Black Rhino Officially Extinct; South African Rhino Kill Rate Up in 2011

Wildlife charity WWF say that figures show that 341 rhinos have been killed in 2011 so far, which has already overtaken last year’s total of 333.  South Africa National Parks keep a record of the number of rhinos who have been found with their horns sawn off.  WWF think the rise is down to more people using rhino horn in Vietnamese traditional medicine.  BBC

It always comes down to cold hard cash, that combined with the cultural heritage excuse.  You know, our ancestors did it, so we continue to do it and the consequences to damned because it’s tradition!

Shark finning and killing rhinos for their horns are one in the same hideous unforgivable act.  Cutting off shark fins for soup and killing rhinos for their horns to used for ornamental and pseudo medicinal reasons are barbaric acts of cruelty.

And so it is with a great deal of sadness that it is being reported that the sub-species black rhino is now officially extinct!

GENEVA — The Western Black Rhino of Africa has been declared officially extinct, and two other subspecies of rhinoceros are close to meeting the same fate, a leading conservation group said Thursday.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature said a recent reassessments 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 killed the last animal there in 2010.

Take a good look at that suffering animal, it should be embedded into your consciousness. Now, what are you going to do to change this?