September 22nd, 2011 is World Rhino Day! Rhinos around the world are in trouble, with only 27,000 rhinos left. The main cause for the population decline is from poachers, who sell the horns for Asian medicines.

However, according to Susie Ellis, executive director of the International Rhino Foundation, the world rhino populations can still be saved if we can find ways to stop poaching.

“After so much effort and funding has been ploughed into rhino protection in Africa, we cannot lose the momentum. We look to each country’s national authorities to hold up their side of our shared commitment to conserve rhinos,” Ellis asserted in a press release.

“We know how to bring these species numbers back up.  But we have to get poaching and other human-induced losses under control. Along with all of our partners, we hope to call attention to the good, the bad and the hopeful news through World Rhino Day this Thursday.”

Learn about the Indian Rhinoceros on Animal Fact Guide.

Two female Indian rhinos leave their crate for their new home in Manas National Park in Assam, India. Photo credit: Dipankar Ghose, WWF-India

Two female Indian rhinoceroses – one adult and one juvenile – have been successfully translocated from Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary to Manas National Park (both situated in Assam, India).  Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary has a very dense population of rhinos in its 18 square kilometers (4,450 acres) of rhino habitat, so by moving some of its population to another park, conservationists hope to regrow a viable rhino population in Manas National Park.

The operation of relocating the animals was no small task. According to the International Rhino Foundation:

Under the guidance of veterinarians, field workers, park guards, conservationists and forest department officials, the two animals were captured and released within 24 hours.  Veterinarians darted the animals with tranquilizers, then transported them 250 km in crates specially-designed to hold the 1.5 to 2 ton pachyderms.

The successful translocation was made possible by a collaboration among the government of Assam, the International Rhino Foundation, the World Wide Fund for Nature, the Bodoland Territorial Council, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.  Their project, the Indian Rhino Vision (IRV) 2020, aims to attain a population of 3,000 wild rhinos in seven of Assam’s protected areas by the year 2020.  The conservationists plan to relocate 16 more animals in 2011.

For more information, visit the International Rhino Foundation.

You can also learn more about Indian rhinos on Animal Fact Guide.

It was questionable whether a baby greater one horned rhino would survive after experiencing a traumatic birth at the Zoological Society London’s Whipsnade Zoo in November. The little calf would not nurse from her mother Beluki and was starved of vital nutrients. Zoo staff finally managed to bottlefeed the youngster, and after a few days, she started suckling from her mother. The rhino baby was named Karamat, which is Nepalese for “miracle.”

In the wild, these rhinos, also known as Indian rhinos, are listed as vulnerable by the IUCN. See Animal Fact Guide’s article, Indian Rhinoceros, for more information about these Asian animals.

To learn more about Karamat, see: ZSL.org.

The International Rhino Foundation announced that a carcass of a highly endangered Javan rhino was discovered in Indonesia’s Ujung Kulon National Park last week.

From the press release:

Ujung Kulon holds the only viable population of the critically endangered species; no more than 48 Javan rhinos remain on the planet, and at least 44 of those are found in Ujung Kulon.  Fewer than four animals of unknown sex and age may remain in an isolated population in Cat Tien National Park in Vietnam, where the carcass of a poached Javan rhino was found last month.

“Javan rhinos persist in Ujung Kulon because they are carefully monitored and guarded by Rhino Protection Units, elite anti-poaching teams that patrol the park every day.  While the loss of this rhino was tragic, it appears to have died from natural causes rather than poaching,” said Dr. Susie Ellis, executive director of the International Rhino Foundation.

Ellis went on to say, “Rhino experts agree that expanding the usable habitat in Ujung Kulon is an important first step. The next priority will be to establish a second viable population of Javan rhino at a suitable site elsewhere in Indonesia as an ‘insurance’ population. This will be essential if we are to safeguard it from natural and human-caused disasters and to ultimately prevent its extinction.”

If you would like to help Javan rhinoceroses, visit www.rhinos-irf.org.

Skeleton of a male Javan rhino found last week on a densely forested trail in Indonesia's Ujung Kulon National Park. Forensic evidence suggests he died in March of natural causes.

The skeleton of the rhino laid out, with the horn still intact.

Archie the rhino escaped from his pen at Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens.

Archie, a 41-year-old, 4000 pound rhinoceros at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens in Florida, managed to escape from his enclosure.  Zoo workers were not able to lure Archie back to his pen with food — a tactic that worked years ago when he attempted escape once before.

Although out of his enclosure, the rhino was never near any of the zoo visitors because he was still fenced out of public areas.  After sedating Archie, 20 zoo workers were able to lead him down a service road into his pen.

Zoo employees believe he was able to escape because the door to his enclosure was not secured properly.

For more info, see: CBS4.com.

Photo of Ratu by Yayasan Badak Indonesia.

A few weeks ago we reported on the pregnancy of Ratu, an endangered Sumatran rhino. We are saddened to learn today that her pregnancy was lost. Ratu had mated with Andalas, a captive-born Sumatran rhino, three years after Andalas moved to the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in Indonesia from the United States.

Dr. Susie Ellis, executive director of the International Rhino Foundation said in a press release, “This is not unusual for a rhino’s first pregnancy.” She added that they are hopeful in this pairing because the two rhinos did produce a pregnancy.

Sumatran rhinos are extremely endangered. There are currently approximately 200 in the wild and 10 in captivity.

Read our previous post about Ratu and Andalas here.

Ratu, a Sumatran  rhinoceros, is pregnant. This is newsworthy because Sumatran rhinos are endangered and births in captivity are incredibly rare. Ratu’s mate, Andalas, was the third Sumatran rhino born in captivity in 112 years. If all goes well, Ratu’s baby will be the fourth.

Sumatran rhinos are the most endangered of all rhinoceros species. Their numbers have decreased due to habitat loss and human poaching.

To read more about Ratu, visit CNN.com.

To read about the Indian rhinoceros, a relative of the Sumatran rhino, visit Animal Fact Guide.

The German town of Munster is the home of newly-born female rhinoceros. The unnamed baby rhino was at risk of being killed by her mother, who killed her previous two babies. Minutes after birth, the mother rhino acted aggressive toward the baby. This prompted the zoo staff to intervene and the decision was made to hand raise her. Baby rhinos need near constant help; they are fed gallons of milk each day and need to be stroked and given physical contact.

For more, visit Spiegel Online.