I always thought that Dürer’s portrait of a rhino was an example of an artist who tried to draw an animal that he had never seen. Dürer didn’t actually see a rhino, but his drawing was far more accurate than I thought – it was just a different kind of rhino. Dürer drew a Sumatran rhino which is far more plated than the African varieties I know so well. Yesterday I say my first Asian rhino in Berlin Zoo, and this is my hommage to Dürer!
Rhino populations have been under heavy pressure from poaching. They are poached because some people believe that the horn of a rhino has medicinal qualities, and trade in rhino horn is very lucrative.
In the past years, there has been an effort to dehorn rhinos in several South African national parks and game reserves. A dehorned rhino has no value to poachers, so this is an effective way of protecting them – and the incidences of poaching have dropped significantly as an effect. For the rhino it does not seem to matter much. Fights over dominance can still happen, even without a horn, and may even be safer for the parties involved.
Still, it’s sad that we have to do this to protect a species!
It’s that weekend feeling!
Yesterday I saw the prize-winning documentary Stroop about rhino poaching and the trade in rhino horn in Asia. It’s so sad to know that our greed as human beings destroys the world around us. Why can’t we find a way to share, to go not for profit but for sustainability and livelihoods for workers? Look at this innocent creature, so mighty and strong, but so vulnerable to our vices. Will they still be with us in 50 years time?
A rhino kicking up some dust with its feet. Rhinos shuffle their feet, thereby creating a small dust cloud, when they feel threatened or annoyed, for example by a car that gets too close. In this case the behavior didn’t seem directed at our car as the rhino was otherwise very relaxed and went on to pass an impressive amount of urine…
This picture shows very clearly why the black rhino is also called hook-lipped. The triangular shape of the upper lip can almost be used like a finger to carefully pick branches from the ground or leaves from scrubs.
Happy World Rhino Day 2019!
An adorable baby rhino resting in the shade. Rhinos spend their days and nights grazing, only resting during the hottest hours of the day. After birth, a baby rhino can walk within an hour. A rhino is born without a horn, but the front horn becomes visible within one or two months. The back horn starts growing when the calf is about a year old. The calf will stay with its mother for about three years before setting off on its own.
Romance in the bush: a male and a female rhino walking down the road. We must have followed them in our car for over half an hour while they walked, stopped, grazed a bit, walked on. Beautiful animals.
Photo taken in Pilanesberg National Park, South Africa
Awesome wonder 