The West African black rhino, Diceros bicornis ssp. longipes, until recently one of eleven rhino subspecies still living, has been tentatively declared extinct. Poaching for rhino horn is the cause.
This is according to new estimates announced by the African Rhino Specialist Group (AfRSG) of the IUCN’s Species Survival Commission. An intensive survey earlier this year of the West African black rhino has failed to locate any sign of their continued presence in their last refuges in northern Cameroon.
Here’s more information on the subspecies from the International Rhino Foundation.
Hat tip: Cyberhobo.
:down:
Fuck.
Realizing that in my lifetime, so many species have gone from thriving, to threatened, to endangered, and extinct, i am forced to say yet another aum for the loss of this subspecies of Rhino. Soon too we shall lose polar bears, penguins, wild salmon, anacondas, and so many more; this of course doesn’t begin to take into consideration the plant, moneran, and fungi kingdoms of whose species so many are being lost to the Earth. The Amazon is experiencing one of the worst droughts in its known history while Cargill bulldozes the rest of it to grow soybean chicken and pork feed. AAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGG !!! and to paraphrase Stephanie, “fuck the bastards!”
What Rana and Stephanie and Spyder said.
This totally bums me out.
It’s OK, Kathy. I misread the copyright statement on the source. I’m happy to remove the photo.