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Rhino poaching in South Africa set to double this year
photo by Ian Turk (Turkinator on Flickr Creative Commons)
The last female rhino at Krugersdorp Nature Reserve in South Africa was killed by poachers on Wednesday. The poachers are suspected to have entered the game reserve – near South Africa’s largest city, Johannesburg – by helicopter, where they then shot the white rhino cow with tranquilizers before cutting off her horn with a chainsaw.
This latest killing marks the 136th rhino in South Africa that has been murdered for its horn this year – already more than last year’s total of 129, suggesting that the number of killings this year will double.
The sophistication of the operation leaves conservationists at a loss about how to deal with the new breed of poachers.
From an article in the Telegraph:
Highly-trained operatives, possibly ex-soldiers, are then being flown into parks by helicopter, and armed with specialised veterinary drugs and darting guns, chainsaws and automatic weapons. Who is possibly resourced to deal with that?
–Cathy Dean, Save the Rhino International
Methods such as safely carving off rhino horns in order to make the animals less valuable to poachers are controversial because they leave the animals without their main means of self-defense.
Rhino horns are used in traditional Chinese medicine as well as in the handles of ornamental daggers in the Middle East. Soaring demand for rhino horn – particularly in China and Vietnam – is attributed to Asia’s recent economic growth.
From an article in the Observer:
The committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) warned yesterday that rhino poaching had reached an all-time high. The Cites conference in Geneva heard that Asia’s economic expansion had fuelled the market in rhino horns.
According to a report in The Star newspaper (South Africa) the slain white rhino in Krugersdorp Park left behind a young calf. The calf has since been captured and is awaiting transfer to another facility where it will be introduced to other rhinos.
Graham Land
Tags: Africa, animal, Asia, calf, CITES, Krugersdorp, park, poachers, poaching, Reserve, rhino, South, white
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Thanks for your comment, Ling.
Why don’t you tell us how you really feel
I agree that governments need to step in and get involved, though the consumption is not just from China but from communities in SE Asia and communities around the world who believe in nonsensical medicine.
So much money is involved plus the fact that poaching is very difficult to police (at night, via helicopter in the middle of a vast reserve) and often in very poor countries as well.
I am a humanitarian. I do not believe in capital punishment or taking any life in any way.
But rhino poaching is just another war. Did you see National Geographic “Wildlife Detectives” regarding this issue? The Chinese government financed three high-level bureaucrats to issue a “call order” on all Rhino horns, far greater than consumption. The NG wildlife detective posed as a horn trader and visited a warehouse filled with Rhino horns. The objective is to extinct the rhino to drive up the price on the last remaining horns! Financed by the Chinese government itself!
This requires diplomatic and financial pressure. First off, kick out all Chinese and their Malaysian rainforest extraction companies out of Africa – that will put the economic hurts on China and help them understand the World will not tolerate their exploitation in many ways from labor to rainforest to wildlife.
Do not allow Chinese trading until THEY take these issues seriously. If it hurts economically, so be it. Their objective is to exploit Africa until there are no more resources to exploit.
Remember, most of Asia’s evils start in China – human rights, environmental issues, intellectual property rights violations, defective goods and corruption itself. Privately, most Chinese admit they think it is their god-given right to exploit the World – simply because they are Chinese.
I opposed the Chinese Olympics – the IOC was stupid and corrupt, as usual. I turned down a possible Tourism For Tomorrow award when the idiot WTTC held the awards in Beijing – just plain stupid until China improves internally. We have to get serious on Chinese issues including poaching and rainforest depletion.
If helicopters are used, use your military to shoot them down. Confiscate them from their owners so they can’t fly in the first place. Use your national army to engage in live fire military exercises to stop the poachers. Develop cross border treaties and hunt down poachers. Pass laws giving life in prison – and if necessary – Shoot the Bastards!
As a pacifist I would rather have the rhinos than the poachers.