MoveMe’s Guide to the World’s Rhinos

There may well be five species of rhino in the world but did you know more than 90% of the world’s rhino population is found in South Africa alone? 

Because South Africa’s conservation efforts there are lots of protected areas that house these special animals. Rhinos are endangered, but thankfully conservation strategises have helped to stabilize their numbers over the last few years. There is still much work to be done. You can explore more about the poaching crisis in our blog ‘A Brief Introduction to the Rhino Poaching Crisis’.

There are five species of rhino. The Indian Rhinoceros is native to Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.  The Indian Rhino is also called the Greater One Horned Rhino. 

The Javan Rhinoceros is found in Indonesia and Malaysia. The Sumatran Rhinoceros is native to Indonesia which is the only habitat that this species has left. The Sumatran Rhino can only be found on Indonesia’s largest island, Sumatra, which is home to the Leuser Ecosystem, the last place on earth where rhinos,  elephants, tigers and orangutans still co-exist in the wild.

The Black Rhinoceros is found in Africa and the White Rhinoceros can be found only in Africa too.

Let’s take a quick look at the five species of rhino that can be found around the world and what is threatening their survival.

Black Rhino

Black Rhino are classified as critically endangered as there are less than 5,650 individuals left in the wild.

The species experiences a significant decline in their population in the last 20 years. In the 1970s there were over 70,000 black rhino in the wild meaning there has been a 96% loss of their population. 

Black Rhino can be identified by their hook lip and are slightly smaller than white rhinos. Black rhinos can be found in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Tanzania and Namibia. 

White Rhino

White Rhinos can be easily identified by their square shaped lips. They have the strongest population by numbers with between 19,000 and 21,000 individuals still living in the wild. They have two horns with the front horn growing much longer than the back. 

Unlike black rhinos who are browsers, white rhinos are grazers. They are like nature’s lawn mowers!

Indian Rhino - Greater One Horned Rhino

The Greater One Horned Rhino is classified as vulnerable having made a significant come back in recent years due to impactful conservation. There are now more than 3500 of these rhinos living across northern India, Nepal and Bangladesh.

As their name suggests, they only have one horn and unlike black and white rhinos their thick skin folds into an amour like exterior. 

Sumatran Rhino 

The Sumatran Rhino is elusive and critically endangered. There are thought to be just 80 sumatran rhinos left in the wild though this may be a generous estimate. 

The last hope for the sumatran rhino is a captive breeding programme.that is being run in South Sumatra with a good success rate. Habitat loss has been the greatest threat to both the Sumatran and Javan rhinos.

Javan Rhino

The Javan Rhino is the most endangered of all the rhino species and there is a single population remaining in Ujung Kulon National Park with only 75 individuals. They live in the jungles and are therefore threatened by habitat loss and disease. 

The Javan Rhino is considered to be the rarest large mammal on earth. In terms of size, they are smaller and weigh far less than the other species of rhino. 

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Can't Stop Moving meets Case Scenario X will feature stories of humans, of animals and of the environment to see how these three threads need to be looked at together to create lasting solutions. The poaching of wildlife is a significant crisis and the first few episodes of Can't Stop Moving meets Case Scenario X will explore this dire situation in more detail with action steps you can take to support those working on the frontlines.