Goodbye to the Big Five
I remember learning about endangered animal species while I was in school. Freshest in my mind are pythons and rhinos. I always hoped to see the latter in the flesh but it seems I might be running out of time. I am sad to say that the Western Black Rhino is no more, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. They also say that several other sub-species of rhinos will soon be extinct too. If we are not careful, the BIG FIVE may soon be the NOT-SO-BIG FOUR. For more, here you go:
The Western black rhino of Africa has been declared officially extinct, and two other subspecies of rhinoceros are close to meeting the same fate, a leading conservation group said Thursday.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature said a recent reassessment of the Western black rhino had led it to declare the subspecies extinct, adding that the Northern white rhino of central Africa is now “possibly extinct” in the wild and the Javan rhino is “probably extinct” in Vietnam, after poachers killed the last animal there in 2010.
A small but declining population of the Javan rhino survives on the Indonesian island of Java, it added.
“A lack of political support and willpower for conservation efforts in many rhino habitats, international organized crime groups targeting rhinos and increasing illegal demand for rhino horns and commercial poaching are the main threats faced by rhinos,” the group said in a statement accompanying the latest update of its so-called Red List of endangered species.
About a quarter of all mammals are at risk of extinction, IUCN said, adding that some species have been brought back from the brink with successful conservation programs.
The southern white rhino numbered just 100 animals at the end of the 19th century, but has since flourished and now has a population of more than 20,000.
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE