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All Animals

Southern White Rhinoceros

The Southern white rhino is a conservation success story: 100 years ago it was reduced to only a handful of animals. Its numbers have since rebounded to nearly 17,000, thanks to conservation efforts both at Zoos and in the wild. Wild rhinos are still under threat, primarily due to illegal poaching for their horns.

Stable
Threatened
Endangered

Animal Facts

Scientific Name

Ceratotherium simum

Range

Southern Africa and Democratic Republic of the Congo

Location in the Zoo

African Forest

Cool Animal Fact

White rhinos aren’t white. The ‘white’ is taken from the Afrikaans word ‘weit’ meaning ‘wide’ – they were describing the rhino’s mouth.

How we Help Save Them

  • 12 Rhino Clubs established at local schools, and 14 Youth Rhino Groups created engaging students in wildlife protection efforts
  • 81% of the known rhinos were sighted during monthly patrols by rangers in their patrol areas, up from 25% in 2012
  • Employed 53 rangers to engage in rhino research and monitoring
  • Over 500 surveys conducted with farmers and youth throughout Namibia to assess their beliefs, knowledge and perspectives towards rhinos and rhino conservation

How You Can Help

Donate to help save rhinos in the wild:

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Rhino Yard Cam

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