Rhino fact 11: Two subspecies of rhino have fewer than 10 individuals surviving, and two other subspecies have fewer than 100.
Just eight Northern white rhinos (Ceratotherium simum cottoni) remain in captivity; there are none left in the wild. The Vietnamese subspecies (Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus) of the Javan rhino has a population of perhaps five or six wild rhinos. The most numerous Javan rhino subspecies (Rhinoceros sondaicus sondaicus) consists of about 70 wild rhinos. There are no Javan rhinos in captivity. It is believed there are fewer than 50 Borneo rhinos (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis harrissoni) left; one (“Tam”) is tame and semi-captive – the first resident of the Borneo Rhino Sanctuary inside Tabin Wildlife Reserve.
How to help rhinos
According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, three species of rhino are classified as Critically Endangered: Black rhino, Sumatran rhino, and Javan Rhino.
Because of conservation efforts, today’s population of nearly 2,800 greater one-horned rhino was reclassified in 2008 as Vulnerable, an improvement from Endangered. The white rhino population has now reached just over 17,000, earning them the IUCN status of Near Threatened.
Both the greater one-horned rhino and white rhino have recovered from populations of fewer than 200.
Learn more about what you can do to help rhinos:
See also:
- Study Planned for Javan Rhino Subspecies in Vietnam
- Commercial Rhino Poaching Thriving in South Africa, Thanks to Asian Demand for Rhino Horn
- More Threats for World’s Rarest Rhino
- A Plan to Bring Isolated Borneo Rhinos Together
- Zimbabwe’s Rhino Poaching Crisis Compounded by Lack of Law Enforcement
Images from istock.com unless otherwise noted
About Rhishja Cota-Larson
Thanks for the info. They are fascinating animals. I did not realize they are fairly closely related to horses.
I read elsewhere that the record size for a white rhino was a specimen of 10,000 pounds!