There have been drastic population declines due to the rhino horn trade, and rhinos are extinct in many parts of their former range. The methods used by poachers to obtain rhino horns are also incredibly shocking; horns, along with parts of the animal’s face, are often brutally hacked off while the rhino is still alive.
Conservationists debate about how to best manage rhino populations. In South Africa, the majority of rhinos live in breeding farms to stabilize their numbers. In an effort to deter poachers, some park authorities and private rhino owners dehorn the rhinos. However, these efforts have many pitfalls, including the risks associated with anaesthetizing the animals, and the fact that poachers may still target the dehorned rhinos for the tiny amount of horn that remains. Young rhinos are likewise also not spared, with dependent calves often killed for their small horn stubs, or left to starve while grieving for their mothers who were killed by poachers. Additionally, rhino breeders have been known to sell or auction off the horns from the farmed rhinos, which stimulates demand for the rhino horn trade. Ultimately, there is no proven way to release these rhinos back to the wild, which should be the goal of any conservation project whenever possible.
