Baby white rhinoceros and mother in Hluhluwe–iMfolozi Park, South Africa
© Martin Harvey/Alam
What's cuter than nuzzling rhinos?
Today is World Rhino Day, and to celebrate we're in South Africa, the home of the majority of the planet's white rhinos. In the wild, these majestic animals are grazers, with wide, square upper lips perfect for feeding on the grasses of African savannahs. The two-horned white rhino is one of five living rhino species, along with the black, greater one-horned, Sumatran, and Javan rhinos. White rhinos, like the mother and offspring you see nuzzling here, have seen their numbers dwindle due to poaching and shrinking natural habitats.
It's estimated that there are only between 17,000 to 18,000 white rhinos alive today, and those are still under constant threat from poachers who illegally target the animals for their horns. In fact, rhinos of all species have seen a precipitous drop in population, from a total of around 500,000 at the beginning of the 20th century, to just over 28,000 today. According to the International Rhino Foundation, the theme of this year's World Rhino Day, which also happens to fall on the day of the 2021 autumnal equinox, is 'keep the five alive.'
Related Images
Elephants in Amboseli National Park, Kenya
Two rhinos and an oxpecker bird in the Amakhala Game Reserve, South Africa
African savanna elephants in Addo Elephant National Park, South Africa
Camels gather with their herders at the Pushkar Camel Fair, Rajasthan state, India
Asian elephants in West Bengal, India
Wildebeest herd crossing the Mara River between Kenya and Tanzania
Elephants at Kapama Private Game Reserve in South Africa
African bush elephants at Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya
Bing Today Images
