by Christine Roets | Jun 10, 2024 | Latest News
LOADING…
CHOOSE YOUR CHARACTER
SELECT YOUR SKIN
READY? GAME ON!!!
Hey folks, what are you up to during the 5-day holiday? It may come as no surprise for gamers to spend time playing video games with their beloved laptop for entertainment or amelioration of skills and higher ranks!
In the gaming world, it is of note that skins emanating from in-game characters or types of equipment are also essential besides skill as they incentivize players to perform better and galvanize them to be unique among other mates. Thus, POP CULTURE #8 is thrilled to introduce several skins that are inspired by rhinoceroses from different games.
- Punk Rhino (PUBG)
- Codename: Rhino (Mobile Legends: Bang Bang)
- Beastmode Rhino (Fortnite)
- Battle and Beasts Rhino (Minecraft)
- R301 Rhino (Apex Legend)
Magnificent creatures like rhinos have always been an endless inspiration for game developers as well as gamers. Join us to spread the message SAY NO TO RHINO HORN to the gaming communities!
- PUNK RHINO BACKPACK FROM PUBG: MOBILE
“Winner winner, chicken dinner!”
2. GROCK’S CODENAME: RHINO FROM MOBILE LEGENDS: BANG BANG
Grock is a familiar general to fans of the strategy game Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. Being touted as “Fortress Titan”, Grock is usually utilized as a Tanker, although the amount of damage Grock causes from the beginning of the match is tremendous. And like many other champions, Grock also has many different appearances made by the game publisher, among them is Codename: Rhino. No longer a giant walking rocky mass, this skin helps Grock become a muscular rhino robot ready to sweep through any enemy and then rush towards destroying the enemy tower and main house.
3. BATTLE AND BEASTS RHINO FROM MINECRAFT
Minecraft is a great sandbox game as players are free to create their own world. Therefore, Minecraft fans will also want to have their own appearance, not just use classic Steve or Alex to explore the vast world of this game! Therefore, Mojang Studios has brought diverse skin packs such as “Battle & Beasts” to help gamers transform into familiar animals, and of course, there are rhinos!
4. BEASTMODE SKIN FROM FORTNITE
Beastmode is an Epic skin you can purchase for 1500 V-bucks in the Fortnite game’s item store system. One of the appearances players can choose from is the Rhino, a blue-black mechanical armor numbered 29 with a rhinoceros-shaped helmet adorned with an eye-catching red horn!
5. RHINOS FROM ANIMAL CROSSING
Let’s move on to the rhinos from a kid-friendly game from Nintendo: Animal Crossing! In this world, you can meet two-horned rhinoceros residents with colorful appearances in different locations. Currently, Animal Crossing has 9 rhino characters including Azalea, Hornsby, Merengue, Patricia, Renée, Rhonda, Spike, Tank, and Tiara with different personalities.
6. R301’S LEGENDARY RHINO SKIN FROM APEX LEGEND
The last name in POP CULTURE today calls the legendary skin of the R301 rifle of the popular FPS game APEX LEGEND: The Golden and Iron Rampage. With these two layers of skin, the R301 takes on a new look with a powerful rhino head design located at the tip of the gun and near the butt of the gun.
by Christine Roets | May 3, 2024 | Latest News
Dear our bravest Rhino Heroes,
Today is Star Wars Day, where Star Wars fans and Sci-fi aficionados come together to celebrate Star Wars. This well-known franchise has always bitten into pop culture!
It is explicitly perceptible that Star Wars reverberates around the world and galvanizes people from all walks of life to get into the universe with a host of planets, races, and unbelievable technological advances such as the Death Star, spaceships traveling throughout years of light, and simple-yet-iconic light sabers. Besides, Lucas’s masterpiece facilitates the existence of diverse forms of life on different planets entailing Jawas, Hutts, Gungans, etc.
This is also the moment we realize that not only Earth has rhinos! On a place far away called Arvala-7 lives a rhino-resembling species named Mudhorn!
Mudhorn is a fictional creature that roams Arvala-7, a barren and rocky planet. Mudhorn acquires a heavily built body covered with thick brown hair and a long, big horn on the nasal area, making it resemble Elasmotherium, an extinct rhinoceros.
Although part of the Star Wars universe, Mudhorn appears primarily in the series “The Mandalorian” with its debut in “Chapter 2: The Child”, where audiences can witness the muscular appearance and strength of this animal. In addition, they are also mentioned throughout other Star Wars products such as Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, The Mandalorian: Allies & Enemies, Hunters: Battle for the Arena, The High Republic: Escape from Valo, etc.
I wonder if there are any creatures similar to rhinoceroses in the vast universe of the Star Wars franchise? If you are a big fan of the movie, please let WILD RHINO know!
by Christine Roets | Apr 4, 2024 | Latest News
“The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.”
It is of note to state that Art plays an integral role in human society by introducing the elevation of various senses as well as disseminating well throughout out messages to the Art aficionado. Thus, each masterpiece becomes precious and long-lasting throughout time, exhibiting the talent and effort of the artists.
Have you ever wondered what would happen if rhino meets Arts? Well, let’s find out with WILD RHINO!
- STATUE LE RHINOCEROS BY HENRI-ALFRED JACQUEMART
- THE LAST THREE BY GILLIE AND MARC SCHATTNER
- RISE UP RHINO BY GILLIE AND MARC SCHATTNER
- THE WHITE RHINO WAS THINKING AHEAD WITH DOGMAN’S ENCOURAGEMENT BY GILLIE AND MARC SCHATTNER
- JORDAN SPRIGG’S RHINOCEROSES
- WILDAID’S BE THEIR BODHISATTVA
Some of the artistic works exhibit rhinos through the lens of exhilaration and hilarity, yet some manifest ironic and tragic situations faced by different rhino species to entice viewers into wildlife conservation. For this reason, join us to SAY NO TO RHINO HORN so that this magnificent creature can thrive and continue to get involved in more works of art in the future!
- STATUE LE RHINOCEROS BY HENRI-ALFRED JACQUEMART
What comes to your mind when thinking of Paris? The iconic Eiffel Tower? Tantalizing Baguettes? How about Rhino? At the Musee d’Orsay located in Paris, there is a gigantic sculpture portraying an Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) whose habitat is currently in India, Bhutan, Nepal, etc. This masterpiece was created by Henri-Alfred Jacquemart, an Animalier specializing in the realistic portrayal of animals. He created a host of statues of different species, including rhinoceros, and his works have been displayed for the public in parks, galleries, museums, and squares in France.
2. THE LAST THREE BY GILLIE AND MARC SCHATTNER
Roaming the Astor Place, New York City, tourists, and N.Y citizens will easily see a special bronze sculpture: three rhinos stacking to a height of 17 feet. Specifically, this is the masterpiece of the two celebrated artists Gillie and Marc Schattner after they had a wonderful opportunity to witness the last three Northern white rhinoceros named Sudan, Niajin, and Fatu. The ultimate purpose of this statue is to call for action for the sake of rhino species, which are being driven to extinction by human activities.
3. RISE UP RHINO BY GILLIE AND MARC SCHATTNER
As the death of the very last male Northern white rhino, Sudan reverberated worldwide, the future of this subspecies has become more uncertain than ever before. Gillie and Marc once again made their endeavors in the introduction of a masterpiece named “Rise Up Rhino” located in Westfield London, UK where a bronze white rhinoceros is lifted by the artists’ well-known anthropomorphic characters Rabbitwoman and Dogman. Visitors are encouraged to join them and lift the rhino to become the rhino protectors.
4. THE WHITE RHINO WAS THINKING AHEAD WITH DOGMAN’S ENCOURAGEMENT
The next one is also from the creativity of Gillie and Marc with an additional sense of humor. Basically, the work revolves around a competition between a White Rhino and Dogman in a game taking after chess. The famous artist couples hold a firm belief that their masterpieces will enable people to reconnect with nature and eventually lay their hands in the world of conservation.
5. JORDAN SPRIGG’S RHINOCEROSES
What would you get from rhino and metal scraps? Let the Australian sculptor Jordan Sprigg unveil the answer. By collecting recycled metals derived from the outdated machinery and scrap heaps from the rural Western Australia, he is able to construct a steampunk-like, powerful white and black rhinoceroses. Besides rhinos, Sprigg’s other works include species from various classes such as dragonflies, ibex, indicine cattles, and so on.
6. WILDAID’S BE THEIR BODHISATTVA
“Be their Bodhisattva” – A WildAid’s 2019 campaign to raise people’s awareness about the biodiversity crisis in Vietnam involves statues of dehorned, badly ịnured rhino, tusk-removed elephants, and bleeding scaleless pangolins that were made in minute details to manifest the plight of these creatures.
by Christine Roets | Mar 6, 2024 | Latest News
In the news: A former field ranger, tasked with protecting wildlife in South Africa’s Kruger National Park, has been sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment for killing a rhino in 2020 and was sentenced at the Skukuza Regional Court. Eckson Musa Matumbu was sentenced at the Skukuza Regional Court on Friday. According to the South African National Parks (SANParks), Matumbu was arrested in February 2020 for killing a rhino with an official firearm issued to him and using non-issued ammunition.
For more information, -> follow this link.
by Christine Roets | May 22, 2023 | Latest News
Greetings, Vietnam’s brave Rhino Heroes! After a great holiday celebrating Hung Kings’ Festival, Victory Day (30/4), and International Workers’ Day (1/5), it’s time for Vietnamese people to get back to schools, and workplaces. Guess what! There is another upcoming day for animal lovers like us to join in and celebrate together, it is International Biodiversity Day!
The annual May 22nd was chosen to celebrate International Biodiversity Day by U.N General Assembly in 2000 to raise awareness about the importance of biodiversity. Biodiversity means the existence of various earthly life forms found in fauna, flora, and microorganisms. Despite differences, they contribute greatly to the sustainability of the ecosystem by interacting with each other in different ways such as mutualism, parasitism, hunting, etc. Genetic variation is the core factor that brings in biodiversity since it introduces diversity among species and subspecies. Rhinoceroses are not an exception! Up to now, the world has recognized five distinct rhinoceros species roaming the African savannas and Asian forests:
African rhinoceros
- White rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum)
- Black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis)
Asian rhinoceros
- Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis)
- Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus)
- Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis)
On the occasion of this day, let us show you how diverse the rhinoceros species are and what you can do to preserve them.
VIETNAM, LET’S SAY NO TO RHINO HORN AND BECOME OUR HERO !!!
White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) – Conservation Status: Vulnerable (IUCN)
The white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum), also known as the square-mouthed rhinoceros, is the largest rhinoceros species in existence. They are 2 meters tall, weighing 3500 kg, and possess the second largest pair of horns after that of the black rhinoceros. The anterior horn is 102 cm long while the posterior horn is smaller and about 55 cm long. In terms of longevity and reproduction, white rhinos can live from 35-40 years, females are pregnant for about 16 months. The white rhino has two subspecies, which are:
- Southern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum) – Conservation status: Vulnerable (according to IUCN): This is the predominant subspecies of the white rhino with more than 18,000 individuals distributed mostly in four countries. Africa South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Kenya.
- Northern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum cottoni) – Conservation status: Critically Endangered (CRI): in contrast to the southern subspecies, this number is 2 for the northern subspecies!!! That’s right, the Northern rhino subspecies had only two females left, Najin (34 years old) and Fatu (23 years old) when the last male named Sudan died, causing the extinction of the subspecies. This is unavoidable. However, scientists still did not give up and tried to save the future of the Northern white rhinoceros with artificial insemination (IVF) by combining eggs from a female with frozen sperm from the female. Sudanese males died to create embryos. According to LA Times, three embryos have been successfully created since January 2020 and are waiting to be implanted into a female of the Southern subspecies for surrogacy. Hopefully, the plan will be successful and we can see the Northern white rhinos walking in the future!
Photo: two females and also the last two individuals of the Northern white rhinoceros subspecies (Ceratotherium simum cottoni) Najin and Fatu (Source: Ben Curtis / Associated Press).
Black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) – Conservation status: critically endangered.
The black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis), also known as the hook-lipped rhinoceros, make the snout on the rhinoceros angular, elongated and forms a V. Thanks to this feature, they can eat growing plants. growing on it as high as leaves, branches, etc. With a different diet, black rhinos can live with white rhinos, avoiding unnecessary conflicts. Black rhinos are smaller than white rhinos, they are about 1.7m tall at shoulder height and weigh 1300kg. However, the black rhino horn is larger than other types of rhino horn, with the front and rear horns measuring 130cm and 55cm respectively. In terms of lifespan, black rhinos can live from 35-50 years. A female adult is pregnant for 15-16 months and usually gives birth to an individual every 2.5-3 years. With a low and long-lasting reproductive capacity, the black rhino was subject to extinction at the hands of European hunters when they arrived on the Black Continent. The period 1960-1995 marked the serious collapse of this rhino species when there were only about 2,500 individuals left. However, Africa’s conservation policies have doubled the number of black rhinos to nearly 6,000 to date. Currently, the world has four subspecies:
– South Central Black Rhino (Diceros bicornis minor): the most numerous of the four subspecies, they are found in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and southern Tanzania and have been re-released in Botswana, Malawi, Swaziland, and Zambia.
– Southwestern black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis bicornis): lives in Nambia and South Africa.
– Eastern black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis michaeli): the majority of individuals are distributed in Kenya, and a few are concentrated in northern Tanzania.
– Western black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis longipes): extinct.
Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) – Conservation status: vulnerable
The Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), also known as the great one-horned rhinoceros, belongs to the genus Rhinoceros along with the Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus). The Indian rhinoceros is distributed in northeastern India and Nepal. This is the second largest rhino species after the white rhinoceros, with a shoulder height of about 2 m, and weighing about 3.5 tons. True to its name, the Indian rhinoceroses have only a relatively small horn compared to the African relatives, which are only about 25 cm long. They have different skins from their African relatives, their appearance is covered with tough, segmented skin with tubercles, making these animals resemble mighty warriors wearing majestic armor. However, the Indian rhinoceros also faced poaching and was stripped of its horn to serve traditional remedies with no scientific basis or to make ornamental products such as dagger handles. Thanks to effective conservation policies from Indian and Nepalese authorities, this rhino species has escaped extinction as now more than 4000 individuals are existing in Asia. Their lifespan is about 35-45 years, and the gestation period of the female is 15-16 months. Distributed in tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands, the Indian rhinoceros choose grasses, shrubs, fruits, and aquatic plants to consume.
Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) – Conservation status: critically endangered
The Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) is the only extant Asian two-horned rhinoceros and the only species of the genus Dicerorhinus, which is also a cruelly related rhinoceros to the extinct woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis). With a shoulder height of about 1.0-1.5 m, and weighing about 600-900 kg, the Sumatran rhinoceros is the smallest of the five rhino species today. The anterior and posterior horns are approximately 55 and 10 cm in length, respectively. So, with the remaining 4 species of rhinoceros being hairless, the Sumatran rhinoceros is covered with reddish brown hair and has fringed ears. Sumatran rhinos live about 35-40 years, females have a gestation period of 15-16 months and usually give birth to one individual every 3 years. The habitat of this rhinoceros is the tropical rainforests of Asia, so their diet consists of fruits such as mangoes, figs, leaves, branches, bark, etc. They once roamed the eastern Himalayas of Bhutan, eastern India, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia Peninsula, Vietnam, and China. However, because of indiscriminate hunting and deforestation activities by humans, the Sumatran rhinoceros can only be found in central Kalimantan in Borneo and Sumatra, specifically in 3 National Parks Bukit Barisan, Gunung Leuser, Way Kambas in Indonesia. The Sumatran rhinoceros population is currently only about 80 individuals in fragmented populations, making them one of the rarest mammals in the world. The Indonesian government and rhino experts worldwide agree that these fragmented rhino populations should be consolidated into a breeding facility so that prompt action can be taken to conserve the species.
Javan rhino (Rhinoceros sondaicus) – Conservation status: critically endangered
Javan rhino (Rhinoceros sondaicus), or lesser one-horned rhino, is one of the species belonging to the Asian rhinoceroses together with the Indian rhino (Rhinoceros unicornis) and Sumatran rhino (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis). Javan rhino’s appearance is quite similar to that of the Indian counterpart yet has a smaller horn and size with a should height of 4.6 to 5.8 feet, and a length of 10 to 10.5 feet, their weight ranging from 1.984 to 5.071 pounds. The Javan rhinoceros is covered with an armor-like skin coated with dusky grey color. The life expectancy of the Javan rhinoceros falls between 30-45 years. In terms of reproduction, a female gives birth to only one calf every 3-5 years. The Javan rhinoceroses were once widely distributed across Asian countries like India, Pakistan, and Southeast Asian countries including the Malay Peninsula, Myanmar, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Despite broad distribution, illegal poaching has greatly contributed to the drastic decline of the populations of Javan rhino, driving this mammal to the verge of extinction. The world has documented two subspecies:
- Annamite Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus): declared extinct in Vietnam. The last individual was killed on April 29, 2010, in Cat Loc forest, Cat Tien National Park, Dong Nai, Vietnam.
- Indonesian Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus sondaicus): lives in Ujung Kulon National Park in Java, Indonesia. The number is about 80 individuals.
The present Javan rhinoceros is the rarest of all rhino species. However, the future of the Javan rhinoceros is still there since there was apopulation of rhinos living in Ujung Kulon National Park, Indonesia. Although the number of individuals is still very small, there is still a last hope to help the Javan rhinoceros escape from extinction. To do this, let’s each join hands to say NO to rhino horn!
