Green Options

Good news from Uganda: Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary has welcomed a third baby rhino!

2010 is off to a promising start at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, where a white rhino calf was born on January 2 - the third baby rhino following more than 25 years of regional extinction.

12 suspected rhino poachers and rhino horn buyers have been arrested in Kenya following the killing of a female Southern white rhino on a private ranch.

A manhunt in central Kenya has resulted in the arrest of 12 suspected rhino poachers and rhino horn buyers, after a 10-year old female Southern white rhino was shot at the Mugie rhino sanctuary on December 28, and her horns brutally hacked off.

The rhino’s horns were recovered in the arrest, along with $8,500 USD in cash.

A recent study points out that 95% of illegal African rhino killings since 2006 have occurred in Zimbabwe and South Africa.

A sobering report from the IUCN Species Survival Commission, African and Asian Rhino Specialist Groups, and TRAFFIC says that Africa’s rhino poaching crisis is far from over - and warns that the continued involvement of Chinese and Vietnamese nationals in rhinoceros-related crimes must be addressed by law enforcement in both Africa and Asia.

Thanks to rampant poaching and habitat destruction, rhinos have the unfortunate distinction of being one of the most endangered animals on earth.

Over the last 30 years, the world’s overall rhinoceros population has declined by over 90% - and if not for dedicated conservation efforts over the last 100 years, it is likely that all rhinoceros species would already be extinct.

To help raise awareness for these proud pachyderms, here are 11 incredible facts about rhinos - plus a compilation of beautiful photos (except for one very graphic photo) and a couple of videos, too. Enjoy!