The number of critically endangered black rhino in the wild have increased by nearly 800 over a six-year period, according to a statement released by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The black rhino population across Africa has grown at a modest annual rate of 2.5% from an estimated 4 845 to 5 630 animals in the wild. Further population models predict a further slow increase over the next five years, reported the IUCN.
Acting director general of IUCN, Dr Grethel Aguilar, said that “while Africa’s rhinos are by no means safe from extinction, the continued slow recovery of black rhino populations is a testament to the immense efforts made in the countries the species occurs in, and a powerful reminder to the global community that conservation works.
"At the same time, it is evident that there is no room for complacency as poaching and illegal trade remain acute threats."
HelpingRhinos.org says rhinoceros are a critically endangered species with less than 30 000 rhino living in the wild today. At the start of the twentieth century, there were over 500 000.
Human activity has caused this dramatic decline in rhino numbers. Initially, numbers dropped due to hunting, but today the main threats to rhino are poaching and habitat loss.
Furthermore, according to online news publication The Guardian, black rhinos are still in grave danger but the small increase, an annual rate of 2.5% over six years, offers hope that efforts to save the species are paying off.