It was then that China lifted its ban on the use of their body parts. As a result, poverty has increased for local human natives, who turn to poaching to support their families.Īnother devastating blow occurred for this species was in October 2018. Political instability and militia activity have also greatly added to the problem in Africa, even in ‘protected areas’. However, poaching and the illegal trade of Rhino horns, continue to be the deadliest threat to this species. Today there are approximately 5,000 remaining. Since 1995, conservation efforts have helped the Black Rhinoceros population increase. Black Rhinoceros horns are in high demand on the black market for their use in traditional Asian medicines. Its distinctive two horns makes them a profitable target for poachers. By the late 1980s, their population in Etosha National Park had reached an all-time low of only 48. A long and devastating period of illegal hunting and poaching of Black Rhinos occurred until 1995. In 1970, the Black Rhinoceros population in Namibia was 70,000. This makes the Black Rhino a target for poachers, who sell their horns on the black market for use in Asian medicines.
Keratin has been known to protect human skin from damage or stress. One substance in their horns is a protein called Keratin. Males mature later, at between 7 and 8 years old.īlack Rhinos typically have two horns, although some with a third horn have been seen. Females reach sexual maturity between 5 and 7 years old. They care for their young for two to three years, or until the next calf is born. Females give birth to a single calf every two to five years, after a gestation period of about 15 months. The reproduction rate in this species is slow. Females are smaller.Īdults are usually loners, coming together only to mate.
Males weigh between 1,700 and 3,000 lbs, but unusually large Black Rhinos have weighed as much as 6,300 lbs. It stands between 4.5 and 6 feet tall and is between 9 and 12 feet long. Despite its name, the Black Rhino’s color actually ranges from grey to brown. The Black Rhinoceros is also called the Hook-Lipped Rhinoceros, because of its unique pointed lips used for eating twigs and leaves.