23 The Last Rhinos

The Last Rhinos written by Suzette Toms

One of five species of rhinoceros, the Northern White rhino is Africa's second largest animal. It is the biggest rhino in the world and it is almost extinct. There are two types of white rhinoceros the Northern White and the Southern White. Most of these large white rhinos live in just four countries: South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Kenya.

white rhino The white rhino has a huge body, enormous head, short neck and broad chest. It is big and heavy like a tractor. On its nose it has two horns. The front horn is tall and the back horn is short. The white rhinoceros has a large muscular hump that helps hold up its heavy head. White rhinos are not really white, they can range from a dirty white to a yellowish brown. They have very little hair which is found mostly on the ears and tail. White rhinos have a flat broad mouth used for grazing. They eat grasses and other plants.

rhino family These large white rhinos are very easy to hunt. They do not get angry easily and are no trouble to find because they travel in herds. Without limits on hunting in the past, white rhino numbers dropped a lot. Poaching for their horns is the main reason they have almost been lost completely.

guards Powdered rhino horn is worth more than gold! As rhino numbers drop, the price to buy their horns gets higher. Poachers can make a large amount of money from people who buy them. It is possible they will hunt them until all rhinos are extinct. Today the last surviving Northern White rhinos are guarded against poachers by armed guards, and their horns have been cut off safely to help save them.

wildlife park There are no Northern White rhinos left in the wild. Civil wars stopped efforts to protect them. A group of six Northern White rhinos from a zoo were the only survivors. Today there are only two of them left alive. They are both female, mother and daughter, Najin and Fatu and both were born in captivity. They are closely guarded in a protected area in Kenya.