http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10-02/rhino-horn-poaching-reaches-new-record-in-south-africa/4992542
Rhino horn poaching reaches new record in South Africa

The number of rhinos killed by poachers has hit a new annual record in South Africa, raising concerns of a downward population spiral in a country that is home to almost all of Africa’s rhinos.

As of the end of September, 704 rhinos had been killed by poachers in South Africa, exceeding the annual record of 668 set in 2012, according to data provided by the environmental affairs ministry.

So what are Rhino horns still used for?

party_pants said:

So what are Rhino horns still used for?

Nothing that the keratin from lost hair off human heads couldn’t do.

party_pants said:

So what are Rhino horns still used for?

Chinese medicine and dagger handles used as 21st gifts and rite of passage gifts amongst Arabs.

“sell the horn to crime syndicates to feed rapidly rising demand in South-East Asia, where the horn is thought by some to cure cancer and tame hangovers.”

“In traditional Chinese medicine, the horn is used to treat maladies from rheumatism to devil possession. Now, many newly rich Vietnamese consume it after a hard night of partying.”

so basically nothing.. but this is not about what happens to the horn after it is gone.. this is about making a life sustainable for the people who are doing the poaching. 70 years ago most people didn’t give a shit about conservation, and selling animal matter to rich people was a good way to earn some money for your family. Imagine if someone told you that the science generations of your family has been working on is no longer socially acceptable and you have to find some other way to now feed your family.
My thoughts are that while we should continue to try to stop trade, we should be humanistic about it too, and realise that it really is a matter of survival for people as well.

though, I admit, my knowledge of conservation and re education is based in Cotton top tamarin country, where conservation programs hold a three fold approach – educate the public, make the children aware and ‘re-educate’ the locals to make life sustainably sustainable.

note that ‘reeducation’ does not mean – oh we do this better. It focuses on using different (reusable) materials to do the same job ‘traditional’ materials do.. etc

Arts said:

… Imagine if someone told you that the science generations of your family has been working on is no longer socially acceptable and you have to find some other way to now feed your family.

What is so scientific about rhino horn for TCM and dagger handles? How entrenched and historically significant is the use of rhino horn for daggers and TCM within and among African cultural groups? How many generations of South Africans have relied upon poaching rhino for an emerging and now booming Asian market? And how long do you reckon rhino horn has been a cancer cure – since this has only been as A Very Recent thing in Vietnam and Thailand according to a number of conservation groups/workers?

They should pay the tribes where the rhinos exist to look after them. That way they have value to them, they will then not only stop kill them, but also stop others from doing so.

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/sep/26/wildlife-crime-trafficking-drugs-arms?CMP=twt_gu

Wildlife crime now ranks among trafficking in drugs, arms and human beings in terms of profits. It is an economic crime often perpetrated by criminal syndicates operating in the most remote regions of our globalised world, exploiting local people and lax laws or enforcement for personal gain.

The nature of wildlife crime has also changed. Gunmen and flatbed trucks have been replaced by helicopters and potent automatic weapons. The animals in their sights have little chance in this gory pursuit for illicit profits. Behind the gun teams are sophisticated supply chains using modern technology, as well as bribes and corruption, to deliver animal parts to every corner of the earth.

Courageous, but underpaid park rangers are often outmanned, outgunned and outwitted in a deadly game of hide-and-seek with poachers. Ranger services have been retrained to spot illegal kills, but have had to call in the military to do their job.

neomyrtus_ said:

Arts said:

… Imagine if someone told you that the science generations of your family has been working on is no longer socially acceptable and you have to find some other way to now feed your family.

What is so scientific about rhino horn for TCM and dagger handles? How entrenched and historically significant is the use of rhino horn for daggers and TCM within and among African cultural groups? How many generations of South Africans have relied upon poaching rhino for an emerging and now booming Asian market? And how long do you reckon rhino horn has been a cancer cure – since this has only been as A Very Recent thing in Vietnam and Thailand according to a number of conservation groups/workers?

yeah I know.. it’s not as difficult a job to do these days.

I read about the recent boom, I’m not defending anything, just pointing out that stopping the issue is not going to work by only stabbing at one side.

what makes you think that agencies only targeted poor African poachers? There’s a big UN conference on right now discussing the issue, and some good workers (e.g. Tammie Matson) have written books and stuff on the topic and their work.

neomyrtus_ said:

what makes you think that agencies only targeted poor African poachers? There’s a big UN conference on right now discussing the issue, and some good workers (e.g. Tammie Matson) have written books and stuff on the topic and their work.

I did say I was extrapolating. But it’s the poor African poachers that will lose.. and are of concern.

I’ll check out some of Tammie Matsons stuff.

While I do not dispute the amount of damage done to wildlife by criminal syndicates, a very high percentage of animals are still being taken by small time hunters. The larger criminal groups need a lot of animals to cover their costs, whereas the smaller hunter will continue after they have moved on.

You need people on the ground with an interest in the survival of the animals to have any chance of tackling the problem. Even if they cannot stop the poachers themselves, to make it rewarding so they promptly contact those that can.

Communities that protect wildlife so overseas hunters can hunt the odd animal, have proved to be a very effective way to stop poaching in their territory, but to succeed, the animals must be of value to the local people. Surely with the tragic dwindling of wildlife numbers, there would be enough wealthy people and/or governments in the world interested in sponsoring their welfare.

PermeateFree said:

While I do not dispute the amount of damage done to wildlife by criminal syndicates, a very high percentage of animals are still being taken by small time hunters. The larger criminal groups need a lot of animals to cover their costs, whereas the smaller hunter will continue after they have moved on.

You need people on the ground with an interest in the survival of the animals to have any chance of tackling the problem. Even if they cannot stop the poachers themselves, to make it rewarding so they promptly contact those that can.

Communities that protect wildlife so overseas hunters can hunt the odd animal, have proved to be a very effective way to stop poaching in their territory, but to succeed, the animals must be of value to the local people. Surely with the tragic dwindling of wildlife numbers, there would be enough wealthy people and/or governments in the world interested in sponsoring their welfare.

you need drones with machine guns

how long would the poachers survive then

first you set up a kill zone around the animals, the drones have a mother ship that watches the area and releases smaller attack drones

it might drop a bomb that simply falls on the poachers as they approach, something that turns into shrapnel but looses most its power after say a 5 minute radius

wookiemeister said:

PermeateFree said:

While I do not dispute the amount of damage done to wildlife by criminal syndicates, a very high percentage of animals are still being taken by small time hunters. The larger criminal groups need a lot of animals to cover their costs, whereas the smaller hunter will continue after they have moved on.

You need people on the ground with an interest in the survival of the animals to have any chance of tackling the problem. Even if they cannot stop the poachers themselves, to make it rewarding so they promptly contact those that can.

Communities that protect wildlife so overseas hunters can hunt the odd animal, have proved to be a very effective way to stop poaching in their territory, but to succeed, the animals must be of value to the local people. Surely with the tragic dwindling of wildlife numbers, there would be enough wealthy people and/or governments in the world interested in sponsoring their welfare.

you need drones with machine guns

how long would the poachers survive then

first you set up a kill zone around the animals, the drones have a mother ship that watches the area and releases smaller attack drones

it might drop a bomb that simply falls on the poachers as they approach, something that turns into shrapnel but looses most its power after say a 5 minute radius

The use of drones for surveillance sounds like a good idea.

PermeateFree said:

wookiemeister said:

PermeateFree said:

While I do not dispute the amount of damage done to wildlife by criminal syndicates, a very high percentage of animals are still being taken by small time hunters. The larger criminal groups need a lot of animals to cover their costs, whereas the smaller hunter will continue after they have moved on.

You need people on the ground with an interest in the survival of the animals to have any chance of tackling the problem. Even if they cannot stop the poachers themselves, to make it rewarding so they promptly contact those that can.

Communities that protect wildlife so overseas hunters can hunt the odd animal, have proved to be a very effective way to stop poaching in their territory, but to succeed, the animals must be of value to the local people. Surely with the tragic dwindling of wildlife numbers, there would be enough wealthy people and/or governments in the world interested in sponsoring their welfare.

you need drones with machine guns

how long would the poachers survive then

first you set up a kill zone around the animals, the drones have a mother ship that watches the area and releases smaller attack drones

it might drop a bomb that simply falls on the poachers as they approach, something that turns into shrapnel but looses most its power after say a 5 minute radius

The use of drones for surveillance sounds like a good idea.

in this case that time has ended

the night would be worse, you could be surrounded by a blizzard of attack drones and not know it. with the darkness would come the fear that would start working upon you

There is an Australian ex military fellow doing drones as recon at the moment, or at least he was. Was working well.

wookiemeister said:

PermeateFree said:

wookiemeister said:

you need drones with machine guns

how long would the poachers survive then

first you set up a kill zone around the animals, the drones have a mother ship that watches the area and releases smaller attack drones

it might drop a bomb that simply falls on the poachers as they approach, something that turns into shrapnel but looses most its power after say a 5 minute radius

The use of drones for surveillance sounds like a good idea.

in this case that time has ended

the night would be worse, you could be surrounded by a blizzard of attack drones and not know it. with the darkness would come the fear that would start working upon you

isn’t there a mobile phone app that hacks the drones now?

http://paolov.wordpress.com/2013/09/22/world-rhino-day-2013/