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Not too long after the dinosaurs went extinct, the earliest relatives of the rhinos showed up. Fossil evidence suggests their ancestors were small and slight. Things have changed.
Today, rhinos are the Earth’s second-largest land animal and one of just nine remaining mega-herbivores — a category reserved for giant plant eaters, weighing 2,000 pounds or more, that profoundly shape the landscapes they inhabit through appetites that match their size.
The smallest rhinoceros — the Sumatran — can reach 2,000 pounds, as much as a small sedan. The largest — the white rhino — weighs between 4,000 and 5,000 pounds, as much as a pickup truck.
To get the calories they need, rhinos spend half their waking hours eating. Through their continual but selective browsing, they keep habitats healthy: controlling plant growth, spreading seeds, and fertilizing the soil as they carbo load and unload.
Over millions of years, rhinos have evolved to endure the daily grind of grinding plants between their molars. With thick skin that forms armor-like folds, a sharp horn (or two) protruding from their broad snouts, and tank-like bodies held up by short, strong legs, they are ready for whatever nature throws their way — sun, bugs, big cats, other surly rhinos — while grazing over vast areas.
For a long time, these built-in defenses were enough to protect rhinos and the natural benefits they provide. But their tough exteriors can’t protect them from the greatest threat they face in the modern era: poaching for their horns.
A crash of rhinos
At the molecular level, there’s nothing unique about rhinos' horns — they are made of keratin, the same material as our hair and fingernails. But rhino horn has long held a place in cultural and societal beliefs and practices.
In the 20th century, demand for rhinoceros horn began to grow in step with increasing affluence in places where they’re valued. Because those who poach rhinos kill them before sawing off their horns, rising demand for horns led to a population crash.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, the global rhino population was about 500,000 in 1900. By 1970, it had plummeted to 70,000. Today, there are fewer than 30,000 rhinos left on Earth — a 94% decline in just over a century.
All five of the world’s rhino species — the Indian, Sumatran, and Javan, which are native to Asia, and the white and black, which are native to Africa — experienced these dramatic population declines in the 1900s. Today, four species are considered at risk of extinction and two of those could disappear in our lifetimes.
There are less than 50 Javan rhinos and between 34 and 47 Sumatran rhinos left in the world. All the remaining individuals from both species could gather on a football field with room to spare — though they probably wouldn’t because they’re solitary and shy.
Ironically, the most abundant rhino species is now facing the greatest pressure from poaching. White rhino numbers have rebounded in South Africa and Namibia, and the relatively robust populations in those countries have become targets for organized illegal poaching operations.
But all rhino species are still vulnerable to poaching, and the problem touches all corners of the globe, including the United States. In 2012, seven people were arrested in the United States on charges of trafficking in endangered black rhinoceros horn as part of “Operation Crash,” a multi-agency, concerted effort to investigate and prosecute those involved in the black-market rhino horn trade.
What’s on the line
Together with other factors, like habitat loss and disease, the illegal trade puts the future of the rhino at risk.
But it doesn’t just threaten rhinos; it threatens local communities that rely on the millions of tourism dollars and resulting jobs rhinos help generate each year. In southern and eastern Africa, rhinos make up one of the “big five” wildlife attractions — along with elephants, lions, leopards, and buffalos. In India and Nepal, Indian rhinos are a draw for tourism as well. While there are far too few Javan or Sumatran rhinos to support tourism, they are symbols of Indonesian national pride.
The illegal trade in rhino parts also threatens to deny future generations the opportunity to see these animals in the wild, or to simply be inspired by their perseverance on Earth for millions of years. Without intervention, these ancient animals could join the dinosaurs.
Recognizing the need for international collaboration to save the rhinoceros, policymakers have taken three significant steps to protect them over the last half century.
Since 1977, all rhinoceros species have been protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, known as CITES, an international treaty created to ensure international trade in wildlife doesn’t undermine the survival of the species in the wild.
All rhinoceros species, except the southern subspecies of white rhinoceros, are also listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, which outlaws their “take” — defined as harassing, harming, pursuing, hunting, shooting, wounding, killing, trapping, capturing, or collecting.
And in 1994, Congress passed the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act, paving the way for a new fund in response to the need for strategic, global action to prevent the loss of these iconic species.
Taking action for rhinos
Through the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Fund, we provide financial and technical support to projects that deliver measurable conservation results for African and Asian rhinoceros, as well as tiger populations in Asia.
We work closely with national governments, U.S. agencies, and a range of other partners to ensure a strategic, results-based approach to conservation.
In Asia, the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Fund supports projects that advance rhinoceros conservation. For example, providing job opportunities and specialized training to guard vulnerable populations, and supporting informed and effective enforcement to disrupt illegal trade of rhinoceros products online.
In Africa, the Fund prioritizes site-based conservation of populations of critically endangered rhino species. For example, supporting direct field operations for rhino monitoring and patrols.
The more you rhino
You can play a role in rhino conservation too. Here are a few ways to help:
- Buy informed. If you are considering purchasing a product made from wildlife, find out if it’s legal to possess. When in doubt, don’t buy.
- Report wildlife crime. If you believe you have information related to a wildlife crime, including online, submit a law enforcement tip online or call our TIPs line at 1-844-FWS-TIPS (1-844-397-8477)
- Purchase Tiger Stamps. Available at your local U.S. Post Office or online, Tiger Stamps support conservation projects around the world to help rhinos and other animals, including great apes, elephants, tigers, sea turtles, and freshwater turtles and tortoises.
- Learn more about the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Fund. For information on the goals and eligibility requirements of the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Fund, visit the Funding Opportunities page for our International Affairs program. If you have questions, please contact: mscf_rhinotiger@fws.gov
