Western Black Rhino Officially Extinct

• Hanna wrote on 2013-05-10 20:14
  [Image: http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/111110012209-black-rhino-extinct-conservation-horizontal-gallery.jpg]

  
  http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/10/world/africa/rhino-extinct-species-report
  
  
  

  
  London (CNN) -- Africa's western black rhino is now officially extinct according the latest review of animals and plants by the world's largest conservation network.
  The subspecies of the black rhino -- which is classified as "critically endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species -- was last seen in western Africa in 2006.
  The IUCN warns that other rhinos could follow saying Africa's northern white rhino is "teetering on the brink of extinction" while Asia's Javan rhino is "making its last stand" due to continued poaching and lack of conservation.
  "In the case of the western black rhino and the northern white rhino the situation could have had very different results if the suggested conservation measures had been implemented," Simon Stuart, chair of the IUCN species survival commission said in a statement.
  
  "These measures must be strengthened now, specifically managing habitats in order to improve performance, preventing other rhinos from fading into extinction," Stuart added.
  The IUCN points to conservation efforts which have paid off for the southern white rhino subspecies which have seen populations rise from less than 100 at the end of the 19th century to an estimated wild population of 20,000 today.
  Another success can be seen with the Przewalski's Horse which was listed as "extinct in the wild" in 1996 but now, thanks to a captive breeding program, has an estimated population of 300.
  
  The latest update to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species reviews more than 60,000 species, concluding that 25% of mammals on the list are at risk of extinction.
  Many plants are also under threat, say the IUCN.
  Populations of Chinese fir, a conifer which was once widespread throughout China and Vietnam, is being threatened by the expansion of intensive agriculture according to the IUCN.
  A type of yew tree (taxus contorta) found in Asia which is used to produce Taxol (a chemotherapy drug) has been reclassified from "vulnerable" to "endangered" on the IUCN Red List, as has the Coco de Mer -- a palm tree found in the Seychelles islands -- which is at risk from fires and illegal harvesting of its kernels.
  Recent studies of 79 tropical plants in the Indian Ocean archipelago revealed that more than three quarters of them were at risk of extinction.
  In the oceans, the IUCN reports that five out of eight tuna species are now "threatened" or "near threatened," while 26 recently-discovered amphibians have been added to the Red List including the "blessed poison frog" (classified as vulnerable) while the "summers' poison frog" is endangered.
  "This update offers both good and bad news on the status of many species around the world," Jane Smart, director of IUCN's global species program said in a statement.
  "We have the knowledge that conservation works if executed in a timely manner, yet, without strong political will in combination with targeted efforts and resources, the wonders of nature and the services it provides can be lost forever."

  
  
  Human greed knows no limits
• Thorne wrote on 2013-05-10 20:23
  This is why I hate the human race. We don't seem to care about the world that's around us.
• Cynic wrote on 2013-05-10 20:40

  Quote from Thorne;1085988:

  This is why I hate (most of) the human race. We don't seem to care about the world that's around us.

  
  
  ^
  
  I get that some people don't like animals, or are simply neutral towards them, but there's no excuse for shit like this. It's disgusting.
• Cucurbita wrote on 2013-05-10 20:43
  This is really unfortunate and I really can't say I agree with the poachers that mostly led to this, but...
  
  I have to admit that I'm a huge greedy asshole. If I saw one, and I could safely get away with it, I would hunt that thing down and make tons of $$$.
  
  I'm just really desperate for money.
• Hanna wrote on 2013-05-10 23:25
  even if you knew there were only a few left? :(
• Ketchup wrote on 2013-05-11 00:29

  Quote from Hanna;1086115:

  even if you knew there were only a few left? :(

  
  
  Greed knows no bounds
• Lewd wrote on 2013-05-11 00:34
  Who cares about black rhinos, white rhinos are the superior race.
• Osayidan wrote on 2013-05-11 00:47
  While I agree that poaching is retarded and I hope such things stop, I also find it hard to really care if a species went extinct. Just knowing that 99% of any species that ever existed on this planet is extinct, and 99% of that 99% went extinct without human intervention just really puts it all into perspective.
• Cucurbita wrote on 2013-05-11 02:26

  Quote from Hanna;1086115:

  even if you knew there were only a few left? :(

  
  
  Sorry. Gotta eat.
  
  Maybe if I was in a slightly more secure financial situation. I mean I do feel bad about it, and I would feel bad about it. But the rarer it is, the more money its worth.
  
  That said, I'm not sure if I could actually follow through with killing a live animal. I'm not that kind of person and I don't really have it in me. Still, in theory I would make the decision to hunt one. I could go home and get myself a car and move out of this horrible place and live comfortably for a while.
• Hanna wrote on 2013-05-11 02:35

  Quote from Osayidan;1086159:

  While I agree that poaching is retarded and I hope such things stop, I also find it hard to really care if a species went extinct. Just knowing that 99% of any species that ever existed on this planet is extinct, and 99% of that 99% went extinct without human intervention just really puts it all into perspective.

  
  
  but human intervention is what pisses me off
  if there was some natural disaster or something that wiped them or some sort of disease I'd just be like
  "sad, but that's life"
  
  

  Quote from Cucurbita;1086223:

  Sorry. Gotta eat.
  
  Maybe if I was in a slightly more secure financial situation. I mean I do feel bad about it, and I would feel bad about it. But the rarer it is, the more money its worth.
  
  That said, I'm not sure if I could actually follow through with killing a live animal. I'm not that kind of person and I don't really have it in me. Still, in theory I would make the decision to hunt one. I could go home and get myself a car and move out of this horrible place and live comfortably for a while.

  
  well, at least you're bring honest
• Aubog007 wrote on 2013-05-12 09:58
  I see no reason to make a buck off another living thing's life intentionally.
• Sumpfkraut wrote on 2013-05-12 13:00
  As long as the extinction does not effect the local ecobalance to a noteworthy degree, I don't see why the last animal of a specific kind dying is different than any other random animal dying.
• Aubog007 wrote on 2013-05-12 14:04

  Quote from Sumpfkraut;1086972:

  As long as the extinction does not effect the local ecobalance to a noteworthy degree, I don't see why the last animal of a specific kind dying is different than any other random animal dying.

  
  It's humorous because a common misconception is that the horns are used to get someone "horny" hurhur.
  
  All of this poaching is done by asian countries (primarily china) in an odd twist of roles, since rhino horn has value there.
• Sumpfkraut wrote on 2013-05-12 15:52

  Quote from Aubog007;1086980:

  It's humorous because a common misconception is that the horns are used to get someone "horny" hurhur.
  
  All of this poaching is done by asian countries (primarily china) in an odd twist of roles, since rhino horn has value there.

  
  I think that makes it mentally deficient, not humorous.
  
  And why people always poach instead of even attempting to breed the relevant animals beats me. Imagine if the ancestors of those poachers did the same with animals whose milk they needed. Just shot the cattle and squeezed the udder empty. They would be rightfully extinct themselves.
• Hanna wrote on 2013-05-12 16:19
  My point is proven, human selfishness knows no bounds.
  As long as you're making money, why does it fucking matter what I destroy in the process? Forcing a species to the point of extinction because you want to make money off of it's body is fucking disgusting, and it's not like these people are starving, these people make tens of thousands off of each Rhino/Tiger/Whale they kill, and those who try to justify it make me sick.