The world These two rhinos are pictured in the Sabi Sand Reserve in the Kruger National Park in South Africa. Archive photo Lise Åserud / NTB Read more Close
NTB
22 Sep 2023 10:12 – Updated 22 Sep 2023 10:13
The rhino population in Africa is threatened by poachers, but the latest counts finally show good news.
At the end of 2022, close to 23,300 rhinos trampled around the African continent, an increase of over 5 percent from 2021, figures from International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
– With this good news, we can breathe a sigh of relief for the first time in a decade, says Michael Knight, head of IUCN’s specialist group in the area.
The conservationists have put together reported figures from various nations to produce an estimate for the continent as a whole.
A combination of protection and management measures has meant that the number of black rhinos has increased to close to 6,500 animals. White rhinos have increased the most and now number around 16,800 animals, according to the estimate. South Africa is home to nearly 80 percent of the world’s rhinos.
– It is crucial to consolidate and build on this positive development. We must not lower our guard, says Knight.
The Union for Conservation of Nature estimates that 500 rhinos were killed by snipers in 2022, most of them in South Africa. The species has been threatened by such hunting for decades, as the horns are in demand in Asia for their alleged effects in traditional medicine.
On the black market, the horns are sold for as much as 60,000 dollars a kilo – more than the price of both gold and cocaine.
2023-09-22 08:12:59
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