--- title: Western Black Rhino Declared Extinct description: Other rhino species remain on the brink canonical: https://time.com/9446/western-black-rhino-declared-extinct/ author: Denver Nicks article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2013-11-06T23:10:37.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T06:28:32.059Z article:section: Science og:title: Western Black Rhino Declared Extinct og:description: Other rhino species remain on the brink og:url: https://time.com/9446/western-black-rhino-declared-extinct/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd49574badd864720/69868322cd804d2a89cc9768/black-rhino-extinct.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: A black dehorned rhinoceros is followed og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Western Black Rhino Declared Extinct twitter:description: Other rhino species remain on the brink twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd49574badd864720/69868322cd804d2a89cc9768/black-rhino-extinct.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Western Black Rhino Declared Extinct  by [Denver Nicks](https://time.com/author/denver-nicks/)  ## Denver Nicks Nov 6, 2013 11:10 PM UTC  A black dehorned rhinoceros is followed by a calf on August 3, 2012 at the Bona Bona Game Reserve, southeast of Johannesburg, South Africa. The western black rhino subspecies (not pictured) has now been officially declared extinct. A black dehorned rhinoceros is followed by a calf on August 3, 2012 at the Bona Bona Game Reserve, southeast of Johannesburg, South Africa. The western black rhino subspecies (not pictured) has now been officially declared extinct.Stephane De Sakutin—AFP/Getty Images  by [Denver Nicks](https://time.com/author/denver-nicks/)  ## Denver Nicks Nov 6, 2013 11:10 PM UTC The Western black rhinoceros has officially been declared extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the world’s largest conservation network. A subspecies of the black rhino, native to Africa, the Western black rhino was last seen in 2006. The black rhino is listed as “critically endangered” by the IUCN, which warns the northern white rhino is “teetering on the brink of extinction,” [CNN](http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/10/world/africa/rhino-extinct-species-report/) reports. “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 implremented,” said Simon Stuart of the IUCN. A Texas hunting group, the [“Dallas Safari Club”](http://nation.time.com/2013/10/31/texas-club-auctions-right-to-hunt-endangered-rhino/) drew criticism last month when it announced plans to auction off a permit to hunt a black rhino, which the group said would aid in conservation efforts. Roughly 70,000 black rhinos lived in the wild in 1960\. An estimated 4,000 remain today. \[[CNN](http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/10/world/africa/rhino-extinct-species-report/)\] _Editor’s Note: After publication of this article, CNN updated its story to note it was originally published in 2011\._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/9446/western-black-rhino-declared-extinct/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/9446/western-black-rhino-declared-extinct/"},"headline":"Western Black Rhino Declared Extinct","datePublished":"2013-11-06T23:10:37.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T06:28:32.059Z","description":"Other rhino species remain on the brink","url":"https://time.com/9446/western-black-rhino-declared-extinct/","keywords":["animals","Conservation","Environmentalism","Extinction"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd49574badd864720/69868322cd804d2a89cc9768/black-rhino-extinct.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Denver Nicks","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/denver-nicks/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd49574badd864720/69868322cd804d2a89cc9768/black-rhino-extinct.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"A black dehorned rhinoceros is followed","caption":"A black dehorned rhinoceros is followed by a calf on August 3, 2012 at the Bona Bona Game Reserve, southeast of Johannesburg, South Africa. 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