Southern white rhinoceros
Ceratotherium simum simum
Umkhombe (Xhosa)
Conservation status
Near threatened. These animals are subject to intense poaching for their horns. Although rhino horn — like hair or finger nails — is primarily composed of keratin, it is worth its weight in gold on the black market: in Asia, it is prized as a remedy for numerous ailments, even including cancer.
Habitat
Grassland savannahs
Biology
These rhinos use their broad lips for grazing, like cattle.
Diorama
1952–63, modified in 2011
Because rhino horns — fetching high prices on the black market — have frequently been stolen from museums, the animals displayed here have been fitted with artificial horns.
Provenance
1859, South Africa