On World Rhino Day 2024, a mixed story for the world’s five species of rhinos

Africa’s total rhino count has continued to increase despite poaching, while certain species in Asia face an existential threat.

Range states in Africa reported an estimated 23,885 rhinos (combining the black and the white rhino species) at the end of 2023, an increase of 2.4% from the year before. In contrast, there are fewer than 4,100 rhinos in Asia, nearly all the greater one-horned rhino species in India and Nepal. Javan and Sumatran rhino are teetering on the brink of extinction.

In Africa, poachers killed a total of 586 rhinos (mostly the more numerous white rhino species) in 2023, more than the 551 detected killings in 2022. Most poaching incidents occurred in South Africa which has the largest rhino population on the continent. There were poaching incidents also recorded, but in much lower numbers, in Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The population of around 6,421 critically endangered black rhinos fell by 1.0% as a result of poaching last year. This primarily relates to losses in Namibia and South Africa.

The continental poaching rate amounted to 2.51% of the total African rhino population. If poaching rates remain below a threshold of 3.5%, rhino numbers can continue to increase.  As a result, the African white rhino species increased by 3.7% from 2022 to 17,464 at the end of 2023.

"I derive great hope knowing that rhino numbers in Africa are increasing," said Dr Dave Balfour, Chair of IUCN's African Rhino Specialist Group. "It tells me that despite the relentless threat of poaching, African range State governments and citizens are rallying and committing themselves and resources to conserve these iconic species. As long as rhinos are valued by people, we stand a chance of preventing their demise."

In Asia, the greater one-horned rhino species population remained stable with a population of around 4,018 by the end of 2023. However, the tiny Javan rhino population of 76 animals fell by a staggering 33.0% following the poaching of at least 26 animals identified through an in-depth investigation by the Indonesian Police. Authorities apprehended, convicted, and sentenced the man accused to 12 years imprisonment and a fine. The killings have shattered the male/female ratio as poachers targeted males that typically have a noticeable horn, reducing the number of breeding males.

The recent seizure of several Asian rhino horns in Sumatra is highly concerning as the Sumatran rhino population is also precariously low with only 34 to 47 animals still believed to be in existence. Safeguarding the last rhino-bearing areas requires vigilance with enhanced manpower. The Indonesian government supports assisted reproductive technology already benefiting Sumatran rhinos, but not Javan rhinos. As these number in their tens, every individual counts when it comes to breeding to avoid extinction.

"To reverse the declining trend of critically endangered Javan and Sumatran rhinos in Indonesia, the constitution of a National Rhino Task Force under the leadership of the head of the government could steer recovery efforts at this time of great need," said Dr Bibhab Talukdar, Chair of IUCN's Asian Rhino Specialist Group.

On World Rhino Day 2024, the African and Asian Rhino Specialist Groups of IUCN's Species Survival Commission appreciate the great efforts being made for the world’s five rhino species. There are encouraging signs of continued population growth in some rhino species despite poaching, but other species face an existential threat and one that requires a combined effort to prevent.

As a medicine, study finds rhino horn useless — and potentially toxic

Key points:

• A new study has found that concentrations of essential minerals inside rhino horns are too low to provide consumers with any health benefits, questioning their use in traditional Chinese medicine.

• The scientists also revealed that rhino horns contained potentially toxic minerals; the lack of quality control testing and regulatory oversight makes it even more pressing to address the sales of rhino horn derivatives for consumption.

• Researchers say that efforts to reduce consumer demand for rhino horn products must run in parallel with protection.

Fancy a taste of your own toenails? That’s what vendors in Vietnam or China could say when offering powdered rhino horn. This coveted “trophy” is made up of keratin, the same structural protein as human nails and hair. And a new study in Scientific Reports finds it about as nutritious, despite claims to the contrary, underlining the scientific consensus that consuming rhino horn has no real health benefits.

In parts of Asia where traditional Chinese medicine is deeply rooted, people have been consuming rhino horn for millennia. Medical texts from the 16th century show that rhino horn has been touted as a cure for ailments ranging from fever and rheumatism to snakebites and even demonic possession.

“Rhino horns have a long history of being sold as part of TCM [Traditional Chinese Medicine] by doctors who … believe that rhino horns … will dispel heat and clear toxins from the body,” said study lead author Terri Roth, head of the Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife (CREW) at Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden in the U.S.

Yet the new research revealed that while beneficial minerals were present in rhino horn, they only occurred in very low concentrations — not enough to impart any kind of benefit.

The trade in rhino horn has long been the main threat to rhino populations in Africa and Asia, where poachers kill the animals and cut off their horns with a machete or chainsaw — sometimes while the animal is still alive. This makes understanding the components of rhino horn all the more important.

Reducing consumer demand to reduce poaching

Conservationists have deployed many creative initiatives to deter rhino poaching. Researchers in South Africa have recently injected radioactive material into rhino horns, so they can be picked up by radiation detectors at international border crossings.

Dehorning is another solution, where a rhino is regularly tranquilized and its horn cut off to make it less valuable as a poaching target. But even this doesn’t guarantee immunity to poaching. Besides, rhinos need their horns to assert dominance, defend themselves, steer their calves and forage in compact soils for hidden grasses.

According to Roth, it’s best to have many actions in play, given that the wildlife conservation landscape is changing constantly.

“Protecting wild rhinos from poachers is an absolute priority, but in so doing, we are only treating the symptoms of the problem,” she said.

Some organizations have therefore made tackling consumer demand for horns a priority, but it’s a strategy for the long haul.

“Changing long-held traditional beliefs takes years, sometimes generations, so while these longer-term efforts are put into action, it is vital we maintain anti-poaching efforts to buy the rhino enough time for demand reduction strategies to take effect,” Smith pointed out. “Without the immediate work being done to protect rhinos, there would be none left by the time demand reduction programs saw results. And alternatively, without the long-term goal of ending the demand, we will be stuck in a never-ending loop of intensive, and expensive, rhino protection.”

Smith said that she wishes more people would make the link between the live rhinos grazing peacefully in the wild and the horn powder, but added that it isn’t realistic.

“As long as the use of rhino horn is legitimized by governments within countries that have the highest demand for rhino horn, not only will there be cracks in the market for poached horn to slip through, but the power of messaging around not using horns will be diluted,” Smith pointed out.

Roth explained that she hopes her study will make people think twice about rhino horn consumption, but added that she’s “not naive enough” to think that scientific results will substantially sway public opinion. “In today’s world, people choose to believe science that supports what they want to do while disregarding that which doesn’t.”

Still, if there’s a chance that the absence of health benefits overturns even just a few people’s beliefs, scientists know that they ought to share it.

Combatting Rhino Poaching with Radioactive Deterrents

In a bold and controversial move, researchers in South Africa have begun injecting the horns of wild rhinos with radioactive isotopes. The goal of this groundbreaking project is to leverage existing radiation detection systems at international borders to help authorities intercept and apprehend poachers and traffickers.

The research, led by Professor James Larkin of the University of the Witwatersrand's Radiation and Health Physics Unit, has so far involved the injection of 20 live rhinos with small amounts of nuclear material. The process involves carefully drilling a hole into the rhino's horn and inserting the radioactive isotopes.

The rationale behind this approach is that the radiation detectors already in place to prevent nuclear terrorism can also be used to identify rhino horns as they are smuggled across borders. This provides law enforcement with a powerful new tool to disrupt the illegal rhino horn trade, which continues to devastate rhino populations worldwide.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the global rhino population has plummeted from around 500,000 at the start of the 20th century to just 27,000 today, largely due to poaching. The high demand for rhino horn on the black market, fuelled by beliefs in its purported medicinal properties, has driven this alarming decline.

While the use of radioactive materials is certainly a controversial measure, the researchers argue that it is a necessary and innovative step to combat the poaching crisis. By making rhino horns easily detectable, they hope to significantly disrupt the supply chain and deter poachers from targeting these majestic animals.

As this project progresses, it will be crucial to monitor its effectiveness and ensure the safety of both the rhinos and the people involved. Additionally, broader efforts to address the root causes of the poaching crisis, such as demand reduction and strengthening law enforcement, will remain vital to the long-term conservation of rhinos and other endangered species.

This bold initiative underscores the urgent need for creative and multifaceted approaches to tackle the complex challenge of wildlife poaching. By harnessing the power of technology and innovation, researchers in South Africa are taking a significant step forward in the fight to protect the world's remaining rhino populations.

World's first successful embryo transfer in rhinos paves the way for saving the northern white rhinos from extinction

A rhinoceros is pregnant through embryo transfer in the first successful use of a method that conservationists said might later make it possible to save the nearly extinct northern white rhino subspecies. In testing with another subspecies, the researchers created a southern white rhino embryo in a lab from an egg and sperm that had been previously collected from other rhinos and transferred it into a southern white rhino surrogate mother at the Ol-Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya on Sept. 24, 2023.

The surrogate is now 70 days pregnant with a well-developed 6.4-centimeter (2.5-inch) male embryo, the BioRescue consortium of scientists and conservationists said Wednesday.“The successful embryo transfer and pregnancy are a proof of concept and allow (researchers) to now safely move to the transfer of northern white rhino embryos — a cornerstone in the mission to save the northern white rhino from extinction,” the group said in a statement. Pregnancies in rhinos last about 16-18 months, meaning the birth may occur early next year.

Roughly 20,000 southern white rhinos remain in Africa. That subspecies as well as another species, the black rhino, are bouncing back from a significant reduction in their populations due to poaching for their horns. However, the northern white rhinoceros subspecies has only two known members left in the world. Najin, a 34-year-old, and her 23-year-old offspring, Fatu, are both incapable of natural reproduction, according to the Ol-Pejeta Conservancy where they live.

The last male white rhino, Sudan, was 45 when he was euthanized in 2018 due to age-related complications. He was Najin's sire. Scientists stored his semen and that of four other dead rhinos, hoping to use them in vitro fertilization with eggs harvested from female northern white rhinos to produce embryos that eventually will be carried by southern white rhino surrogate mothers.

Some conservation groups have argued that it is probably too late to save the northern white rhino with in vitro fertilization, as the species' natural habitat in Chad, Sudan, Uganda, Congo and Central African Republic has been ravaged by human conflict. Skeptics say the efforts should focus on other critically endangered species with a better chance at survival.