Rhino Population Increases, Poaching Threats

• The global rhino population has slightly increased, but poaching remains a significant threat, particularly in South Africa.
• White rhinos increased from 15,942 in 2022 to 17,464 in 2023, while black and greater one-horned rhinos remained unchanged.
• The northern white rhino, a subspecies, is technically extinct with only two females in Kenya.
• A total of 586 rhinos were killed in Africa in 2023, with South Africa having the highest population at an estimated 16,056.
• With all five subspecies combined, there are just under 28,000 rhinos left in the world.
• Protection has played a significant role in increasing rhino population, with numbers rising from 380 in 1986 to 1,000 last year in Kenya.
• Conservationists advocate for a campaign to end the demand for rhino horn and adopt new technologies for rhino protection.
• Rhinos are beneficial for establishing forests and are known as mega herbivores.
• The body of the last male northern white rhino, Sudan, has been preserved and displayed at the Museums of Kenya.