Many species are now extinct because they were hunted until there were none left.
One of the main threats the world’s five rhino species face is poaching. Even though it is illegal to kill rhinos, poachers hunt them for their horns—and they can sell the horns for lots of money because some people believe rhino horns can cure diseases. In fact, the horns are just made of keratin, the same stuff your hair, your fingernails, and horse hoofs are made from. The rhino horns won’t cure you of anything. So how do you protect rhinos? One way is having more wildlife police and another is developing crime-solving techniques to help catch poachers. Wildlife cops have made a rhino DNA database to help bust poachers.