A leading conservationist group has reported the Western Black Rhino is officially extinct and two othet rhinoceros species are close to meeting the same ugly reality. It is a dark time for Rhino in Africa, where poachers have decreased populations in order to sell their horns. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, “a recent reassessment of the Western Black Rhino had led it to declare the species 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 [assholes] killed the last animal there in 2010.” In Indonesia, the Javan Rhino survives, barely, on the island it takes its namesake from, Java, but also has a small, and declining, population. “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 IUCN said in a statement accompanying the most recent update of its Red List of endangered species. The ICUN added that out of all mammals on the planet, around one-quarter are at risk of extincion, but the group said that through a number of programs, successful conservation efforts can bolster and recuperate these endangered populations. Animals have come back from extinction in the past, through breeding programs and through special conservation efforts. ICUN cited the Przewalski's Horse, a wild horse from Central Asia, has “also come back from extinction after a successful breeding program in captivity.” The Red List currently contains almost 62,000 species of plants and animals, whose status is constantly monitored by conservationists. BM
