Back From The Brink, Southern White Rhino

“Southern white rhinos once ranged across Southern Africa. In the face of colonization, the subspecies suffered the earliest decline of all African rhinos. In the late 19th century, it was considered extinct. However, in 1895 a small population of less than 100 individuals was discovered in the Umfolozi-Hluhluwe region in Natal, South Africa.... After more than a century of protection, southern white rhinos now number over 20,000, confined to protected areas and private ranches. Classified as Near Threatened, they are now the only non-endangered rhinos.”  White rhinos continue to be at risk for poaching. Although there is no scientific proof of its medical value, rhino horn is highly prized in traditional Asian medicine. Hundreds are killed each year.