World Rhino Day

With its thick grey skin and horn on its snout, almost every child in the globe should be able to recognize this magnificent creature — the rhinoceros.

It is a critically endangered species in the wild and is on the verge of extinction, unless we do something about it. As a result, World Rhino Day is celebrated on September 22nd every year. It's aim is to make people more aware about the rhinos, and to conserve what is left of these wonderful creatures. 

World Rhino Day honours the 5 species of rhinos:

• The Black Rhino
• The White Rhino
• The Greater Horned Rhino
• The Sumatran Rhino
• The Javan Rhino

Human's desire for the rhino's unique horns has driven all 5 of different rhinoceros species to near extinction. Their horns are in high demand due to their therapeutic qualities. 

History of World Rhino Day

In the beginning of the 1990's, the African rhino issue, particularly the black rhino catastrophe in Zimbabwe, became well recognized and people began to feel uneasy.

By 2010, it was clear that rhino's possibly dangerous activity was still unknown to many around the world. In response to the worsening of the situation, the WWF (World Wildlife Fund-South Africa) declared September 22 as World Rhino Day in 2010.

It became a worldwide success just a year later. Every year since then, NGO's, Zoo's, concerned people an wildlife groups around the world have come together to mark the World Rhino Day. 

Significance Of The Day

Rhinos were formerly prevalent all throughout Eurasia and Africa. Around 500,000 rhinos roamed the globe in the early twentieth century. The Javan and Sumatran rhinoceros are highly endangered in Asia. There are just 58 to 68 Javan rhinos left on the planet.

A Javan rhino subspecies was declared extinct in 2011. Only 80 Sumatran rhinos are left today. The black rhino is likewise on the verge of extinction. White rhinos are the most numerous of the five rhino species, with around 20,000 in the wild.

The larger one-horned rhino, sometimes known as the Indian rhino, is increasing in number in India as a result of conservation initiatives. There are currently around 3,500 of these rhinos. They are, however, nonetheless regarded susceptible. So, while India’s rhino numbers are doing well, there are undoubtedly more to be saved.