The Green Rocket

It always affects me negatively when I read headlines that seem to be degrading to the human race in general. I sit baffled at my computer reading and wondering: But how?! HOW can this be an issue considering what goes into STOPPING it from happening? It can’t be a question of organizations saying “we need more money”–I mean, it just can’t, not in my opinion–and I want to stress that this is all it is!

I’m not a professional statistician or world-wide animal activist or committee head. I’m just a guy frustrated at the human race. Most people spend their time concerned about themselves and getting ahead in life that they forget that parts of the world are in trouble until it’s plastered all over CNN or Fox News.

So let me start this blog post very simply, with statistics that are easy to scan over and consume. The short of it is that rhino poaching worldwide is poised to hit a 15-year-high driven by Asian demand for horns which for the most part are believed to have medicinal value. The report was presented by the WWF, IUCN, and TRAFFIC to the 58th meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species Standing Committee in Geneva (July 6-10, 2009) and further discussed at the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES, which will be held in Doha, Qatar March 13-25, 2010. The call to actions was for local governments to acquire “an accurate and up-to-date picture of the status, conservation and trade in African and Asian rhinoceroses … so that firm international action can be taken to arrest this immediate threat to rhinoceros populations worldwide.”

Here is a breakdown of other stats I’ve gathered online:

• An estimated three rhinos were illegally killed each month in all of Africa from 2000-05, out of a population of around 18,000. In contrast, 12 rhinoceroses now are being poached each month in South Africa and Zimbabwe alone (WWF)
• Growing evidence of involvement of Vietnamese, Chinese and Thai nationals in the illegal procurement and transport of rhino horn out of Africa. (WWF)
• Rhino poaching is also problematic in Asia. About 10 rhinos have been poached in India and at least seven in Nepal since January alone—out of a combined population of only 2,400 endangered rhinos. (WWF)
• Almost all rhino species are listed in CITES (the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) in Appendix I, which means that any international trade of any rhino parts for commercial purposes is illegal. (WWF)
• Increased demand for rhino horn, alongside a lack of law enforcement, a low level of prosecutions for poachers who are actually arrested. (Steven Broad, Executive Director of TRAFFIC)
  • In September 2008, a gang of four Zimbabwean poachers who admitted to killing 18 rhinos were also freed in a failed judiciary process.
• The biggest threat to the surviving five species of rhino in Africa and Asia is poaching for their horns to make into traditional Oriental medicine. It is also used for the handles of ceremonial daggers. (Save the Rhino Foundation)
• The current international moratorium on rhino horn trade did not prevent officially permitted hunts taking place – “but the hunters will not be able to sell these horns”. (Dr Dave Balfour, a senior official at the Eastern Cape Parks Board)
• In one case, the rhino horns are suspected to have been sold to the eastern market between R18 000 to R25 000 a kilogram with the horns weighing between 8 – 11 kilograms. (TravelWires.com)

There needs to be a proper punishment for poaching. Plain and simple. These animals are endangered species, none of this should be going on. I’ve read comments on some of the blogs posting the WWF news by individuals who are ignorant enough to believe it doesn’t matter and that people come first. Listen, this isn’t about starving people–that’s it’s own problem (mainly caused by crappy distribution models, not a lack of food in the world). This is about preserving life in the general sense to reflect on the positive aspects of what it means to be human. It’s about breaking laws, especially internationally accepted laws. And finally it’s about inhumane actions that have no place in this world, against people or otherwise. Period.

Rhino horn poaching persists because the punishment for getting caught still makes it a profitable opportunity. In January 2009, a joint operation by various disciplines of the South African Police Service including the Mpumalanga, Limpopo & North West Organised Crime Units, the Gauteng Provincial Task Team together with South African National Parks who have arrested and charged 11 suspects of various nationalities in connection with the poaching of black and white Rhino. With the assistance of a dedicated specialized prosecutor the team is attempting to securing convictions as well as the severest punishment possible for all the suspects.

Here’s to hoping that the upcoming discussions at the international meetup Conferences helps start a new trend in international laws that benefitthe preservation of endangered species.

Sources:

• World Wildlife Foundation
• International Rhino Foundation
• TravelWires.com

Creative Commons Attribution: “White Rhinos“, Flickr, Martin Pettitt

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