Natalidad, mortalidad y estructura de edad en el rinoceronte blanco (Ceratotherium simum simum) en el Parque Zoologico Nacional de Cuba

The illegal demand of rhinoceroses horns, the high unemployment, poverty and wars, outlining a threat to the rhinoceroses population. The challenge nowdays are as protecting these species. The objective of this study was to calculate the basic demographic parameters, life history and the age structure by sex in the white rhinoceros Ceratotherium simum simum in the National Zoological Park of Cuba. To the 21 considered years, 2–3 borned calf occurs each 5 years, but the total number of calf borned fall, for the same periods five years: 6, 6, 4,in the first three periods, 2 in the last one. In the rhinoceroses population have been 8 cases of deaths for diverse causes, 62.5% deaths calfs or juveniles; (the organic and infectious causes occupied 25% of this); the male attacks was 37.5% of deaths. The age distribution for intervals of five years, evidences a tendency to the decrease of the group I (0–5 years), an increase in the group II (6–8 years) and a stability of the group III (14–16 years), them the tendencies to decrease group IV (17–20 years).