Snapshot Serengeti Talk

Rarest animals?

  • Babyballerina by Babyballerina

    Which of the animals are the rarest? I am guess rhino are not that common, but I have seen a couple. Never classified a striped hyena and still dreaming of a zorilla.

    Posted

  • tillydad by tillydad moderator

    All of them have rarely been seen in the images. The rarest by actual numbers would probably be the rhinoceros followed by the striped hyena and then the zorilla 😃

    Posted

  • Babyballerina by Babyballerina

    I guess it's harder to hide if you're as big as a rhino!

    Posted

  • Babyballerina by Babyballerina

    Thanks

    Posted

  • tillydad by tillydad moderator in response to Babyballerina's comment.

    Unfortunately the rhino has very few safe places left . In 2015 at least 1,338 rhinos were killed by poachers, the majority being White rhinos in South Africa . The latest estimates put the Black rhino population at circa 5,200 animals .
    To date in 2016 there have been 702 rhinos killed in South Africa . If poaching continues at these levels all of the gains made in recent years will be wiped out and there will come a time when the remaining populations will be too small to be viable - and that would be a disaster .

    Posted

  • maricksu by maricksu moderator in response to tillydad's comment.

    Thank you Tillydad for adding this about the rhinos. Yes, poaching of rhinos (also elephants) has again in a few previous years dramatically increased in Africa. Already low rhino-populations are very vulnerable to poaching and also to stochastic events such as disease, predation, and deaths resulting from fights between rivals and very easily will become too small to be viable, as you said.

    I add something here about the Black Rhino, cause that is the species in Tanzania.

    Black Rhinoceros Diceros bicornis, common name Black Rhino, also known as Hook-lipped Rhino.

    Critically Endangered in the IUCN red list of threatened species.

    There are four subspecies of the Black rhino in different parts of Africa :

    1. Southern Central black rhino, Diceros bicornis minor
    2. Eastern black rhino, Diceros bicornis michaeli
    3. South Western black rhino, Diceros bicornis bicornis
    4. Western black rhino, Diceros bicornis longipes (declared extinct in 2011 , last seen in Cameroon before 2006)

    In East Africa (Kenya, northern Tanzania, including Serengeti) is subspecies Eastern black rhino Diceros bicornis michaeli, that is named after late Michael Grzimek.

    I think the number of rhinos is around 100 (probably less) in Tanzania , some of them in Serengeti. All are under 24-hour protection.

    Thus I truly hope that people value, how privileged and lucky we are here in SSS when we may see a few sights of this critically endangered animal and appreciate the hard efforts of the dedicated people to protect and save this magnificent species. 😃

    Posted

  • tillydad by tillydad moderator in response to maricksu's comment.

    We should indeed appreciate and applaud the people who are dedicated to protecting the rhino and elephant populations in Africa and Asia . In particular we should thank the anti-poaching units who face constant danger as they often come under attack from the ruthless poaching gangs . Tragically some of them die as a result of such attacks .

    Posted

  • Babyballerina by Babyballerina

    Poor rhinos 😦

    Posted

  • tillydad by tillydad moderator

    Good news - my spies tell me that a Black rhinoceros calf has been born in the Maasai Mara . Both it and the mother are under guard and will hopefully stay safe and healthy 😃

    Posted

  • maricksu by maricksu moderator in response to tillydad's comment.

    Thank you Tillydad, absolutely great news, happy to hear that! 😃

    Posted

  • tillydad by tillydad moderator in response to maricksu's comment.

    Always good to pass on great news such as this 😃

    Posted