Northern White Rhinos are the most endangered species of rhino in the world.
A total of only three are left worldwide and they arepredicted to die off by the end of the next decade. The main reasons this species is endangered is because of poaching and the civil wars in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and also Sudan. People poach rhinos because they believe that the rhino’s horns can cure diseases. The horn of the rhino is grounded into a power then dissolved in boiling water. It is used in many traditional Chinese medicines and is believed to treat fever, hangovers, and maybe even cancer.There is only three Northern White Rhinos alive as of today. There is one Male,named Sudan and he is 45 years old.
There are also two females, Najin and Fatu. Najin is 25 years old and Fatu is 15. The average age a white rhino will live is about 40-50 years. Sudan is old and may not be able to naturally mate with a female so as a solution scientists will try to save this subspecies the modern way with in vitro fertilization. The second to last male, Angalifu died December 14, 2014 at age 44 leaving five northern whites.
Next, Nabire, a female, died in July 2015 at age 31. The fourth last Northern White is Nola, she died at age 41 in 2015 at San Diego Zoo leaving the remaining three rhinos, Sudan, Najin and Fatu.Our topic is about endangered animals. We are researching the Northern white rhino, the african penguin, and the okapi. Our topic is important because when too many species become endangered anddie out too quickly, other species can suffer from it. White rhinos can increase plant diversity and provide grazing patches for other animals. If African Penguins went extinct it would affect ecosystems because the penguins feed on fish and are used do find out about ecosystem changes.
Also sea predators rely on the african penguin as a source of food. Our topic is very important and we think that it is crucial to start to save endangered species. One of the animals we are researching is the Northern white rhino. There are only three left worldwide and theyare all located in the Ol Pejeta Conservatory in northern Kenya under 24 hour protection from poachers.
The african penguin can be found on the south-western coast of africa near Namibia and South Africa. The penguins are near the central Namibian coast and in the Cape Town area in South Africa. Also they are located on islands off the coast. The okapi can be found in the Ituri rainforest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in Central Africa. The African Penguins are endangered because of the industrial fishing around the cape. Also when oil spills occur, especially in the harbor, it can lead to the deaths of many penguins.
When penguins are searching for food climate change and fishing can lead them to the wrong places. In the past, the overfishing in Namibia and the changing environment have reduced the number of sardines and fish for the penguins so they are struggling to survive. The ocean plays a role in our topic because it is one of the reasons theafrican penguins are endangered.
Even though this effects the penguins in africa the ocean does not affect the okpai and the northern white rhino. The Okapi lives in a dense rainforest and has great camouflage and hearing skills but deforestation and losing its habitat is one of the reasons why the okpai is endangered. Rainforests and deforestation do not affect the rhinos or the penguins but they are one of the main reasons the okapi is endangered. The African penguins live in a warm climate in Southern Africa. The climate change has been one of the reasons they are endangered. When the penguins are searching for their food the changing climate can lead them to the wrong places. The Okapi lives in a humid rainforest in the DRC. The ideal climate for the Okapi is 66-78 degrees Fahrenheit.
They can tolerate as low 40-55 degrees. But they shouldn’t be exposed to temperatures under 40 degrees. Also, the rhinos are starting to feel the effects of climate changeand drought. The Okapi is endangered because of poaching and deforestation. Deforestation has caused this animal to lose its habitat, resulting in this species becoming endangered. Also poaching has dropped the numbers significantly.
This rare species has been decreasingsince 1995 and has lost at least 50% of its population since then. Okapi’s are hard to find in the wild, but it is estimated that there are about 25,000 left in the world. In the past, the people of Namibia have overfished reducing the number of sardines in the area causing the penguins to become endangered because it’s moving them to the wrong areas. Since the humans overfished this has played a significant role in making this species endangered.
