Facts About Rhinos In Rwanda

Facts About Rhinos in Rwanda: The northeastern region of the country is home to Rwanda’s only rhino sanctuary, Akagera National Park. The World Wildlife Fund states that although southern white rhinos were thought to be extinct in Africa, they are now considered close threatened and thrive in protected areas.

For an ancient species, Rwanda is a new land. Thirty white rhinos were moved from a private game reserve in South Africa to Akagera National Park in Rwanda on November 27, 2021. The largest wildlife translocation in recorded history is this one. But a group of 17 white rhinoceroses was relocated to Akagera National Park earlier in 2017. Five critically endangered dark rhinos that were born in Europe were airlifted 6,000 kilometers to Rwanda’s Akagera National Park on June 23, 2019. This is the largest rhino migration from Europe to Africa in history. Every one of the five animals has been gathered since November 2018 in Safari Park Dvůr Králové (Czech Republic), where this amazing journey began. These efforts aim to give endangered animals additional opportunities and improve their chances of survival by establishing new habitats.

Rhinos face serious threats.

There are only five species of rhinos, thus their survival is seriously threatened. The two subspecies of African rhinoceros, the black rhino and the white rhino, are both under threat of extinction. Of the five, the northern white rhino is most at risk of going extinct because there are currently only two female rhinos remaining, and the last male rhino passed away in 2018. The sad reality is that they will become extinct during our lifetimes; the white rhino is the least threatened of the five.

When you go on your next tour of Rwanda, you might see rhinos rolling around in the mud. This is how they clean themselves to protect their skin from sunburn, parasites, and other harmful insects, as well as to maintain the moisture balance of their skin. Rhinos can calm off and meet their mineral needs by taking mud baths.

They swim poorly and run quickly.

Despite having a stocky, tank-like build, rhinos are surprisingly fast—they can achieve speeds of up to 30 mph. In contrast, the fastest humans on the planet can only run a short 100 meters at 28 miles per hour. Oddly, rhinos run on their toes when sprinting at their top pace. The fastest land mammal weighing more than a thousand kilograms is the rhino. While black rhinos can run at 55 km/h, white rhinos can sprint at a maximum speed of 50 km/h. Information About Rwandan Rhinos

They are therefore definitely deadly because there is virtually little chance of surviving a rhino charging at you. Unless you jump into any deep water or a neighboring river. This is because they find it more difficult to navigate on the water than it is on land. The African rhino is not a good swimmer.

Rhinos, both black and white, are grey.

Neither the black rhinoceros nor the white rhinoceros have black skin; instead, their skin ranges from yellowish brown to grey.

Why are they being taken?

The biggest threat to rhinos in Africa right now may be poaching. In the past ten years, poachers have killed around 8,300 rhinos. Because a kilogram of rhino horn can fetch up to $65k, rhinos are highly sought-after targets for poaching. The word “rhinoceros” means “nose horn” since these intelligent animals are renowned for having enormous, spectacular horns growing out of their noses. The white rhino’s horn can grow up to 7 cm annually, with the longest recorded length being 150 cm! Keratin, the same protein that underlies human hair and nails, is what makes up rhino horn.

Rhinos’ vision is poor.

Due to their low eye acuity (they are unable to distinguish a fixed human at least 30 meters away). If a rhino charges at you, the best course of action is to hide behind something, anything from a tree to an anthill to a pile of stones, and remain still. In all honesty, you have a better chance of succeeding than of fleeing since, despite the fact that nature has endowed rhinos with many remarkable abilities, such keen senses of smell, speed, and hearing, excellent vision is not one of them.

Their system of social relations

White rhino social structures are distinct. During your Rwandan wildlife tour, you may come across groups of about 14 white rhinos, mostly females giving birth to young. In contrast, black rhinos are solitary creatures that, outside of mating and rearing young, have little tolerance for other people. Mature male rhinos mark their one square mile territories with piles of dung, and they guard them. Adult females’ home ranges can expand up to seven times, contingent on population density and habitat quality. Reproductive females are prevented from leaving the realm of a dominant male, which is constantly monitored and checked on by its owner. Men vying for a woman may get into violent altercations, using their enormous size and horns as weapons. Despite being the most social of the five rhino species, it is not uncommon to observe a lone white rhino male or a lone female and calf. Because they are by nature extremely shy, rhinos should only be allowed to wander around freely. A male rhino is referred to as a bull, a female rhino as a cow, and a young rhino as a calf. A crash is the name for a group of rhinoceros. Information About Rwandan Rhinos

Finally, Because rhinos are heavy feeders and hence control the growth of vegetation, they are essential to the ecology and help to form the landscape of Rwanda. Visitors from all over the world have come to Rwanda on safari excursions to observe these extremely endangered animals because of rhinos. Facts About Rhinos in Rwanda. The decline in rhino population numbers can be attributed to habitat destruction, as rhinos, like other species, are impacted by local climate conditions and need enough food, water, and spacious, well-maintained living areas for their residence. Without these protected areas, our threatened species will inevitably disappear.