Western black rhino declared extinct
WILD black rhinos were declared extinct, according to the latest assessment by experts at a leading conservation group.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature said the western black rhino, native to West Africa, no longer exists and claimed that a quarter of all other mammal species are at risk of extinction.
This baby black rhinoceros, pictured with her mum, was born at the Western Plains Zoo in NSW in 2002. Experts say zoos are the only place we will see such animals from now on.
They took all the trees and put ‘em in a tree museum
And then they charged all the people twenty-five bucks just to see ‘em
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lotJoni Mitchell
Sad earworm. The Javan Rhino and now the Black. *Sigh*
We just don’t seem to get it do we? There is no going back once they are gone, no science will bring them back.
I did see this item on ABC news last night. Western Plains Zoo does a great job as does Monarto Zoo out from Murrays Bridge in SA. The animals have room to move, and at Monarto, you get on a bus and drive past African wildlife, such is the size of their enclosures. Was out watering new trees at the bottom of the block today when my attention was drawn to a lot of sqwarking. A Pale Headed Eastern Rosella was on the ground unable to fly. It is a mature bird, so it may be near the end of its life. Using my floppy felt hat I picked up the bird and it now (irony of ironies) is in a cat cage with wild bird seed and some water. These are the prettiest of the parrots that come to our yard, and quite shy. They often come to our feeder later in the day, when the galahs, cockatoos, scaly breasted green parrots and rosellas have been and gone. At least it will die in peace rather than being attacked by a magpie or a butcher bird (much I love these birds which I hand feed – great characters, they turn up at lunch time and watch us through the window, till I bring them something).
I am so happy that you rescued it, and are giving it shelter. Thank you!
I was quite sad to read this yesterday. We have 1 or 2 black rhinos at the San Diego Wild Animal Park (which now has a different name which I can’t recall)
We fed them at the Western Plans zoo a couple of years ago. Fierce and majestic at the same time.
This is so sad.
I am so sad.
Well said, and I cannot understand why people think “at least” we have them in zoos. Does this not speak to the perverse nature of human arrogance?
A terribly sad reflection on our world.
I’ll be very interested to watch David Attenborough’s take on “world human carrying capacity” on TV tonight 7.30.