Petrus, the Endangered Rhino TB

Petrus, the Rhino, is endangered and needs to hide from rhino poachers.  Help him travel safely around the world and take photos of him visiting different parks and reserves.

Rhinoceros, often abbreviated as Rhino, is a group of five species in the family Rhinocerotidae.  Two of these species - the Black and the White Rhino are native to Africa, while three more species are found in Asia, namely the Indian, Javan and Sumatran Rhinos. 

All Rhinoceroses are endangered as they are being poached and killed for their horns.  Rhino horns are much sought after on the black market as result of some CRAZY notion that it has medicinal qualities.  The horns are made of keratin, the same type of protein found in hair and nails, and therefore in truth, not worth anything more than your own toenail cuttings...

The IUCN Red List currently identifies three of the species - the Northern White, Javan and Sumatran Rhinoceroses as critically endangered.

Since the first quarter of 2015, the South African Department of Environmental Affairs has unfortunately stopped publishing a monthly update on rhino poaching stats making it difficult to obtain accurate data.  The most recently confirmed numbers are 749 animals poached as on 27 August 2015; of these, 544 were poached in the Kruger National Park.

It is estimated that 2015 saw over 1023 rhino's poached in South Africa.

This compares to a total of 333 animals butchered in 2010, 448 in 2011, 668 in 2012, 1004 in 2013 and 1215 in 2014.

About the owner:
Suikerbossies are a South African geocaching team.

You can follow our adventures on our Facebook Page Suikerbossies Geocaching Adventures.

Join us 1-2 October 2016 at Cape Town Mega 2016 (GC5YRDE), the biggest Geocaching Mega Event the Mother City has ever seen.