Securing a future for the black rhino Our work with the black rhino is a perfect example of our ‘One Plan’ and highly collaborative approach to conservation science. Our team of keepers and scientists work with scholars and practitioners around the world, to protect both in zoo and wild populations., “In the case of the western black rhino and the northern white rhino the situation could have had very different results if the suggested conservation measures had been implemented,” Simon Stuart, chair of the IUCN species survival commission said in a statement.These measures must be strengthened now, specifically managing habitats in , Rhino horn covered in mud. Image by Ecopic via Depositphotos. The future of the world’s rhinos hangs in a precarious balance. With just under 28,000 rhinos remaining—down from 500,000 at the start of the 20th century—every effort to protect them counts., Many remaining rhinos are concentrated in sanctuaries and conservancies; Recent increasing efforts towards biologic management for successful breeding to increase populations; 1976: First black rhino born in the zoo's Wild Animal Park (now Safari Park) The SDZG is considered the world's leading breeding authority on rhinos., More ornery than white rhinos, their larger and more populous cousins, black rhinos are a critically endangered species: Only 5,500 to 6,000 individuals remain, 36 percent of them in South Africa. Ms., .