South Africa’s Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Buyelwa Sonjica plans to exchange diplomatic words about rhino killings with China.
South Africa’s surge in rhino killings is expected to be a hot topic of discussion during Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Buyelwa Sonjica’s trip to China.
Sonjica pointed out that South Africa’s rhino conservation efforts are being undermined by the thriving illegal trade in rhino horn, with much of the demand coming from China.
Unfortunately, the rhino population in South Africa is now being threatened by an upsurge in the illegal killing of rhinos and the leakage of illegally obtained rhino horn stocks into the international illegal trade.
Addressing the Rhino Summit in Pretoria, she announced that a dedicated crime unit had been put into effect immediately.
The establishment of an interim National Wildlife Crime Reaction Unit is aimed at responding to the current spate of wildlife crimes and more specifically the upsurge of rhino poaching and smuggling of rhino horn.
The department of environmental affairs is leading the Unit, which includes members from the SA Police Force as well as the National Prosecuting Authority, the South African National Parks, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, and a select team of the SAPF Hawks.
Sonjica said South Africa would soon be signing a memorandum of understanding on environment with Vietnam, the other country implicated in the escalation of illegal rhino horn trade.
Also at the Rhino Summit, the NPA’s Head of Organized Crime Johan Kruger made the welcome decision to treat rhino killings and rhino horn trade as organized crime cases.
Chinese market for illegal rhino horn
China was uncovered by the wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC as being one of the major destinations for illegal rhino horn from southern Africa.
Additional research strongly suggested that China’s state-funded TCM research could be connected to the surge in rhino killings, by encouraging the accumulation of rhino horn and promoting the message that rhino horn is a key medicinal ingredient.
Traditional medicine practitioners claim rhino horn can cure nearly everything from fever to pus-filled boils (and even devil possession). However, several scientific studies have confirmed that rhino horn actually has no medicinal value.
Sources: Eyewitness News and News24
Image: istock.com
![Rhino Horns and Trophies Exported to Asia from South Africa 2000 – 2010 [Infographic]](http://www.rhinoconservation.org/wp-content/plugins/special-recent-posts/lib/phpimage.php?width=100&height=100&rotation=no&file=L2hvbWUyL2Jpb2RpdmUxL3B1YmxpY19odG1sL3dwLWNvbnRlbnQvdXBsb2Fkcy8yMDEyLzA1L1JoaW5vVHJvcGhpZXNIb3Juc0luZm9ncmFwaGljVGh1bWJuYWlsLmpwZw==)
I’ve lived in China. They are the most abhorrrently cruel people I’ve ever been around. Nary a shred of tenderness, only efficient pragmatism. They’d sell their own grandmothers for a yuan. The way they’d butcher screaming dogs and cats in the market still haunts my dreams. And HORRIBLY abusive treatment BEFORE they kill and eat them, e.g., stuffing young kittens and puppies into wire crates for extended transport without food, water or even the ability to lie down — impervious to their screams of agony. The Chinese kill sea turtles in horribly cruel manners, milk bile from bears encased for years in coffin-sized cages… they are just beyond belief. Some animals, of course, are out of their reach — so they just pay others to murder ‘em for them! Finning sharks, shooting rhinos for their horns, skinning magnificent tigers… Endangered? bring ‘em on! The Chinese like to tout themselves as cutting-edge and progressive. But in fact, they’re just vicious, backward, primitive yokels. I spit upon them.
This needs to end!
KUDOS! Well said, Cindy. It’s a plethora of Animal Abuse, Cruelty & Exploitation.
That culture has not escaped it’s primitive nature. But where will all the animals have gone in another hundred years? Sometime I think we really know the answer to all the questions we ask when looking for response. The people need Education, Cruelty need to be exposed for what it is; destruction of the Animal Kingdom. Very sad.
Thank you Cindy for your comment, my thought exactly! They would pay me millions of dollars to live in China and i still would not go. The good chinese people are swimming in a sea of pus.
let hope somebody can do something about this beautiful animals.its alot of cruelty in this world with all animals. its impossible almost to see the news everyday. please i invite everybody to pray for thir lives and saftiness.
The only way is if the courts in South Africa Jail these Bastards for a long time.
I do a fair amount of traveling and will NEVER travel to China, Japan or anywhere else in Asia! These soo called traditions and cultures are barbaric and need to be stopped. Please do not travel to these areas and contribute to these practices in supporting there economy.
i would like very much for CINDY BLACK to contact me at rainsongwildlifesanctuary.com
i am a conservation activist in COSTA RICA , and the recent flood of chinese to costa rica [when the UN failed to back taiwan] has created a terrible situation here.
the chinese have created a very aggressive new market demand for sea turtle flesh, shells, & eggs // jaguars are being hunted in the OSA PENINSULA with automatic weapons to provide the chinese with ‘tiger’ parts, soon there will be NO MORE JAGUARS IN COSTA RICA // the overfishing and shark-finning has reached extinction levels in costa rican waters // DOLPHINS & WHALES are at great risk now // illegal gillnetting and longlining by chinese fishing vessels have extinguished sealife in many areas, including PROTECTED AREAS such as NATIONAL PARKS… RESERVA CABO BLANCO & CALETAS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, for example… both of which include protected ocean waters, WHICH THE GOVT FAILS TO PROTECT !
i would like to try to understand the chinese mentality, to aid me in my battle against them to save what’s left of costa rica’s wildlife / wilderness / sealife.
please contact me thru the email address – rainsongwildlifesanctuary@gmail.com !
http://www.rainsongsanctuary.com
I NEED YOUR HELP ! your exposure & insights into this culture could help me immensely !