Is it too late to Save our Wildlife?
By: Joshua John
Tags: Wildlife, Sdgs, Tigers, Rhinoceros, Conservation

Photo by Lucas Alexander on Unsplash

Save The Rhinos

Ten years ago, less than 21,000 Rhinos roamed the Earth. Today the Rhino population has risen to around 27,300 Rhinos, which is a 30% increase in the population. But it still isn’t a large enough number for us to sit back and take it easy.

Last year, criminals have poached nearly 900 rhinos in Africa alone. In Africa, the last year saw 2.4 rhinos killed per day which means, one rhino was killed every 10 hours. But it is good to see that Rhinos have been in the news a lot more this year. This is attributed to the fact that two out of the world’s 5 Rhino species could easily be lost in our lifetime. But how has this happened?

Owing to the strict protection by the government authorities of India and Nepal, the greater one horned Rhino, or the Indian Rhino has rebounded from fewer than 100 individuals to over 3,600 today. The Indian Rhino Vision 2020 was brought about to establish a new Rhino population in India. Recording only the second birth is Assam’s Manas National park, around 18 Rhinos have been born. This was started by the IRF in 2009 and has made a huge impact in the kind of Rhino population we want to achieve.

A similar increase in population, although a lot slower, has been seen with Africa’s native Rhino species, the Black Rhino. But it has not been all good when it comes to other species of Rhinos. Africa’s other Rhino species, the Southern White Rhino, has reduced in population. This population decline is because of the greed that mankind shows. White rhinos are seeing higher poaching levels than black rhinos, particularly in South Africa’s Kruger National Park, largely because they generally live in more open habitats where they are easier to target.

In Indonesia, less than 80 Sumatran Rhinos remain, making it the most endangered large mammal on Earth. All the populations of the Sumatran Rhinos are heavily guarded by anti-poaching units but, despite the protection, the numbers are in decline. In 2018, the Government of Indonesia developed a Sumatran Rhino Emergency Action Plan, and in 2018, IRF and partners formed the Sumatran Rhino Rescue project, with plans to rescue rhinos and bring those with reproductive potential into large, semi-natural breeding and research facilities like the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary to increase population numbers.

Tiger Conservation Efforts in India

The four year tiger census report shows that the tiger has doubled from 1,411 in 2006 to 2,967 in 2019. This marks the biggest rise of 30% since the four year census began to actively keep track of the Tiger population.

This has been possible due to the conservation efforts by the Forest Department. The number of tiger reserves went up to 50, thus extending the protection to larger number of tigers over the years. The other important reason is increased vigilance, and the fact that organised poaching rackets have been all but crushed. According to the Wildlife Protection Society of India, there has been no organised poaching by traditional gangs in Central Indian landscapes since 2013.

Photo by Shengjun Shi on Unsplash

This kind of news does put a smile on people’s faces, because we are finally taking that bold step to not only reduce the degradation of natural habitats, but also to end poaching and trafficking. Our life on this is directly connected to all life on Land and we can not survive in exclusivity to other species of flora and fauna. The Sustainable Development Goals have really made an impact on the way governments and people look at issues today. Issues which concern all of us because we are all in this together.

It is extremely obvious that these kinds of conservation efforts have only come about after a lot of effort. Only after the gravity of the situation was brought to light is when people finally spoke up and made sure that this kind of action was taken. Not only by their representatives in the government but by other actors who could bring about such change. This means that the voices of ordinary people can have extraordinary results. It can inspire actions which turn the state of matters right around. But this kind of change only happens when you make sure that your voice is heard, and it all starts here. A single click to a massive movement, you decide.