White rhino in Congo on brink of extinction

Authors: 
Wallis D.
Document Type: 
Media
Citation: 
Wallis D. (2008, June 17). White rhino in Congo on brink of extinction. Reuters [online]. Available http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSL1640200620080617 [2009, April 1]
Year Published: 
2008
Type Work: 
News Release
Availability: 
online
Location of Project: 
congo
Language: 
english
Country: 
congo
Url: 
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSL1640200620080617
Bushmeat Asian Type: 
Bushmeat
Keywords: 
white rhino ; congo rhino population ; rhino extinction ; congo ; poaching ; rhino poaching ; guerrillas ; rhino horn
Abstract: 
Rhino numbers in Africa have reached record levels but one sub-species confined to a remote and lawless corner of Congo is on the brink of extinction, a leading conservation group warned on Tuesday. While populations thrive elsewhere, the northern white rhino -- found only in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) Garamba National Park -- has been hounded by poachers. The Swiss-based International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said there were just 30 of them left in April 2003, and only four confirmed animals as of August 2006. "Worryingly, recent fieldwork has so far failed to find any presence of these four remaining rhinos," Martin Brooks, head of its African Rhino Specialist Group, said in a report. "Unless animals are found during the intensive surveys that are planned under the direction of the African Parks Foundation, the sub-species may be doomed to extinction." White rhinos are targeted by poachers for their horns, which fetch high ...
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