Rhino Resource Center, UK

The rhinoceros is threatened with extinction. Sound conservation is based on a good understanding of the biology of the animals. For that reason scientists have studied rhinos both in the field and in zoological gardens, accumulating and interpreting data about their behaviour, ecology, social structure, food requirements, reproduction, diseases, distribution and status – and many other aspects of biological knowledge. These studies are a guide to field managers and zookeepers, as well as an essential basis for policy makers.

As rhinos are large and conspicuous animals, over the years many surveys and studies have been undertaken in the range states in Asia and Africa, in zoos and research facilities all over the world. Many results have been written down and published in a wide variety of media and languages. Every study has contributed some important fact about the rhinoceros and often led to further questions and more focused enquiries.

The Rhino Resource Center (RRC) has been set up to collect, to preserve and to disseminate all these written studies about the five living species of rhinoceros. All sources are considered, irrespective of the date, language or subject matter, both popular and scientific. Currently, the RRC contains copies of about 10,000 documents referring to the rhinoceros. As a resource of knowledge about one group of animals, it is practically unique. The collection contains dissertations and articles published in countries around the globe, and several metres of books dealing with the rhinoceros. Every subject is represented, be it cultural, historical or biological.

www.rhinoresourcecenter.com
The Rhino Resource Center aims to disseminate available knowledge through its website. This contains a complete catalogue of all available titles, which can be searched by author, title or date – thus allowing visitors to find the contributions of a certain author, about a certain subject, or written in a specific period, including those which have appeared in the last few months. However, it is recognised that titles of publications are only a start to most enquiries. Therefore, the aim of the RRC is to provide full access to all published data in a searchable format through the website, which is available worldwide without charge.

The Rhino Resource Center is registered as a charity in The Netherlands. The board is chaired by Dr Nico van Strien. The RRC is sponsored by both the International Rhino Foundation and SOS Rhino. Further sponsorship is required to expand the contents of the website for the use of the global rhino community. The Chief Editor of the Rhino Resource Center is Dr Kees Rookmaaker, who can be contacted by email: rhino@rookmaaker.freeserve.co.uk