It’s World Rhino Day! To help celebrate this day, we are asking for your help. Join RhinoFit in our fight to create awareness and protect the 5 species of the rhinoceros!
The Rhino Population
Dating back to approximately 50 million years ago, over 500,000 rhinos once roamed in many places throughout the world in Europe, Asia, and Africa. However, with persistent poaching and habitat loss, the population has dropped from 70,000 rhinos in 1970, to as low as 29,000 rhinos in the wild today. Currently, the Black, Javan, and Sumatran rhinos are on the list of critically endangered species.
How Can We help?
The only real enemy the rhinos have is man. Over the years, poachers have hunted and killed rhinos for their horns to sell on the black market. Since the rhino horn is used for medicine, the horns can sell for more than the price of gold. If we don’t put in end to poaching, Rhino’s could become extinct in the near future. The easiest way to help is by advocating and spreading awareness for the rhino species. There are also other Rhino conservationists that you can contribute to to help keep the 5 rhino species alive and protected from poachers.
5 Commonly Unknown Rhino Facts:
1. These magnificent animals are best known for their giant horns. This is why they are named “rhinoceros’, meaning “nose horn”.
2. The Rhino species are some of the biggest animals in world! The White Rhino is the second-largest land animal on the plant and can grow to almost 6 feet tall and can weigh over 5500 lbs!
3. Despite the rhinos huge size and strength, the rhinos are herbivores so they don’t prey on other animals. Their diet normally consists of mostly grass, leaves, and roots.
4. Rhinos might be known for their large size but they can run at speeds up to 34 mph!
5. The lifespan of a rhino depends on the species. Generally, the Black Rhino lives between 35 and 50 years while the White Rhino live between 40 to 50 years.
Below are some pictures from our team trip to Zoo Tampa to feed the Rhinos!
