will Travers went on to argue while addressing people present at a recent summit on wildlife crime in Pretoria, South Africa.

As reported on several occasions, poachers track down rhinos, kill them, and then chop off their horns in order to sell this body part on the black market. According to the findings of several investigations, there are people in this world who believe that rhino horn that has been ground into powder can treat several health issues such as headaches.

Consequently, it has been argued that it might be possible to save rhinos from falling off the biodiversity map sometime in the not so distant future by educating people about how the horns of these animals have no medicinal value. The end goal is to curb poaching activities by eliminating the demand for such animal body parts.