New research is warning about how climate change might hurt one of Africa’s most well-known and fragile animals: the rhinoceros.
“Hlelolwenkhosi Mamba, a native of Eswatini and a Fulbright scholar, says, “Climate change could quickly wipe them all out.”
Mamba and Timothy Randhir from the University of Massachusetts Amherst spent two years collecting climate data and rhino GPS locations in five national parks across Southern Africa. They wanted to see how two different climate change scenarios might affect the majority of the world’s remaining black and white rhinos, the two rhino species found in Africa.
Rhinos don’t sweat like we do because of their thick skin. Instead, they rely on nature to keep cool, like finding shade under trees, rolling in mud, and drinking from watering holes. But climate change is making these things harder to find, which could be bad news for rhinos.
According to a paper published in January by Mamba and Randhir, hotter temperatures and less water mean rhinos might eat more and spend more time trying to escape the heat. This could make it harder for them to find food, water, and shade.
It could also lead them into areas where there are more people, causing conflicts. Along with the ongoing danger of poaching, these changes from climate change could make rhinos disappear from these parks by the end of the 21st century, the researchers say.
“People think rhinos are tough and can handle anything. But this study shows they’re actually vulnerable. I hope it raises awareness about climate change,” says Randhir.
The findings are worrying, and Mamba and Randhir hope this research helps people find ways to help rhinos cope with a warming world.
“I really care about rhinos. They’re my favorite. I wish I could protect them from all the dangers they face,” says Mamba. “If we don’t cut down on emissions, they could disappear because of climate change.”
Methods for a megafauna
Randhir and Mamba studied where black and white rhinos like to live. They used data from places where these rhinos are found, like Kruger National Park in South Africa and Hlane Royal National Park in Eswatini. Then they looked at two different climate change scenarios from the United Nations. One scenario is called business-as-usual, which means things stay the same. The other scenario is high emissions, which means a lot of pollution. They looked at how these scenarios would affect temperature and rainfall in the parks by the years 2050 and 2085.
In the business-as-usual scenario, the parks would get about 2.2 degrees Celsius warmer by 2055 and 2.5 degrees Celsius warmer by 2085. In the high-emissions scenario, the parks would get about 2.8 degrees Celsius warmer by 2055 and 4.6 degrees Celsius warmer by 2085.
In both cases, the places where rhinos live will become hotter and drier, except for Tsavo West National Park, where there might be more rain in the high-emissions scenario.
By 2085, the habitats in Etosha National Park and Hlane Royal National Park might become too harsh for rhinos to survive, and they could go extinct. As someone who cares about conservation and lives in Eswatini, Mamba thinks it’s important for people to understand this now.
Not all black and white
For centuries, black and white rhinos have been important in African cultures. In places like southern Namibia, ancient rock art shows rhinos, and in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and South Africa, black rhinos are called “the dancer” for how they act. The Tswana people of Botswana and South Africa see white rhinos as special because they believe they come from the same place as their ancestors. And for the San people across Southern Africa, rhinos are linked to rain rituals.
It’s ironic that these animals, known for bringing rain, are now threatened by drought and heat. Rhinos can’t sweat and need water and shade to stay cool.
Randhir, who grew up in India where there are rhinos too, says rhino conservation is hard, especially with climate change. It affects their health, where they live, and their food. He hopes that if we reduce greenhouse gases, things won’t get too bad for rhinos and people. But we need plans to help them adapt, no matter what.
“We usually hear about polar bears losing their ice due to climate change, but we don’t talk much about how it affects dry areas, like where rhinos and elephants live,” Randhir said. “We need to focus on how parks can adapt and manage.”
Randhir and Mamba want decision-makers, park managers, and conservation groups to make sure rhinos have food, water, shade, and safe places to live away from people.
They suggest putting misting stations and mud pits in parks during hot times, planting more trees for shade, and creating paths between parks. Randhir thinks if we work on reducing climate change globally and help rhinos adapt locally, they might have a chance.
“If we change how we think about landscapes, making them more resilient by adding paths and safe areas, reducing conflicts with people, and understanding how rhinos move between countries, and if we agree to reduce climate change, then we might have hope,” he said.
A call to horns
For many years, African rhino conservationists have mainly worried about poaching, which is a big problem that continues today. But one organization has also been thinking about how climate change affects rhinos.
Nina Fascione, who has always cared about conservation and is the executive director of the International Rhino Foundation (IRF), says, “When animals are removed from an ecosystem, it disrupts things and affects how carbon moves around.” She adds, “Rhinos are dealing with both poaching and the scary idea of hotter temperatures and more droughts. It’s upsetting and makes us really worried.”
Fascione and the IRF work in countries where rhinos live, like Zimbabwe and South Africa. They help communities protect rhinos by sharing stories and techniques, monitoring them, and doing research. They also take care of baby rhinos that don’t have parents and help pay for studies to figure out where rhinos can live.
While poaching is the main worry for the IRF, they’re also concerned about any threats that could harm rhinos in the long run. Fascione is happy that people are talking about a problem that affects both rhinos and people.
“We need to understand the problems so we can solve them,” she said. “We have to be careful and smart about saving the places where rhinos live, stopping poaching, and dealing with climate change.”
