Advertised sale ........... and devoid of horn - Rhinoceroses...

They are identified by their horns but the horn of these animals, unlike bovines, consist of keratin only and lacks a bony core.  In the wild, they have  few natural predators other than humans. Young ones can fall prey to predators such as big cats, crocodiles, wild dogs, and hyena.  They are  of large size and have a reputation of being tough,  but are poached in great numbers - Rhinoceros often Rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Though herbivorous, they are very strong and have a thick protective skin.  They generally eat leafy material.

The black rhinoceros or hook-lipped rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis), is a species of rhinoceros, native to the eastern and central areas of Africa including Kenya, Tanzania, Cameroon, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Angola. Although the rhino was referred to as black, it is actually more of a grey/brown/white color in appearance.  The other rhino is white rhino – misleading as both the species are not really distinguishable by colour.  The species overall is classified as critically endangered, and one subspecies, the Western Black Rhinoceros, was declared extinct by the IUCN in 2011.

The post started with words ‘they are identified by their horns’ …………. and there is news that Namibia has started dehorning rhinos in national parks and private conservation reserves to save the animals from poaching after 14 of the pachyderms were slaughtered this year, according to the Environment Ministry. Namibia has one of the world’s largest populations of black rhinos, which are under threat from poachers who sell their horns on the black market mainly for use in Chinese medicine, according to the World Wildlife Fund. About 1,750 black rhinos live in Namibia, out of a global population of 4,800  according to Save The Rhino and WWF.

This is a drastic measure aimed at preventing poaching of rhinos.   The Minister is quoted as saying that the  dehorning exercise is being conducted in the northern Kunene and Omusati regions on the border of Angola and Erongo in the west, where rhinos face the biggest risk of poaching.  The animals are darted with an anaesthetic, sometimes from a helicopter, and have their horns cut off with a chainsaw or hack saw, according to Save the Rhino.  The government plans to stockpile the horns and it will need consent under the United Nations’ Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES, before selling them,  added the Minister.

In neighboring South Africa at least 769 rhinos have been poached so far this year, compared with 1,004 in all of last year. Most rhinos in South Africa are white rhinos, the bigger of the two types of the animal found in Africa. They can weigh more than 2 metric tons ~ and if you have plans, you can buy rhinos ! – yes, true.

South Africa’s Kruger National Park is inviting bids for rhinos under a plan to move 500 of the animals to safety to counter a wave of poaching for their horns, highly prized in some Asian countries as a sign of wealth. In newspaper adverts, South African National Parks invited potential buyers to “make a written offer to purchase white rhinos in batches of 20 or more”.

Private ranchers own around 5,000 of South Africa’s 20,000 rhinos, part of a thriving game farming industry in Africa’s most advanced economy that caters for eco-tourism and hunting. The government is turning to the private sector because the Kruger has become the main poaching ground for the animals. More than 1,000 were poached in South Africa last year – three times the tally in 2010 – to meet soaring demand for rhino horn, coveted as an ingredient in traditional medicine in fast-growing economies such as China and Vietnam.

People buy rhinos as an investment for a number of reasons. Rhinos are used to attract tourists to a lodge for game viewing and for legal trophy hunts and are traded in an open market. Some ranchers have also bought rhinos in the hope that trade in horn will be legalised at some point.

Poaching of elephants and rare animals in Africa is increasing. The products are sold to Asian countries where elephants’ tusks are used in medicine.  “China is the biggest consumer of ivory (70 percent of the world’s ivory ends up as trinkets for the Chinese middle class), and Vietnam is the main consumer of rhino horn,” says activists. 

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

16th Oct 2014.