What do a rhino, a child suffering from a fever in China and a rich man in Yemen have in common? They all think that the horn of the rhino is very valuable. To the rhino, it is very valuable, because it uses its horn to defend itself and to fight other males when looking for a mate. Its sharp horn is a pretty dangerous weapon, and if it breaks off, it will grow back.

In traditional Chinese medicine, the rhino horn is considered very powerful. It is ground up and put in different kinds of medicine. A Chinese child may be given medicine with rhino horn in it to reduce a fever. However, there is no proof that this will help, since the rhino’s horn is made of the same stuff that makes up our hair and fingernails.

In Yemen men wear a special dagger, called a jambia, at their sides. This dagger shows their social status, or importance in the community. Since rhino horn is worth more by weight than gold in some places, rich men often buy jambia with handles made from rhino horn to show others how wealthy they are.

Because certain people are willing to pay a lot of money for rhino horns, poachers are willing to kill rhinos illegally to get their horns. About 90 percent of adult rhino deaths are caused by poaching. Now there are only about 3,600 black rhinos found in the wild, putting them on the endangered species list.