Near threatened species

This week is World Environment Week and I have decided to post a few pictures which concern our environment.

This picture of a white rhinoceros and calf was taken on 24 May 2011 between Malelane and Skukuza. I couldn’t help but wonder what the future holds for these animals.

Poaching saw the White Rhino nearly extinct in 1895, but the discovery of about 100 individuals and extensive research and conservation efforts saw their numbers grow. Today there are about 20 600 white rhinos left in the wild, most of them in South Africa. Sadly, since 2009, rhino poaching has soared with 122 rhinos illegally killed in 2009 and 333 rhinos killed in 2010.  White rhinos are now classified as near threatened on IUCN’s Red List of threatened species, while black rhinos are listed as critically endangered with only about 4,200 remaining, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Source: WWF

It’s time to act! Visit http://www.worldwildlife.org/how/index.html and see what you can do to help save these beautiful creatures for generations to come.