There are two types of rhino in Southern Africa: the black rhino and the white rhino. Rhinos are poached for their horns, as the horn substance is said to have healing properties in Asia.

2016:
60 poached rhinos per year
2023:
600 poached rhinos per year
Rhino Conservation
The poaching of rhino has risen dramatically as the influence of Asia has increased in Africa. Poaching has sky rocketed since 2008, and South Africa in particular has borne the brunt, with up to a thousand rhinos a year being slaughtered in certain years.

It is suspected that the primary market for rhino products can be found in Vietnam and China, where huge sums of money exchange hands for just 1 kg of horn, which is seen there as a cure for cancer and other illnesses. Rhino horn, however, is made entirely of keratin – the same material as human nails – which means patients chewing on their own fingernails has exactly the same effect as consuming rhino horn.
The desert-adapted black rhino, is a critically endangered species. The population has recovered slightly from the rapid decline of the 80s, but poaching in South Africa has spiralled out of control again in recent years
The rhino is an acutely endangered species. A rapid increase in poaching over the last few years has greatly depleted the remaining population in southern Africa. With a reputation for rescuing rhinos spanning 20 years, Wilderness Safaris has created a new rhino nucleus on Chief's Island in Botswana, which now mates and multiplies successfully.
Following on the success of this successful translocation, Rhinos Without Borders was born in 2014 – a collaborative project between &Beyond and Great Plains Conservation. The aim of this joint initiative is to ensure the survival of Southern Africa’s rhinos by translocating a breeding population of 100 animals to a Botswana safe haven.


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