Tourism in wildlife areas is as popular as ever these years, and many visitors choose to see the wild animals in their natural habitat. Around 7% of worldwide tourism is related to wildlife tourism, as per UN’s World Tourism Organization, and the trend is only growing.
That means observation and interaction with the animals in the natural parks and other protected areas. And tourists like the most to see rare animals, one example being the rhino.
The rhinos were once one of the most common mammals in some parts of Africa and Asia, with a worldwide population of around half of million living in the wild 120 years ago, at the beginning of the 20th century.
Today, it is estimated that their population has been reduced to less than 30,000 around the world in the wild areas. The biggest threats are the habitat loss and degradation, and also the poachers.
Being one of the oldest group of mammals and some of the most hunted, rhinos have become in some parts endangered species, especially in Africa. There have been a lot of conservation challenges, but fortunately today three out of the five remaining rhino species have recorded growing populations in the past years.
The most endangered species are the Javan rhino, with a population of around 60, and the Sumatran rhino, with a population of under 80. Both live in Asia, where there are three species of rhinos. The other two are in Africa.
Rhinos are also very popular in popular culture. There have been many movies with rhinos, especially animations like “Zootopia”, “The Lion King”, or “Kung Fu Panda”, but also “Jumanji”.
So, where do rhinos live in the wild? Here are some of the countries and places where you can find them:
South Africa
South Africa is the home of the majority of white rhinos, out of the total population of between 17,000 and 19,000. This is one of the most successful stories, as they were nearly extinct about a century ago, with less than 100 rhinos left in the wild at that time.
Kruger National Park and Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park are the best places to find rhinos in the South African wilderness.
In the Kruger National Park there are both white and black rhinos, thousands of them, while in Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park, the oldest nature reserve in Africa, there are more than 1,500 white rhinos.
Namibia
Similar to South Africa, there are also two big natural parks in Namibia where you can see rhinos in the wild. The country has incorporated environmental protection into its constitution.
One such place is Etosha National Park, in the northwestern part of the country, which is one of the best locations in the world to see the black rhino, stretching across 8,600 square miles. The area is very tourist friendly and is accessible by car. It has one of the largest and most stable black rhino populations in the world.
The other one is Damaraland, which is one of the most picturesque areas in the country. It is also very popular among tourists, who can see hundreds of different species, besides rhinos.
Kenya
The Ol Pejeta Conservancy area is the best one to see rhinos in Kenya. It has the biggest black rhinos population in Eastern Africa.
And there is also Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, where you can view black and white rhinos, being considered a pioneer in the conservation of these mammals.
Other countries where you can see rhinos in the wild in Africa include Eswatini, Botswana and Tanzania.
India and Nepal
These two South Asian countries come together, as the one-horned rhino resides in both these neighbor countries.
Today, there are more than 3,500 such rhinos in these countries, with the Kaziranga National Park in Assam, India, being one of the best places to view them. Around two thirds of the population can be found there.
In Nepal, on the other hand, there are around 600 one-horned rhinos, most of them in Royal Chitwan National Park.
Indonesia
The Javan rhino and the Sumatran one, the two most endangered species we mentioned before, live in Indonesia. Both are very secretive, and live in large areas, with the Javan rhino being the rarest of them all.
Way Kambas National Park in Sumatra, and Ujung Kulon National Park in Java are the places to go if you feel lucky enough to venture into the jungle for a once in a lifetime encounter.
