- AKA: Square-Lipped Rhino
- LOCATION: Southern Africa
- POPULATION: < 17 500
- HABITAT: Savannas & Shrublands
- WEIGHT: 1 800 kg - 2 500 kg
- STATUS: Near Threatened
Ceratotherium Simum
WHITE RHINOS
White rhinos are the most populous of the five rhino species – with approximately 17 464 animals across 11 countries in Africa.
There are two white rhino subspecies, southern (C.s. simum) and northern (C.s. cottoni), but the latter is considered functionally extinct, as the only two northern white rhinos left in the world are both females.
Historically as a species, white rhinos made an incredible comeback from fewer than 100 individuals in the early 1900s to more than 21 000 at the end of 2012. Unfortunately, from 2012 to 2021, their large numbers made them the primary target for rhino poachers, who are part of transnational criminal syndicates looking to sell rhino horn on the black market. During this period, white rhino numbers decreased by 24% to an estimated 15 942.
Although the number of rhino deaths annually has decreased since the most recent peak in 2015, poaching remains the biggest threat to rhinos, and white rhinos in particular bear the brunt. Last year, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission’s African Rhino Specialist Group (AfRSG) announced the first population increase for the white rhino species in over a decade. They have recently announced another 3,4% increase for white rhinos – bringing their species estimate to 17 464 as of the end of 2023.
There are two white rhino subspecies, southern (C.s. simum) and northern (C.s. cottoni), but the latter is considered functionally extinct, as the only two northern white rhinos left in the world are both females.
Historically as a species, white rhinos made an incredible comeback from fewer than 100 individuals in the early 1900s to more than 21 000 at the end of 2012. Unfortunately, from 2012 to 2021, their large numbers made them the primary target for rhino poachers, who are part of transnational criminal syndicates looking to sell rhino horn on the black market. During this period, white rhino numbers decreased by 24% to an estimated 15 942.
Although the number of rhino deaths annually has decreased since the most recent peak in 2015, poaching remains the biggest threat to rhinos, and white rhinos in particular bear the brunt. Last year, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission’s African Rhino Specialist Group (AfRSG) announced the first population increase for the white rhino species in over a decade. They have recently announced another 3,4% increase for white rhinos – bringing their species estimate to 17 464 as of the end of 2023.
