 Reference Base  Conservation genetics of the black rhinoceros (Diceros bi... |
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| Location: |
Africa |
| Subject: |
Distribution - Status |
| Species: |
Black Rhino |
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Fewer than 11,000 individuals of all five species survive in small scattered populations throughout Africa, India, and Southeast Asia. The black rhino (Diceros bicornis), the focus of this study, has suffered the most dramatic decline, disappearing faster than any other large mammal. The species once occupied most of sub-Saharan Africa and numbered in the hundreds of thousands (Fig. 1). Even by the turn of the century, large, nearly contiguous populations of black rhino were spread across much of central, eastern, and southern Africa. However, by 1970 their numbers had declined to 65,000 and over the past 18 years poaching has reduced this number by 95%. The remaining 3,800 animals are split into some 75 populations, only ten of which have more than 50 animals (Western & Vigne 1985; Du Toit et al. 1987; Wildlife Conservation International News 1988).
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