Owning rhinos is no new thing. Already private ranchers are nurturing 5000 of South Africa’s 20,000 rhinoceros. It is also legally inspired in many countries by the government hoping that the private owners can protect the animal better. But how much does a rhino cost?
It is undoubtedly very costly to privately keep the animal. Private keepers have to spend at least 20 million per year. However, it is possible to adopt or sponsor one.
Legal and Illegal Exotic Pets in the US
Every state in the US has exotic animal laws. However, because of the potential danger in the task, many states prohibit the possession of some wildlings. Again for some animals, a special permit is needed. However, many states in the US allow and others prohibit the ownership of rhinoceroses.
States that prohibit the keeping of rhinoceros are:
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Iowa
- Kentucky
- New Jersey
- Ohio
- West Virginia
States where a special permit is required:
- Maine
- Mississippi
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
States where no permit is needed for rhino possession:
Oregon
Adopting a Rhino
It is possible to symbolically adopt a rhinoceros in one’s name. Also, it can be a gift for friends and family who love wildlings.
Rhinoceros population has suffered the most drastic decline during the last century. Poaching is still considered the major reason behind this. These poaching activities often result in the death of the mother leaving the child on its own.
Many organizations rescue these injured calves from the wild and keep them in a sanctuary. These organizations also provide the activities such as adoption or sponsoring.
How Much Does a Rhino Cost?
Rhinoceros are mainly costly for their horns. Their horns alone cost thousands of dollars per kilogram. Though in the African black markets per pound is sold for about 3000$, in the Asian black markets the price rises about 10 times or more. According to the World Animal Foundation, the horns are sold for about 60,000$ per kilogram on average in the black markets.
To fight against this excessive poaching the Kruger National Park in South Africa even wanted to sell 500 rhinoceroses. They invited buyers to make a written offer to buy white rhinos in batches of 20 or more. The goal was to save the remaining animals by making them private property.
However, people privately own the giant. The chairman of the Private Rhino Owners Association (PROA) has claimed that the owners of the animal have to spend at least 20 million per year. He also adds that rhinoceros as an investment have not done well in the past 20 years.
It is however possible to run a rhino farm. Their principal focus is to make a profit by legally selling the horns through a humane process. But for this to be accomplished some things need to be arranged.
Firstly, the whole thing would be super expensive. Managing the animals, finding the right open space for them, feeding them daily, providing medication to the sick, etc are to be arranged. Buying a rhinoceros from Africa and shipping it to the US would be insanely expensive.
Secondly, it is important to find the right land. A huge amount of space is needed for keeping even one rhino. A good amount of mud and water is also required in the space.
Thirdly a huge amount of time is also spent behind the farm. A pregnant female rhino has a gestation of 15 to 16 months. It takes about 5 years for the calf to be big and independent. As a result, the addition of new rhinoceroses on the farm is inevitably a lengthy process.
Besides if you’re after the horn business, it would test your patience also. Because once removed the horn takes about 3 years to regrow. Again, the cost for their food and cleaning their dung can’t be ignored either. Because they need to be fed several hundred pounds of food daily.
Conclusion
It is possible to buy or own a rhinoceros. But for this one needs to know how much a rhino costs and has to have a huge pile of money and has to arrange a few things. Also, state laws need to be maintained. It is however more humane to keep the animal in a national park or in an open space than to keep it in a zoo.
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