The world’s only population of Javan rhinos will now be more closely monitored, thanks to the quadrupling of video camera traps by the International Rhino Foundation (IRF) and WWF.

Critically endangered Javan rhinos in Ujung Kulon National Park, Indonesia, will now be monitored by 160 video cameras.

The Head of Ujung Kulon National Park Office, Moh. Haryono, said in a WWF release that the cameras would be useful for recording other species inside the park.

With the total of 160 video camera traps placed simultanously around the park, we can collect various information, not only on javan rhino but also other wildlife.

The video can even monitor human activities inside Javan rhino habitat in Ujung Kulon. This information serves as an important basis to increase Javan rhino population in Ujung Kulon, which is in line with Indonesia’s rhino conservation strategy and action plan.

Thanks to information obtained from video camera traps in 2011, 35 rhinos — 22 males and 13 females — were identified.

Dr. Susie Ellis, Executive Director of IRF, noted that the cameras will help “provide an important step for ensuring the survival of existing Javan rhinos.”

Adhi Hariyadi, coordinator of WWF-Indonesia’s Rhino Conservation Program, explained that the cameras would be part of a suite of monitoring tools.

By integrating video information gathered from camera trap with DNA based monitoring, we can get a better description of the Javan rhino population, and an even deeper understanding of rhino behaviors.

APP greenwashing continues

Meanwhile, the notorious Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) seems to be continuing its efforts to hoodwink the public with its “public-private partnership” called “The Javan Rhino Conservation Working Group”.

Although APP announced last year that it was making a $300,000 donation (over five years) to the Indonesian government on behalf of Javan rhino conservation, Dr. Susie Ellis explained in a Mongabay.com interview that this was most likely another greenwashing attempt.

A relatively small donation (especially in comparison to their billions of dollars in annual revenue) from APP to the Indonesian government does not mean that they play a role in the on-the-ground conservation of this species.

From the NGO perspective, this contribution appears to be truly an attempt to greenwash the company’s image.

How to help Javan rhinos

You can help protect critically endangered Javan rhinos by supporting Operation Javan Rhino, a global partnership led by International Rhino Foundation and Save the Rhino International.

Operation Javan Rhino is creating 4,000 hectares of expanded habitat for Javan rhinos in Ujung Kulon, to encourage population growth and establish a second “insurance” population of Javan rhinos at a separate site.

Please visit the International Rhino Foundation’s Operation Javan Rhino page to make your donation and learn more.

Image via YouTube.

Rhishja Cota-Larson

I am the founder of Saving Rhinos LLC, which publishes news and information about the global rhino crisis. I am the Editor of Rhino Horn is Not Medicine and Project Pangolin, author of the book Murder, Myths & Medicine, a writer for the environmental news blog Planetsave, and the host of Behind the Schemes. When I'm not blogging about the illegal wildlife trade, I like to rock out to live music.

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Join the International Rhino Keeper Association and the keeper staff of the San Diego Zoo Safari Park for the third annual Cinco de Rhino!

Cinco de Mayo is the perfect time to learn more about the world’s five rhino species: Sumatran, white, black, Javan, and greater one-horned rhinos!

The International Rhino Keeper Association and the keeper staff of the San Diego Zoo Safari Park are hosting a fundraiser called Cinco de Rhino, May 3^rd, 2012 at Hacienda de Vega, Escondido, CA.

Over 90% of the proceeds will support the International Rhino Foundation’s Rhino Protection Units.

Buy a wristband ticket for $5 entry and enjoy happy hour specials, auctions, raffles, and talking with the San Diego rhino keepers!

Prizes include specialty tours at the Safari Park, animal artwork, and more!

Only 200 wristbands will be sold and admission is limited to those 21 and over.

If you would like to attend the International Rhino Keeper Association/San Diego Zoo Safari Park Cinco de Rhino celebration and fundraiser, join the Cinco de Rhino event page on Facebook.

If you have questions about Cinco de Rhino, connect with the International Rhino Keeper Association page on Facebook.

And help spread the word with #cincoderhino2012 on Twitter!

Host a Cinco de Rhino party

Are you hosting a Cinco de Rhino party? Message the International Rhino Keeper Association via their Facebook page.

You can also help raise awareness by spreading the word in your community and on social media about the importance of protecting rhinos and their habitats.

Cinco de Rhino 2013

Next year’s International Rhino Keeper Association workshop will kick off with Cinco de Rhino 2013 — details to follow!

“Cinco de Rhino” image #1 © Saving Rhinos. All other images courtesy of International Rhino Keeper Association.

Rhishja Cota-Larson

I am the founder of Saving Rhinos LLC, which publishes news and information about the global rhino crisis. I am the Editor of Rhino Horn is Not Medicine and Project Pangolin, author of the book Murder, Myths & Medicine, a writer for the environmental news blog Planetsave, and the host of Behind the Schemes. When I'm not blogging about the illegal wildlife trade, I like to rock out to live music.

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See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

More great news for India’s greater one-horned rhinos!

The rhino population in Assam’s Kaziranga National Park has risen to 2290, up from the 2009 census which counted 2048 rhinos.

A team of 200 people and 34 elephants were involved in the rhino count, which took two days to complete.

Rhinos on the rise

Orang National Park’s rhino population soared from 64 to 100, and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary is celebrating an increase from 84 to 93 rhinos, and Manas National Park is home to 22 rhinos.

The new numbers place Assam just 495 rhinos away from achieving the goal of Indian Rhino Vision 2020, which is 3,000 wild rhinos in Assam by the year 2020.

The Indian Rhino Vision (IRV) 2020 is a partnership among the government of Assam, the International Rhino Foundation, the World Wide Fund for Nature, the Bodoland Territorial Council and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service that aims to attain a population of 3,000 wild rhinos in seven of Assam’s protected areas by the year 2020.

Here’s to Assam for a job well done!

Image via Wikimedia Commons

Rhishja Cota-Larson

I am the founder of Saving Rhinos LLC, which publishes news and information about the global rhino crisis. I am the Editor of Rhino Horn is Not Medicine and Project Pangolin, author of the book Murder, Myths & Medicine, a writer for the environmental news blog Planetsave, and the host of Behind the Schemes. When I'm not blogging about the illegal wildlife trade, I like to rock out to live music.

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See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

A toxic pesticide that has been used to kill rhinos for their horns was seized from a South African game farmer suspected of organized rhino crimes.

Among the myriad of illegal firearms, marijuana, suspicious maps, and endangered cycad plants reportedly seized from a KwaZulu-Natal game farmer earlier this month, authorities also apparently confiscated a toxic chemical known to be illegally used to kill wildlife – including rhino.

A Daily News article reports that officials discovered the substance when they raided a farm occupied by Evert Potgieter, who is currently on trial for allegedly masterminding a rhino horn syndicate and has been brought to court on charges for illegal hunting in the past.

What is Temik?

Temik (also called ‘aldicarb’ and ‘two step’) is intended for use as a pesticide, but is lethal even in small doses for humans and other animals.

Unfortunately, it is sometimes used in attempts to kill wildlife (particularly predators) that are misperceived as a ‘threat’ to farming livelihoods.

More recently, the substance has been used by poachers.

In both cases, Temik often kills scavengers that feed on tainted carcasses and has been a main contributor to the plight of vultures in South Africa and beyond.

Poisoning rhinos

In 2005, Reuters reported on the first documented use of Temik to kill rhinos in South Africa.

Apparently, at least five rhinos were found dead from the poisoning at state-owned Nwanedi Nature Reserve in Limpopo.

In 2010, reports emerged that war veterans in Zimbabwe – said to be working for South Africa-based rhino horn dealers – had been lacing cabbage with poison and putting it in waterholes in attempts to kill rhinos for their horns.

That same year, Times Live reported that Richard Holtzhausen (operational manager of Wildlife Ranching of South Africa) claimed he’d found cabbage sprinkled with suspicious blue crystals near a rhino midden at a Limpopo game farm in Naboomspruit.

He suspected the substance may have been Temik and believed the act had been carried out by someone who is quite familiar with rhino behavior.

Rhinos have the habit of visiting their dung piles often, and then eating whatever food has been planted there.

“These are clever people; they obviously know the rhinos’ habits,” said Holtzhausen.

People have also apparently attempted to use poisonous salts to kill rhinos for their horns in India.

Using Temik to hide evidence in rhino murders

In an article on hunting website Pot-Shot months ago, Kerri Wolter of the Vulture Conservation Programme discussed an observed increase in the application of Temik on rhino carcasses that had been killed for their horns.

She explained that the offenders are trying to hide evidence by killing scavenging vultures, as their presence draws attention to the crime scene.

Kerri Wolter of the Vulture Conservation Programme said it is a matter of concern that there is a growing trend among poachers to poison the rhino carcases after their horns had been chopped off in an attempt to get rid of vultures.

Potgieter’s Temik Meatballs

In addition to the Temik found on Potgieter’s property, the DailyNews says authorities also found meatballs tainted with the chemical in his vehicle.

It is unclear why Potgieter was in possession of the toxic substance or why Temik-tainted meatballs were in his car.

The suspect’s bail hearing is expected to continue on Thursday, according to the article.

Photo © Pam Krzyza

Sarah Pappin

I am a writer for Saving Rhinos, as well as for her sister blog, Project Pangolin. You may know me from my previous role at Bush Warriors. I am a biologist-turned-writer, with a BSc in wildlife science from Oregon State University. When I'm not blogging, I enjoy loud music, creating art, hula hooping, and being outdoors.

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Do any of these ‘red flags’ look familiar?

It seems that rhino horn’s alleged curative properties meet the criteria for at least six of the sixteen “Red Flags of Quackery” as compiled by Sci-ence: A Skeptical Comic and Blog.

Let’s take a look at rhino horn and this entertaining guide to quackery identification.

Red flag #1: “Helps your body heal itself or remove toxins. In other words, it doesn’t do anything because your body does it just fine on its own. Also see: boosts the immune system and balances so-and-so.”

• “Rhinoceros horn has been used in Chinese medicine for over two millenia to dispel heat, relieve convulsions, and counteract toxins.” ¹
• “Continuous administration lightens the body and makes one very robust.”²

Red flag #2: “Ancient wisdom. Just because it’s old doesn’t mean it’s right. The belief that demons are the cause of disease has been around longer than germ theory, but that does not make it correct (magical thinking).”

• “To cure devil possession and keep away all evil spirits and miasmas.”³ (Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines miasma as “a vaporous exhalation formerly believed to cause disease”.)
• “To remove hallucinations and bewitching nightmares.”⁴

Red flag #3: “Miracle cure-all. See also: too good to be true and holistic.”

• “Continuous administration lightens the body and makes one very robust. For typhoid, headache, and feverish colds. For carbuncles and boils full of pus. To expel fear and anxiety, to calm the liver and clear the vision. It is a sedative to the viscera, a tonic, antipyretic. It dissolves phlegm. For infantile convulsions and dysentery. Ashed and taken with water to treat violent vomiting, food poisoning, and overdose of poisonous drugs. For arthritis, melancholia, loss of the voice.” ⁵
• “It has the following effect: detoxication and anti-cancer, eliminating pathogenic heat from the blood, removing eczema.” ⁶

Red flag #4: “Natural. Also see: organic. Not everything that is natural is healthy. Arsenic and sharks are natural, too.”

• “Rhino horn is one of the most important Chinese herbal medicines in the traditional Chinese medicine field.” ⁷
• “Rhino horn has the following characteristics: natural, special, good effect and no side effect.” ⁸

Red flag #5: “Toxins. Imaginary substances invoked to sell a product. The liver removes any real toxins from your body just fine.”

• “Rhinoceros horn has been used in Chinese medicine for over two millenia to dispel heat, relieve convulsions, and counteract toxins.” ⁹

Red flag #6: “Western medicine. There is no ‘Eastern’ and ‘Western’ medicine. There’s ‘medicine’ and then there’s ‘stuff that has not been proven to work’.”

• “[Traditional Chinese medicine] practice draws on metaphysical rather than scientific principles and often slips under the radar of clinical tests and conventional scientific validation, leaving most remedies without any scientific proof of their effectiveness or even safety.” ¹⁰

Be sure to visit Sci-ence: A Skeptical Comic and Blog to see “The Red Flags of Quackery” poster!

(And seriously, to learn more, check out Busting the Rhino Horn Medicine Myth with Science.)

Sources:

1, 9. But, P.B., Lung, L. and Tam. Y. Ethnopharmacology of Rhinoceros Horn. I: Antipyretic Effects of Rhinoceros Horns and Other Animal Horns. 1990. Department of Biology and Chinese Medicinal Material Research Centre, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

2,3,4,5. Ellis, Richard. Tiger Bone & Rhino Horn: The Destruction of Wildlife for Traditional Chinese Medicine. 2005. Island Press. Washington, D.C.

6,7,8. See Revealed: China’s ‘Rhino Horn Cancer Treatment Scheme‘

10. Nuwer, R. “From Beijing to New York: The dark side of traditional Chinese medicine.” Scienceline. 29 June 2011.

Rhishja Cota-Larson

I am the founder of Saving Rhinos LLC, which publishes news and information about the global rhino crisis. I am the Editor of Rhino Horn is Not Medicine and Project Pangolin, author of the book Murder, Myths & Medicine, a writer for the environmental news blog Planetsave, and the host of Behind the Schemes. When I'm not blogging about the illegal wildlife trade, I like to rock out to live music.

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

Check out the first episode of our new web series, Behind the Schemes.

We recently had the opportunity to speak with Bill Konstant, Program Officer at the International Rhino Foundation. Listen to this exclusive interview to learn all about the “State of the Sumatran Rhino”, which is also the first episode of our new web series, Behind the Schemes.

‘State of the Sumatran Rhino’

Listen to the interview here:

Read the State of the Sumatran Rhino interview here:

RCL: What is the current estimated population of Sumatran rhinos?

BK: Probably no more than 200 animals, which is a rough estimate – difficult to verify – but probably close enough to cause real concern for the survival of this species. Sumatran rhinos tend to be solitary, secretive creatures, very rarely seen even by the people who study and protect them, so the evidence we have of their presence is often indirect. However, the remaining populations are both small and scattered, which presents significant problems for trying to rebuild their numbers to sustainable levels.

RCL: Javan rhinos have fewer than 50 individuals left, but are Sumatran rhinos considered to be in more immediate danger of extinction?

BK: It’s really a difficult assessment to make. With less than 50 animals remaining on the planet, it can be argued that the Javan rhino is in a more precarious situation than the Sumatran rhino, but neither is good by any stretch of the imagination. If you focus on the rate of decline over the last two decades, the situation for the Sumatran rhino would appear more critical. However, for the Javan rhino it’s a classic “all your eggs in one basket” situation. The last population – the final stronghold for the species – is confined to a tiny area at the tip of an island, well within the range of a potential volcanic eruption … shades of Krakatoa! For both species, the low total population numbers also reflect a very low number of reproductive units, only a handful of mature females available to a handful of mature males, and with the chances of them meeting and mating correspondingly reduced. That’s what makes it important to integrate protection measures with captive breeding initiatives.

RCL: Have there been any known Sumatran rhino births in the wild in the last five years? Are there camera traps? How many rhinos are in these “fragmented pockets”?

BK: To your first question, yes, births of wild Sumatran rhinos over the last five years have been documented, but by multiple sets of footprints of mothers with calves and not by camera-trap photos or videos. There are a number of recent images taken of adult Sumatran rhinos on Sumatra, which confirms their presence at specific locations, but I don’t know of any of mothers with young. Interestingly enough, there are good images of Javan rhinos with young taken at Indonesia’s Ujung Kulon National Park. These confirm reports of successful breeding by researchers and anti-poaching patrols that were based on evidence provided by footprints – mother and young walking the same forest trails.

Camera-traps help biologists estimate populations of cryptic species like the Sumatran rhino. Population estimates or ranges derived from camera-trapping studies are based upon a relatively small sample size, the data compiled from strategic locations and applied to a broader area. Combined with other indirect evidence, however, these studies can give us a good idea of how many animals are present within a defined area. So, based on all available information, field biologists estimate that there are probably no more than 200 Sumatran rhinos remaining in approximately four fragmented forest pockets on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo. Whether any remnant populations survive on mainland Southeast Asia is doubtful, but still bears investigation.

RCL: How many Sumatran rhinos are in Indonesia and how many in Malaysia?

BK: According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, a database used by conservation biologists around the world, the overwhelming bulk of the world’s remaining Sumatran rhinos, between 135 – 185 individuals, are found in three Indonesian national parks: Gunung Leuser, Bukit Barisan Selatan and Way Kambas. A relative handful – perhaps 20 to 30 – appears to be holding on within the Malaysian state of Sabah on the island of Borneo.  

RCL: Does each country have its own subspecies?

BK: Essentially, yes. The Latin name for the Sumatran rhino is Dicerorhinus sumatrensis, which translates literally as the “two-horned rhinoceros from the region of Sumatra”. Three subspecies are recognized. The most northern subspecies, which occurred on mainland Asia and ranged all the way to Nepal and northern India, was called lasiotis, but it is now believed to be extinct. The subspecies known as harrissoni is endemic to the island of Borneo and is the one documented from Malaysia, but some animals may still be found across the border with Indonesia in Kalimantan. The animals on Sumatra belong, as you might expect, to the subspecies called sumatrensis.

RCL: Sumatran rhinos face both the threat of being killed for their horns and destruction of their rainforest habitat. Are both of these issues weighted equally?

BK: That’s a tough question, but I would have to say yes. At this time, Indonesia’s remaining Sumatran rhino populations are under heavy protection by anti-poaching patrols, which help to prevent the killing of rhinos, elephants, tigers and other threatened wildlife species. If that protection didn’t exist, I think it would be safe to say that the species might have already been driven over the brink to extinction. There’s absolutely no future for Sumatran rhinos without round-the-clock measures to protect them from poaching, which can very quickly decimate entire populations, as we’re now witnessing with Africa’s black and white rhinos. Having acknowledged that, the current status of the Sumatran rhino is equally attributable to decades and centuries of tropical forest loss and the relentless encroachment on its increasingly fragmented habitat by a burgeoning human population. The situation now exists that the last individuals of this species can only be found in national parks and sanctuaries that officially protected from exploitation by our own species.

RCL: Can you tell us what International Rhino Foundation is doing to protect Sumatran rhinos and help increase their population?

BK: The International Rhino Foundation (IRF) works very closely with Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry and our local partners YABI (Yayasan Badak Indonesia) to help save Sumatran rhinos. Thanks to the generosity of many people around the world, IRF is able to support Rhino Protection Units – what we refer to as RPUs – in two of the Indonesian national parks I mentioned earlier: Bukit Barisan Selatan and Way Kambas. We also support protection for the last remaining Javan rhinos in Ujung Kulon National Park. These efforts help to stabilize and potentially increase wild populations.

In addition, IRF supports the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary, a 250-acre captive breeding facility situated in Way Kambas National Park, where we are hoping to witness the first-ever captive birth of a Sumatran rhino in Indonesia within the next few months. Several years ago, a young male rhino by the name of Andalas, born at the Cincinnati Zoo here in the United States, was sent to the sanctuary in hopes that he might breed with one or more of the three females in residence – Bina, Rosa and Ratu – all of which came from the wild. Well, Anadalas has not disappointed us. He and Ratu bred in March of last year and she is now completing the 12th month of a projected 15- to 16-month pregnancy, as your audience can read about on your website. Despite early miscarriages that resulted from the couple’s last two attempts at mating, all signs are positive at this point, Ratu is in the home stretch and we’re cautiously optimistic that she will deliver a healthy calf sometime later this spring or early this summer. This would be a historic first for the program and a success for what has become an international effort to save this critically endangered species.

RCL: What can people do to support International Rhino Foundation’s efforts to prevent the extinction of Sumatran rhinos?

BK: That’s an easy one. Anyone can help Sumatran rhinos by making a contribution to IRF, which can be used to support Rhino Protection Units in the field, captive breeding programs at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary, or both. If folks want to help, I invite them to visit our website, www.rhinos-irf.org, and make a donation. They can help by adopting Andalas, Bina, Rosa or Ratu. I also invite them to learn more about what IRF is doing to help save the world’s other rhino species in Africa and Asia. Rhinos are among the world’s most critically endangered species and it is going to take a global effort to save them, so there’s room for everyone to get involved.

Rhishja Cota-Larson

I am the founder of Saving Rhinos LLC, which publishes news and information about the global rhino crisis. I am the Editor of Rhino Horn is Not Medicine and Project Pangolin, author of the book Murder, Myths & Medicine, a writer for the environmental news blog Planetsave, and the host of Behind the Schemes. When I'm not blogging about the illegal wildlife trade, I like to rock out to live music.

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See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

Greed!

Why does the demand for rhino horn persist? After all, rhino horn has no proven medicinal value.

However, China (using rhinos imported from South Africa) is engaged in a profit-seeking scheme that depends on sick people using rhino horn instead of taking medicine.

Check out the ‘Bogus Medicine’ video:

Want more?

See “Revealed: China’s ‘Rhino Horn Cancer Treatment’ Scheme” — and be sure the read the timeline articles.

Rhishja Cota-Larson

I am the founder of Saving Rhinos LLC, which publishes news and information about the global rhino crisis. I am the Editor of Rhino Horn is Not Medicine and Project Pangolin, author of the book Murder, Myths & Medicine, a writer for the environmental news blog Planetsave, and the host of Behind the Schemes. When I'm not blogging about the illegal wildlife trade, I like to rock out to live music.

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

What were the most popular rhino stories of 2011? Find out here.

For the second year in a row, we’ve compiled the Top Ten Rhino Stories of the year. And while many of the stories are unpleasant, all of them must be told.

In 2011, mainstream media took more notice of the rhino crisis, but there is still much work to be done to thwart the “perfect storm” of myths, greed, and corruption.

Starting with #10 and counting down to #1, here are the Top Ten Rhino Stories of 2011:

#10. Rhino killings in South Africa linked to antique rhino horn market

The buzz about “rhinoceros horn cups” in 2011 finally put the connection between antique rhino horn and rhino killings in the spotlight, and our closer look at yet another trade loophole became a popular topic.

Read it: Disturbing Connection Between Antique Rhino Horn Activity and Rhino Killings in South Africa

#9. Zimbabwe rhino conservationist wins Goldman Prize

Zimbabwe rhino conservationist Raoul du Toit was awarded the prestigious Goldman Prize for his work in initiatives that have helped to develop and maintain Zimbabwe’s largest remaining black rhino populations.

Read it: Prestigious Environmental Prize Awarded to Zimbabwe Rhino Conservationist

#8: A positive step from the Chinese medicine community

The Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine (RCHM) in the UK issued a statement condemning the use of rhino horn in Chinese medicine.

Read it: Chinese Medicine Organization Speaks Out Against Use of Rhino Horn

#7: South African game farmer laundering rhino horn with Thai “prostitutes”

Safari operator/game farmer Marnus Steyl was named by South African media in the rhino horn trading racket involving Thai national Chumlong Lemtongthai. (Steyl was unsurprisingly granted bail.)

Read it: South African Hunting Safari Operator Linked to Illegal Rhino Horn Trade and Thai Strippers

#6: Revisit the shocking events that exposed the world’s most famous (alleged) rhino horn syndicate to the world

In preparation for the “Groenewald gang” April 2011 court date, we compiled a list of the scandalous revelations that made headlines around the world. (The next court appearance is slated for April 2012.)

Read it: Court Date Approaches for South African ‘Groenewald Gang’ Rhino Horn Syndicate Suspects

#5: Antique rhinoceros horn cups create media frenzy

The “record-breaking” appraisal of Chinese antique rhinoceros horn cups created a big media hubbub.

Read it: Fuss Over Antique Rhinoceros Horn Cups Fails to Mention Loss of Life

#4: Scientific studies conclude rhino horn is worthless as a remedy

We re-introduced three scientific studies confirming that rhino horn has no medicinal value.

Read it: Busting the Rhino Horn Medicine Myth with Science

#3: China pumping millions of dollars into encouraging the use of rhino horn

Nearly a year after we began raising questions about the connections between China’s traditional medicine industry investments, research proposals about rhino horn harvesting, and live rhino imports, our suspicions were confirmed.

Read it: Suspicions Confirmed: China Investing Millions in Rhino Horn Scheme

#2: World Rhino Day 2011

From Australia to Zimbabwe, the message was loud and clear: Rhino horn is NOT medicine!

Visit the World Rhino Day 2011 page here.

#1: Vietnamese Javan rhino declared extinct

The world’s last Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus was murdered for her small horn.

Vietnam’s tiny rhino population struggled against several formidable obstacles, including the traditional medicine trade, questionable government funding decisions, and habitat loss.

If only the recommended conservation programs had been implemented and supported by the relevant authorities within Vietnam, the impact of these obstacles could have been lessened.

Read it: Gone Forever: Javan Rhino Declared Extinct in Vietnam

Special mentions

Four additional stories which were close to the Top Ten and worthy of mentioning here:

• Extinction of Western Black Rhino Confirmed
• Critically Endangered Black, Sumatran Rhino Horns Confiscated in China; Four Arrested
• Rhino Horns Seized in Hong Kong; Shipment Arrived from South Africa
• Concern Grows Around Role of South Africa’s Rhino Horn Suppliers

Criteria

The Top Ten list was compiled using a combination of the following:

• Web traffic – number of visits (overall and spikes)
• Social media engagement (Facebook®, StumbleUpon, discussion forums, etc.)
• Additional media activity (news websites, traditional media, other blogs)

Thank you for taking time to read Rhino Horn is NOT Medicine, for visiting our website at savingrhinos.org, and joining us on Facebook®.

Check out last year’s “Top Ten Rhino Stories of 2010“.

All images © Saving Rhinos LLC, except photo: © Michelle Gadd/Goldman Environmental Prize

Rhishja Cota-Larson

I am the founder of Saving Rhinos LLC, which publishes news and information about the global rhino crisis. I am the Editor of Rhino Horn is Not Medicine and Project Pangolin, author of the book Murder, Myths & Medicine, a writer for the environmental news blog Planetsave, and the host of Behind the Schemes. When I'm not blogging about the illegal wildlife trade, I like to rock out to live music.

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

“The truth is on the march and nothing will stop it.” – Emile Zola

The world’s leading conservation and environmental organizations – among others – are speaking out against the use of rhino horn as a medical treatment. Check out this list of quotes with source links and a few videos.

Rhino horn quotes

1. “Although there is no scientific proof of its medical value, rhino horn is highly prized in traditional Asian medicine, where it is ground into a fine powder or manufactured into tablets as a treatment for a variety of illnesses such as nosebleeds, strokes, convulsions, and fevers.” – WWF, African Rhino Poaching Crisis
2. “The unfounded rumour that rhino horn can cure cancer most likely sealed the fate of the last Javan rhino in Vietnam. This same problem is now threatening other rhino populations across Africa and South Asia.” – Dr. A. Christy Williams, WWF, Rhino horn demand leads to record poaching
3. “We will be leading global action to clamp down on this cruel and archaic trade, and to dispel the myths peddled to vulnerable people that drive demand for rhino products.” – UK Environment Secretary Caroline Spelmen, UK to lead international rhino horn clampdown
4. “The tragedy is that rhino horn is made of keratin, the same stuff that makes up human hair and nails. It has no medicinal value, you might as well eat your fingernails.” – Mark Jones, Executive Director, Humane Society International/UK, It is devastating to see rhinos killed for a cure that doesn’t work
5. “To all this, I say that something that works for everything usually works for nothing. I also say that something that has been used for hundreds or thousands of years does not make it right.” – Dr. Albert Lim Kok Hooi, oncologist, A horny story
6. “Apparently, based on the results of this study, rhinoceros horn can reduce fever, but only at rather high dosage levels when prescribed as a single drug.” – Ethnopharmacology of Rhinoceros Horn. I: Antipyretic Effects of Rhinoceros Horn and Other Animal Horns. In this study, fever-induced rats showed temporary lowering of temperature after being injected with an extremely high concentration of rhino horn extract, however, there was no antipyretic effect at the dosage levels comparable to what would be prescribed to a human patient. Download the study here.
7. “The Secretariat is also very conscious, however, of the need to respond to the belief that rhinoceros horn is efficacious in the treatment or prevention of cancer. It is despicable that criminals are financially exploiting sufferers, and their relatives, at a time when they will be struggling to cope with distressing and sometimes terminal medical conditions.” – CITES (CoP15 Doc. 45.1). Download it here.
8. Regarding rumors that rhino horn is a cancer treatment: “There is no evidence that rhino horn is an effective cure for cancer and this is not documented in TCM nor is it approved by the clinical research in traditional Chinese medicine.” – Lixin Huang, Statement opposing the use of rhino horn in medicines by the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine
9. “Tests also showed that rhino horn, which, like fingernails is made of agglutinated hair, has no analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmolytic nor diuretic properties, and no bactericidal effect could be found against suppuration and intestinal bacteria.” – WWF Scientific Tests Fail to Show Rhino Horn Effective as Medicine
10. “For some time I have been contemplating to publish a paper which should have a headline in giant newsprint to say that RHINO HORN IS NOT AN APHRODISIAC. There is even no evidence that rhino horn was ever regularly used for this purpose. Such a paper should be followed by another with more giant newsprint announcing that RHINO HORN IS NOT MEDICINAL. Consensus now appears to be that even if rhino horn is mildly anti-pyretic to lower fever symptoms, the benefits do not outweigh those of cheap over-the-counter medicines readily available in any pharmacy.” – Dr. Kees Rookmaaker, Rhino Resource Center Newsletter #25, November 2011

Bonus #11

This is interesting: Even the author of a recently published paper tacitly touting the benefits of China’s rhino farming scheme and legal rhino horn trade has acknowledged that scientific testing has proven rhino horn has no medicinal value (although “believers” in traditional Chinese medicine remain unconvinced).

To the believer in TCM, tests conducted by the Swiss pharmaceutical firm Hoffmann-La Roche, which concluded that rhino horn had no effect on the human body whatsoever, or those carried out by Chinese scientists in Hong Kong, who found that rhino horn did have a cooling effect on fever in laboratory rats but only when used in massive doses, have no relevance.

Download it here.

Videos

Humane Society International: “There’s no scientific proof that rhino horn cures disease.”

Dr. Raj Amin: “There is no evidence at all that any constituent of rhino horn has any medical property. Medically, it’s the same as if you were chewing your own nails.”

World Rhino Day 2011: “At the root of the rhino crisis is the myth that rhino horn contains curative properties. For that reason, World Rhino Day 2011 is highlighting efforts to debunk the myths and diminish the demand for rhino horn.”

Bonus video: “Lone Rhinoceros” (Just wanted to share one of my favorite songs by my favorite guitarist, Adrian Belew.)

Additional

Of interest: Dr. Rookmaaker (whose fantastic quote is #10) does not agree with the citing of #9 (Hoffmann-LaRoche/WWF) because the full academic reports used to document these studies cannot be located, or with Dr. Raj Amin’s video (above) because the study itself was apparently not undertaken at ZSL – not because the information itself is invalid. He simply recommends that alternative studies be cited. (In my opinion, #6 is an alternative study. I still consider #10 and Dr. Amin’s video acceptable sources, as do many others.) You can review his comments here.

Image © iStockphoto.com

Rhishja Cota-Larson

I am the founder of Saving Rhinos LLC, which publishes news and information about the global rhino crisis. I am the Editor of Rhino Horn is Not Medicine and Project Pangolin, author of the book Murder, Myths & Medicine, a writer for the environmental news blog Planetsave, and the host of Behind the Schemes. When I'm not blogging about the illegal wildlife trade, I like to rock out to live music.

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See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

“The time is always right to do what’s right.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This informative 30-page slideshow presentation points out that the solutions to the rhino crisis can be found in increased protection in all implicated states through international and national legislation, improved enforcement, stiffer penalties, and demand reduction – not legalized trade.

Watch, learn, and share with others:

(Click the square in the lower right to view in full screen mode.)

Legal trade in rhino horn raises serious ethical concerns, including:

• Legitimization of the product
• Undermining of demand reduction efforts
• Exploitation of cancer sufferers

Furthermore, ivory sales and China’s parallel market in tiger products have had devastating effects on these species.

About the presenter

Mark Jones is the Executive Director, Humane Society International/UK.

“The tragedy is that rhino horn is made of keratin, the same stuff that makes up human hair and nails. It has no medicinal value, you might as well eat your fingernails.” – Mark Jones, as told to the Daily Express in “It is devastating to see rhinos killed for a cure that doesn’t work“.

Image © iStockphoto.com

Rhishja Cota-Larson

I am the founder of Saving Rhinos LLC, which publishes news and information about the global rhino crisis. I am the Editor of Rhino Horn is Not Medicine and Project Pangolin, author of the book Murder, Myths & Medicine, a writer for the environmental news blog Planetsave, and the host of Behind the Schemes. When I'm not blogging about the illegal wildlife trade, I like to rock out to live music.

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.