What happened to white rhinos in 1983? Poaching is what happened, and it wiped out all of these majestic creatures in Kidepo Valley National Park. Poaching is the illegal hunting of wild animals. However, there has been a comeback!
Rhinos Return
White rhinos have been reintroduced to the Kidepo Valley National Park after 43 years! Some of the wildlife experts chose to bring 4 southern white rhinos back first. They most likely want to see how the rhinos will react in the environment and based on that they might bring more. 4 more are expected to join the park later this year as well.
Hopes For The Future
Conservationists hope to see the rhinos thrive once again. Poaching laws will likely become stricter to decrease the chances of a total wipeout once more. Since it will be a safer environment there would also be increase in mating so that the population will start to increase. It’s time
Five Fun Facts About White Rhinos
- They aren’t actually white: The name is the result of a massive linguistic misunderstanding. Early Dutch settlers in South Africa called them wijd (meaning “wide”), describing their flat, broad lips adapted for grazing on grass. When the British arrived, they misheard the word as “white” and the name stuck. To contrast, the other African species was dubbed the “black rhino,” even though both species are completely grey.
- A group is called a “crash”: While black rhinos are solitary and territorial, white rhinos are surprisingly social. They frequently travel in groups of females and their calves, and a collective group of rhinos is officially called a “crash.”
- Their horns are made of hair protein: A rhino’s horn is not made of bone. It is composed entirely of keratin—the exact same protein that makes up human hair and fingernails. If a rhino survives a horn injury, the horn can actually grow back over time, averaging about 3 inches of growth per year.
- They are absolute heavyweight tanks: The white rhino is the second-largest land mammal on Earth, outsized only by the elephant. A full-grown male can weigh up to 5,000 lbs (2,300 kg) and stand 6 feet tall at the shoulder. Despite this immense bulk, they can sprint at speeds of up to 30 mph (48 km/h) if they need to charge.
- They have terrible eyesight but supersonic hearing: A white rhino cannot see an object clearly if it is more than 100 feet away. To make up for this, their tubular ears can rotate independently, allowing them to pick up incredibly faint sounds from miles away, while their sense of smell is highly acute.
