The third-largest land mammal in the world, the Rhino is in the “Big 5”, synonymous with Africa along with the Lion, Elephant, Buffalo and Leopard. They are often on “must-see” lists of those who are on a safari. Rhinos come in two types of sub-species, the critically endangered Black Rhino which is now extremely rare in the wild, and the more common and less endangered White Rhino. Sadly all species of Rhino are endangered to one degree or another due to the demand for ivory on the black-market and in East Asia. The White Rhino is found mainly in South Africa, particularly in Krueger National Park, where they inhabit areas of woodland between the Sabie and Crocodile Rivers, and in smaller pockets in the Letaba and Shingwedzi. But they have also been reintroduced to Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland and Zimbabwe, as well as Kenya, Zambia and Cote d’Ivoire. The Black Rhino is found virtually exclusively in South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Kenya, with South Africa being home to 40% of the entire population. White Rhinos weigh more than 2 metric tonnes, and the Black Rhino 1 to 1.5 tonnes, but both have a height of around 60 inches at the shoulder. Both have a life-span of around 35 to 40 years and their habitat ranges from grassland and open savanna to light woodlands. Both also have very long gestation periods of 16 months, which has somewhat hindered efforts to reintroduce them to areas where pouching is rife.
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