WORLD RHINO DAY- SEPTEMBER -22

 

WORLD RHINO DAY- 

SEPTEMBER -22

World Rhino Day is celebrated every year on September 22 to raise awareness for the five remaining rhinoceros species: the Black, White, Greater One-Horned, Sumatran, and Javan rhinos.In India, the greater one-horned rhino (also called the Indian rhino) increases in number thanks to conservation efforts. Today, there are more than 3,500 of these rhinos. However, they are still considered vulnerable.

The Black rhino is also critically endangered. Of the five rhino species, white rhinos boast the highest numbers, with more than 20,000. Things that threaten rhinos include poaching, loss of habitat, disease, and natural disasters. Some people hunt rhinos because they believe the horns have powerful healing properties. They illegally sell the horns to be ground into powder. As a result, poachers hunt the animal only to harvest the horns.World Rhino Day is a time to spread awareness on how to save the rhinos. Zoos, reserves, and rhino sanctuaries around the world host a variety of events. World Rhino Day is especially popular in Africa. Concerts, mountain bike races, art auctions, soccer tournaments, and anti-poaching benefits are just a few of the many kinds of events held.

If you want to participate in World Rhino Day, learn about rhinos. If your zoo has a rhino exhibit, go check it out. Donate to charities that support rhino conservation. Some of these include the World Wildlife Fund and the International Rhino Fund. Watch a documentary, such as The Last Rhinos, that discusses rhino poaching and extinction.

This year’s theme, “Keep the Five Alive,” calls for stronger efforts to protect rhino habitats, prevent poaching and curb the illegal trade in rhino horn. Only around 27-thousand rhinos remain in the wild, compared with nearly five lakh a century ago.India is home to the greater one-horned rhinoceros, whose population has recovered to nearly four thousand in India and Nepal, from around 200, following sustained conservation efforts.World Rhino Day: Celebrated globally and significant in India (home to the Greater One-Horned Rhino in places like Kaziranga), this day raises awareness for protecting all five remaining rhinoceros species from poaching and habitat loss 

Prof John Kurakar