A. Species
Scientific name: Ceratotherium simum spp. simium
Common name(s): Southern white rhinoceros
Global IUCN Red List Threat Status:
B. Location of use
Geographic location(s):
- Northern Cape Province
- Free State
- Limpopo Province
- North-West Province
Country/Region: South Africa
C. Scale of assessment
Scale of assessment: National Level
Name/Details of location: 6x privately ranched captive breeding operations in located in the Northwest, Northern Cape, Limpopo, and Free State Provinces of South Africa
D. Timescale of use
Start Year: 2012
End Year: 2020
E. Information about the use
How is the wild species sourced?: Wild species born/bred and raised/produced in captivity or through artificial propagation
Type of use: Extractive
Practice of use: Ranching, farming or cultivation or wild species
Lethal or non-lethal: Non-Lethal
Does this use involve take/extraction of: Only parts or products of the organism
Purpose(s) of end use: Medicine and hygiene and Collection/display
Motivation of use: Income generation from trade (individual/household/community)
Is this use legal or illegal?: Legal under national law
F. Information about the Users
Which stakeholder(s) does the record primarily focus on?: National / local private sector
G. Information about the sustainability of use
Is there evidence that the use is having an impact on the target species?: Wild species born/bred and raised/produced in captivity or through artificial propagation
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an ecological perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable
Details of assessment carried out: Southern white rhino under private custodianship and management on rewilded agro-sustainable biodiversity game ranches in South Africa (estimated currently at >8,000 animals, some of which are registered Captive Breeding Operations [CBO]; assessed CBOs contained 2,882 rhinos at the time of this study (Sep 2021), have increased in population numbers and survival rates, sustaining average annual population growth performances of 9.0%.
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Captive bred rhino numbers have increased 9% under stewardship. Privately owned game farms have contributed significantly to white rhinoceros conservation, with approximately 57.0% of the national herd (more than >7,000 animals in 2020, currently projected at >8,000 [R2 1065 = 0,988]) kept on approximately 18,000 km2 of privately owned land. In contrast, in Kruger National Park (KNP), rhinos have declined by over 75.0% since 2011, with the highest annual poaching rates over the past decade and a remaining population estimated at only 2,607 animals by the end of 2020, which is an average annual population decline of -10.2% from 2008 to 2020, and 2,458 animals left by the end of June 2022.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an economic perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable
Details of assessment carried out: this study
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: The study proposes that ranching white rhinos is ethical and that animals are far less vulnerable to poaching than in the Kruger national park. It also makes the economic case for trading in non-lethal rhino horn, with genetic registration in place. Note: live rhinos are de-horned as one aspect of ranching, but some trophy hunting rights are also sold, where animals (mostly bulls) are killed. In addition ranches sell live rhino, often overseas.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a social perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable
Details of assessment carried out: this study
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: The study proposes that ranching white rhinos is ethical and that animals are far less vulnerable to poaching than in the Kruger national park. It also makes the economic case for trading in non-lethal rhino horn, with genetic registration in place. Note: live rhinos are de-horned as one aspect of ranching, but some trophy hunting rights are also sold, where animals (mostly bulls) are killed. In addition ranches sell live rhino, often overseas.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a human health perspective been recorded?: not recorded
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an animal health/welfare perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable
Details of assessment carried out: this study
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: The study proposes that ranching white rhinos is ethical and that animals are far less vulnerable to poaching than in the Kruger national park. It also makes the economic case for trading in non-lethal rhino horn, with genetic registration in place. Note: live rhinos are de-horned as one aspect of ranching, but some trophy hunting rights are also sold, where animals (mostly bulls) are killed. In addition ranches sell live rhino, often overseas.
Recommendations provided in the record to maintain or enhance the sustainability of the use of the target species
The use of stud books for captive breeding, and encouraging macro-genetic diversification through translocation and relocation between privately managed rhino reserves.
Record source
Information about the record source: scientific_pub
Date of publication/issue/production: 2022-01-01T00:00:00+0000
Source Reference(s):
A pre-print of PLoS ONE XX(2022):e xxx https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.xxxxxxx
RESEARCH ARTICLE
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.09.21.508862v1.full.pdf
Date of record entry: 2022-11-09