Back from the brink, the black rhino returns: 17-06-2008
Africa's black rhino population has doubled since 1995 as the result of a new scheme initiated by environmental group the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The scheme has involved allowing private landowners in several African countries to breed and maintain the animals. As a result of the initiative black rhino numbers have risen from a mere 2,410 in 1995 to in excess of 4,000 today.
Dr Richard Emslie, a science officer with responsibility for rhino conservation at the IUCN, said "Effective law enforcement has become much easier now that the animals are largely privately owned. We have been able to bring local communities into the conservation programmes."
He added: "Many owners are keeping them secure. The private sector has been key to helping our work."
Around 100,000 southern black rhinos could be found in southern Africa in 1960, but poaching had taken them to the brink of extinction.