Western Black rhino is officially extinct and the Northern White and the Javan rhinos will follow unless something is done, conservationists warn

Survey by International Union for Conservation of Nature finds none left



Conservationists have blamed poachers and lack of conservation

The subspecies of the Black rhino last seen alive in western Africa in 2006

A species of African rhino last seen in 2006 is now officially extinct, according to the world's largest conservation network.

The latest review of animals and plants by the International Union for Conservation of Nature found the Western Black rhino has been totally wiped out.

Conservationists have blamed poachers and lack of conservation while warning that other rhinos could follow.

A black rhino calf born at the Saint Louis Zoo in Saint Louis, Missouri. The IUCF said that the Western Black Rhino of Africa, a species related to these black rhinos, is officially extinct

According to the IUCN, Africa's Northern White rhino is 'teetering on the brink of extinction' while Asia's Javan rhino is 'making its last stand'

The subspecies of the Black rhino - which is classified as 'critically endangered' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species - was last seen in western Africa in 2006, CNN reported.



Simon Stuart, chairman of the IUCN species survival commission, said: '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.'

'These measures must be strengthened now, specifically managing habitats in order to improve performance, preventing other rhinos from fading into extinction,' Mr Stuart added.

The Western Black rhino was a rare subspecias of the Black rhino, and was heavily hunted in the beginning of the 20th century.

The population rose again in the 1930s, after preservation actions were taken, but a decline in protection efforts led to a decline in numbers.



A Javan rhino captured on camera in Vietnam's Cat Tien National Park, the last Javan rhinoceros in Vietnam was found dead in the park in April 2010

By 1980 the population was estimated in the hundreds and, by 2000, an estimated 10 survived. In 2006 a survey of the last remaining habitat failed to find any specimens.

Poaching, limited anti-poaching efforts and a failure of courts to hand down severe sentences to punish poachers are all blamed for the Western Black rhino's demise.

Only 40 to 60 Javan rhinos now remain in Ujung Kulon National Park in Indonesia. They are the last known living members of the species, with none in captivity.

The Northern White rhino, which is 'teetering on the brink of extinction', according to the ICUN

Vietnam's Javan rhino population had been shrinking for decades as land conversion and a rising local population threatened the animal's habitat.



The IUCN says conservation efforts have paid off for the southern white rhino subspecies which have seen populations rise from less than 100 at the end of the 19th century to an estimated wild population of 20,000 today.

Another success can be seen with the Przewalski's Horse which was listed as 'extinct in the wild' in 1996 but now, thanks to a captive breeding program, has an estimated population of 300.



The latest update to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species reviews more than 60,000 species, concluding that 25 per cent of mammals on the list are at risk of extinction.

Many plants are also under threat, say the IUCN.

Populations of Chinese fir, a conifer which was once widespread throughout China and Vietnam, is being threatened by the expansion of intensive agriculture according to the IUCN.

A type of yew tree (taxus contorta) found in Asia which is used to produce Taxol (a chemotherapy drug) has been reclassified from 'vulnerable' to 'endangered' on the IUCN Red List, as has the Coco de Mer -- a palm tree found in the Seychelles islands -- which is at risk from fires and illegal harvesting of its kernels.

Recent studies of 79 tropical plants in the Indian Ocean archipelago revealed that more than three quarters of them were at risk of extinction.

In the oceans, the IUCN reports that five out of eight tuna species are now 'threatened' or 'near threatened,' while 26 recently-discovered amphibians have been added to the Red List including the 'blessed poison frog' (classified as vulnerable) while the 'summers' poison frog' is endangered.

'This update offers both good and bad news on the status of many species around the world,' Jane Smart, director of IUCN's global species program said in a statement.