Rhino extinction negatively affects ecological balance

Rhino extinction negatively affects ecological balance

The ecological system runs with a rule and logic of its own! And in this system, few big animal species have an essential role to play. These animals are often called the ecosystem engineers. It’s because they have the habit to push over the trees and then tread extensively on the shrubby regions. It certainly helps to keep the jungles at bay; else it would just have overtaken vast open grasslands. One such species is the Rhino that in the recent past is getting extinct.

Over the past decade, the rate of rhino extinction has been somewhat shocking. The reasons mostly border around poaching and sometimes due to unknown climatic changes. But it has been observed that this extinction is now costing on the overall ecological balance.

The state of African rhinos

 The African rhinos are an important species. In a recent study, conducted by the South African and Scandinavian researchers, published in the Journal of Ecology, said that rhinos play an instrumental role in maintaining the diversity in African grassland. And several species depend on this grassland. There is many another essential aspect to rhinos. To know more, you can log on to https://animals.net/ and read through more.

The ecological impact

 Research shows that place of less rhino population, there are sixty to eighty percent lesser short grass layer, as compared to the places where the rhinos frequently walked. Additionally, the areas where rhinos were present, recorded more than 20 times of grazing lawns, where specific grass species grow seamlessly. And this grass is not only consumed by rhinos but also by the gazelle, zebra and the antelope.

Such findings do make the researchers feel that rhinos have an essential role to play the grassland ecology. Similar to many other animals that graze, even rhinos browse through certain grass species. It leaves ample room for species who feed on the edible plants. The rhinos have been present in the African parks for a shorter span of time. Hence, the studies conducted in the future will be helpful in confirming if it will result in essential ecosystem modifications. Also reviewing places like Africa, researchers will get to know if rhinos have a similar impact elsewhere or not.

Furthermore, Rhinos gets termed as the selected “mega-herbivores.” It means they eat plants and weigh close to 2,000 pounds. Other animals of a similar feature have gone completely extinct, as a result of human expansion and hunting. Will the rhinos be able to exist for long without any threat to their lives? It’s genuinely a questionable reality. Records show that poachers have ruthlessly killed as many as 1,000 rhinos in one year in South African alone. Today, the numbers are growing which is resulting in ecological changes and disrupting the environmental cycle as well. With the rhinos, even other associated species are getting extinct.

It’s essential for us to save our ecological balance and also the rhinos going extinct! For this, you can join hands with reputed organizations and communities that have taken up the cause to save rhinos. This way we can protect these peaceful species and also bring back the ecological balance.