Rhino Horn is NOT Medicine » Black Rhino

Rhinos at Risk: Is Namibia Next?

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 03:19:03 +0000

“Forewarned, forearmed; to be prepared is half the victory.” — Miguel de Cervantes

Warning signs: Disturbing developments in Namibia could be edging the country’s rhino population closer to danger.

Although Namibia has so far remained unscathed by the rhino crisis, the situation could change, if alarm bells go unheeded.

Vietnamese ‘rhino hunters’

In November 2011, a Vietnamese national was granted a permit to kill a rhino at Otjiwa Safari Lodge in Namibia.

This is disconcerting because several Vietnamese nationals have already been implicated in schemes which use South Africa’s “hunting safaris” as a front to run rhino horn to Vietnam.

The scam has been going on since at least 2003 (escalation began in 2006), with South African safari hunt operators as willing participants.

To find out more about the Vietnamese rhino hunting scam, check out:

2011: “Mules Hunting Rhinos? Sinister Scam Unfolds in South Africa“
2010: “Illegal Trade in Rhino Horn: The Vietnamese Connection“

Rhino horn trade speculation

A recent article in The Namibian claims there is a “legalized trade” movement afoot in the country, and suggested that horns be removed from rhinos and stored in “National Banks similarly to gold and diamonds and packaged in varying quantities and qualities at set prices”.

These profiteers obviously have no qualms about encouraging seriously ill people to use rhino horn, instead of seeking medical treatment. (South Africa even authorized the export of more than 100 rhinos to China for a multimillion-dollar rhino horn harvesting scheme.)

This notion of rhino horn as a “commodity” continues to fuel demand for rhino horn, thanks to speculative claims made by rhino horn suppliers in South Africa.

It was noted that Dr. Kalumbi Shangula, Namibia’s Ministry of Environment and Tourism Permanent Secretary, was skeptical about the “legalized trade” scheme.

Learn more about rhino horn suppliers:

2011: “Concern Grows Around Role of Rhino Horn ‘Suppliers’ in South Africa“
2010: “Are Insiders Intentionally Fueling the Demand for Rhino Horn?“

Chinese footprint in Africa

The Husab Uranium Project is located in Namibia and it is the world’s fourth largest uranium deposit. At the moment, it is owned by Extract Resources.

However, a market update is expected within the next 24 hours regarding the potential takeover of Extract Resources by China Guangdon Nuclear Power Corporation.

Rhino horn and ivory trade expert Dr. Tom Milliken of TRAFFIC recently told The Guardian that African wildlife is paying the price of “China’s investment drive” across the continent.

We’ve reached a point in Africa’s history where there are more Asian nationals on the continent than ever before. They have contacts with the end-use market and now they are at the source in Africa.

This is all adding up to an unprecedented assault on elephants and other wildlife.

Check out the effects of China’s increased presence in Africa:

2011: “Asian Demand for Ivory Leads ‘Unprecedented Assault’ on African Elephants“
2010: “Demand for Rhino Horn Now Dangerously Close to the Supply“
2009: “Kenya Fears Link Between Elephant Killings and Chinese Construction Projects“
2008: “How China’s taking over Africa and why the West should be very worried“

Rhinos in Namibia

Namibia is home to the world’s largest population (nearly 1,500) of the unique desert-adapted black rhino subspecies Diceros bicornis bicornis.

Black rhinos are classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN, with fewer than 5,000 surviving worldwide.

Last year, the Western black rhino subspecies Diceros bicornis longipes and Javan rhino subspecies Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus were confirmed extinct.

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, and a writer for the environmental news blog Planetsave. When I'm not blogging about the illegal wildlife trade, I like to rock out to live music.

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Extinction of Western Black Rhino Confirmed

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 10:13:07 +0000

“Indifference, to me, is the epitome of evil.” – Elie Wiesel

In October 2011, the Vietnamese Javan rhino (Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus) was declared extinct, and it was in July 2006 that the presumed extinction of the Western black rhino (Diceros bicornis longipes) was reported.

According to this year’s assessment from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species^TM, Diceros bicornis longipes is now gone forever.

Lack of political will

Both extinctions were preventable.

The WWF report “Extinction of the Javan Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus)” indicated that there was a glaring lack of political will and very little, if any, accountability for the protection of this critically endangered species. (The world’s last Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus was found shot with her horn missing.)

Sadly, it is not at all surprising that the recently updated Diceros bicornis longipes page on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species^TM reads as follows:

Given the wildlife poaching taking place, lack of political will and conservation effort by Cameroon conservation authorities in the past, and increasing illegal demand for rhino horn and associated increased commercial rhino poaching in other range states, it is highly probable that this subspecies is now extinct.

Black rhinos have been classified as Critically Endangered since 1996, following an Endangered listing for at least ten years.

Between 1970 and 1993, the demand for rhino horn decimated the black rhino population from around 65,000 to fewer than 2,500.

Thanks to conservation efforts and the ban on rhino horn trade, there are now around 4,860 black rhinos, comprised of three subspecies:

South-western black rhino (Diceros bicornis bicornis)
Eastern black rhino (Diceros bicornis michaeli)
South-central black rhino (Diceros bicornis minor)

Regarding the Western black rhino (Diceros bicornis longipes), see also:

July 6, 2006: “West African Black Rhino Feared Extinct“
July 17, 2006: “West African black rhino may be extinct”
“Probable extinction of the western black rhino, Diceros bicornis longipes: 2006 survey in northern Cameroon” by Isabelle Lagrot, Jean-François Lagrot, Paul Bour (Pachyderm, No. 43, July – December 2007)

Image #2 by Ludovic Hirlimann from ‘s-Gravenhage, The Netherlands (Rhino) via Wikimedia Commons

Rhishja Cota-Larson

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Get a Gorgeous 2012 Rhino Calendar and Help Protect African Rhinos

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 23:22:52 +0000

Four of the five rhino species all on one calendar!

The beautiful 2012 rhino calendar produced by International Rhino Keeper Association (IRKA) and the International Rhino Foundation (IRF) is now ready to order.

Photos were submitted by rhino enthusiasts from around the world, and the winning twelve were selected by vote. In all, 77 participants submitted a total of 271 photos, and 4,090 votes were cast.

The calendars are being sold for US $26 each. Funds will be used to help purchase supplies for rhino protection units in Zimbabwe and South Africa:

Digital cameras
Tamper proof evidence bags
PDAs
Metal detectors
Shoes
GPS
Binoculars

These supplies will help increase effective protection of rhino populations, help ensure successful prosecutions of wildlife crimes, and contribute to collection of crime evidence when rhinos are killed, specifically in selected areas of Zimbabwe and South Africa.

To purchase your calendar, please see the IRKA/IRF Calendar Fundraiser page on the IRKA website here.

Image via International Rhino Keeper Association at rhinokeeperassociation.org

Rhishja Cota-Larson

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Updated Rhino Species Fact Sheets

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 02:21:36 +0000

The latest fact sheets are ready!

Our popular Rhino Species Fact Sheets are now updated and ready to download! Each rhino species has its own fact sheet.

The Rhino Species Fact Sheets were first published in 2009, updated in 2010, and have since been downloaded by people all over the world. The 2011 population figures are based on information provided at the International Rhino Keeper Association Workshop, which was held in May 2011.

Enjoy!

Download the Rhino Species Fact Sheets

For additional free public awareness and learning tools, please visit the Saving Rhinos downloads page.

Image: © Saving Rhinos LLC

Rhishja Cota-Larson

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Volunteer to Help Rhinos and More in Zimbabwe

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 20:33:49 +0000

Want to help rhinos and other wildlife in Zimbabwe?

Conservationists in Zimbabwe are fighting a hard battle on the ground with rhino horn syndicates who are well-equipped, very informed, and heavily funded through their lucrative illegal business.

Fortunately, there is a way you can help Zimbabwe’s conservation efforts.

Hands-on conservation project

The Chishakwe Volunteer Programme, a conservation project located in the vast and remote Save Valley Conservancy in the South East Lowveld of Zimbabwe, offers the opportunity to work with rhino scouts, as well as participate in other wildlife research and monitoring projects.

The activities can be quite varied. Volunteers may be doing data entry, filing camera trap photos, ground crewing on rhino ops, darting a dog, sitting in a blind at night, or using telemetry to track lion.

Chishakwe also runs a community outreach program, with an emphasis on environmental education. Community outreach volunteers could be painting a mural, designing materials, collecting and labeling specimens for the camp’s little museum or even presenting a session on a particular species.

Accommodation and meals are provided in a fully serviced, comfortable ranch style house set in a garden. There is a recreation area with a swimming pool for leisure time.

Learn more

For more information about the Chishwakwe Volunteer Programme, visit their contact page and check out the following:

Photos used with permission and information provided by LJ Campbell, Chishakwe, Save Valley Conservancy, Zimbabwe. Photo #1 © iStockphoto.com

Rhishja Cota-Larson

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Update: No Bullet Wounds on Dehorned Rhino Found in Namibia

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 22:41:03 +0000

Namibia remains relatively unscathed by the scourge.

Namibian authorities have determined that a rhino found dead with both horns removed was not the victim of foul play.

The missing horns prompted an investigation after the rhino’s carcass was discovered at the Wabi Game Lodge.

However, Namibia’s Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Dr. Kalumbi Shangula said via The Namibian that the rhino had not been killed for the horns.

No bullet wounds were found on the carcass. It was an old animal, it might have died from natural causes.

Unfortunately, the horns are likely to have entered the illegal market already.

Despite 200 rhinos killed this year in neighboring South Africa, there was just one suspected case in Namibia in 2010.

Rhino hotline

In May 2011, Namibia’s Minister of Environment and Tourism, Hon Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, launched a new SMS hotline.

The public is advised to call 55555 if any unusual activities are noticed.

Illegal rhino horn

Rhinos are still being killed with alarming frequency, due to the demand for illegal rhino horn, a sought-after ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine.

However, rhino horn’s alleged efficacy is based on a myth, as scientific analysis has determined that rhino horn is of no medicinal value.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Rhishja Cota-Larson

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Rhino Head Stolen from Brussels Museum

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 23:31:19 +0000

Another museum stung by the scourge.

The Brussels Natural History Museum can unfortunately be added to the growing list of institutions hit by the demand for rhino horn: A black rhino head was stolen on Tuesday by three people who managed to flee in a waiting car after being pursued by museum guards.

The gang struck the museum at closing time, according to Expatica.com.

At closing time, the head of a black ‘Diceros bicornis’ rhinoceros exhibited in the mammals gallery was stolen by three people.

This is the second rhino horn robbery in Belgium in less than a month.

On June 16^th, police in Belgium arrested a pair of rhino horn thieves who attempted to steal the head of a rhinoceros from the Liege natural science museum. The rhino horn was returned after the robbers were apprehended at a roadblock.

Museums hit

Belgium is not the only target of thieves hoping to cash in on the demand for rhino horn. Besides Belgium, five museums in three countries have been hit within the last few months.

Germany: Several rhino horns were stolen from museums in Bamberg, Oerrel, and Hamburg
Italy: Three rhino horns were taken from the Museum of Natural History of Florence
England: Thieves took a rhino head from the Haslemere Educational Museum in Surrey

Museums advised to remove rhino horns from display

Last month, Natural Science Collections Association (NatSCA) and the natural history curator at the Horniman Museum, Paolo Viscardi, suggested that in addition to the rhino horn itself, information about the collections should be taken off museum websites.

Museums should also temporarily remove references to rhino horn collections from online collection databases as it makes it easy for these organised criminal gangs to find.

The NatSCA further recommends that museums conduct security audits, remove rhino horn from display, and place it in a secure location.

Do not publicise your rhino material. Thefts have targeted rhino horn that is on display or has been publicised in some way.

Further information can be found at the Rhino Horn Guidance for Museums page on the NatSCA website.

Find out more about the rhino crisis

Behind these rhino horn thefts – and the slaughter of 200 rhinos since the beginning of the year – is the demand for rhino horn, which has skyrocketed since 2007.

Instead of adhering to its obligation as a CITES signatory and working to reduce the demand for rhino horn, China has been pumping millions of dollars into encouraging the use of rhino horn. See Suspicions Confirmed: China Investing Millions in Rhino Horn Scheme
South African hunting safari operators have devised a way to work with Vietnamese smugglers to run rhino horn from South Africa to Vietnam. See Mules Hunting Rhinos? Sinister Scam Unfolds in South Africa
In the UK, rhino horn traders have exploited antiques loopholes. See Effective Immediately: Illegal to Trade Rhino Horn Trophies in the UK
Rhino horn has been rigorously analyzed and actually contains no curative properties. See Busting the Rhino Horn Medicine Myth with Science

Image © Saving Rhinos LLC

Rhishja Cota-Larson

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Got Rhino Photos? Enter the IRKA-IRF Rhino Photo Contest and Help Protect African Rhinos

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 22:09:29 +0000

Show off your gorgeous rhino photos for a great cause!

The International Rhino Keeper Association (IRKA) and International Rhino Foundation (IRF) are holding a rhino photo contest to help raise funds to protect rhinos in Zimbabwe and South Africa. Winning photos will be featured in the IRKA/IRF 2012 Rhino Calendar!

The calendars will be sold for US $26 each. Funds will be used to help purchase supplies for rhino protection units in Zimbabwe and South Africa:

Digital cameras
Tamper proof evidence bags
PDAs
Metal detectors
Shoes
GPS
Binoculars

Photo submission deadline and voting

The deadline for photo submissions is July 31^st, 2011. Photos will be posted on the IRKA website by August 8^th, and the top 12 winning photos will be decided by voting through August 29^th, 2011.

Please visit the International Rhino Keeper Association for questions and complete contest guidelines, and to fill out an entry form. Contact irkacalendar (at) gmail (dot) com for further information about the rhino calendar contest.

About IRKA

The International Rhino Keeper Association (IRKA) is dedicated to the sharing of knowledge in relation to the five species of rhinoceros. Information experienced through captive management and through study in the field are both valued as critical to the rhinoceros survival. Connect with IRKA on Facebook®

About IRF

The International Rhino Foundation (IRF) is dedicated to the survival of the world’s rhino species through conservation and research. IRF provides the technical (scientific, educational, administrative) and financial resources necessary to facilitate the conservation of rhinos. Connect with IRF on Facebook®.

Information/logo permissions provided by Sara Wunder, Busch Gardens, Tampa/IRKA Scholarship Chair; Dr. Susie Ellis, IRF

Rhishja Cota-Larson

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South Africa: 2011 Rhino Death Toll Surges to 200

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 19:04:31 +0000

The slaughter continues unabated.

New figures released today by WWF indicate that South Africa’s rhino crisis is not improving, and appears to be getting worse. Nearly 200 of the country’s iconic pachyderms have been slaughtered during the first half of 2011, thanks to continued use of illegal rhino horn in China and Vietnam.

Rhino horn is a prized ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine, although scientific analysis has shown there are no medicinal properties in rhino horn.

International criminal networks

South Africa’s onslaught is being orchestrated by international criminal networks using helicopters and automatic weapons to wipe out rhinos in nearly every part of the country, from national parks to privately-owned game ranches.

WWF’s African Rhino Programme Coordinator, Dr. Joseph Okori warned that these operations have jeopardized the country’s successful history of rhino conservation.

South Africa is fighting a war against organized crime that risks reversing the outstanding conservation gains it made over the past century.

Of the 200 rhinos killed this year, a whopping 126 of them were gunned down in South Africa’s famed Kruger National Park.

WWF opposed to bail

Dr. Okori further noted that his organization opposes bail for rhino crimes.

Swift prosecutions of wildlife crimes and strict sentences for perpetrators will serve as a deterrent to potential criminals. Poachers should be shown no leniency.

He pointed out that suspects who are out on bail continue to pose a threat to rhinos, and also contribute to delays in court proceedings.

In 2010, 165 people were arrested in South Africa for rhino crimes; four were convicted. So far this year, out of 123 arrests, there have been six convictions. Some cases are still ongoing.

Enforcement needed ‘at both ends’

Besides South Africa’s efforts to get a grip on the rhino crisis, cooperation is needed from rhino horn consumer countries, according to Dr. Tom Milliken of TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network.

Only a concerted international enforcement pincer movement, at both ends of the supply and demand chain, can hope to nip this rhino poaching crisis in the bud.

TRAFFIC’s research revealed that the majority of rhino horn leaving southern Africa is destined for consumer markets in China and Vietnam.

Arrests within wildlife community

In addition to the assault from the East, the rhino crisis is exacerbated by greed from inside South Africa’s borders.

A disconcerting number of arrests have been made within the country’s own wildlife community; the crimes are frequently perpetrated under the cover of South Africa’s legal rhino trade loopholes.

Suspects include professional hunters (and/or their clients), game farmers, veterinarians, and game reserve employees:

February 2011: After killing two rhinos on a legal hunt on a farm in Musina, a pair of Vietnamese nationals were arrested at the Wonderboom Airport in Pretoria when they were found to be in illegal possession of four rhino horns. They had arrived at the airport in a private helicopter belonging to the game farmer. At least one of the smugglers was released on bail.
January 2011: Wildlife veterinarian Dr. Andre Charles Uys was arrested for illegally removing the horns from 15 rhinos in the Maremani Game Reserve, located in Limpopo Province. Uys was released on R10,000 (US $1,416) bail by the Musina Magistrate’s Court.
January 2011: Mossel Bay hunter Christaan Frederik van Wyk was ordered to pay a fine of R30,000 (US $4,246) for illegally shooting a white rhino. The conviction stemmed from a hunting expedition with a Vietnamese client (Nguyen Tien Hoang) in Leshoka Thabang Game Lodge, on April 27th, 2006.
December 2010: An article in Bloomberg noted that South African hunter Peter Thormahlen has had at least two tangles with the law regarding involvement with the illegal rhino horn trade. In the first case, he was said to have paid a “token” fine, and his second case was dismissed.
October 2010: The criminal trial of safari operators George Fletcher and Gert Saaiman, along with professional hunter Frans van Deventer raised hopes that meaningful legal action would be taken against syndicate crimes. However, the case was thrown out by the North Gauteng High Court (the State’s star witness was apparently intimidated into not testifying) .
October 2010: Two KZN Wildlife staff members were arrested at Hlabisa and iMfolozi game reserves, and three KZN wildlife officials were suspended; their disciplinary hearing has been postponed several times.
September 2010: Eleven people, dubbed the “Groenewald gang” and allegedly led by game farmer and safari operator Dawie Groenewald were arrested in Limpopo Province. In addition to Groenewald, the suspects include two veterinarians (Karel Toet and Manie du Plessis), their wives (Sariette Groenewald and Marisa Toet), and at least one professional hunter (Tielman Erasmus). To see the entire list of “Groenewald gang” suspects, click here.

Regarding suspect Dawie Groenewald, Ian Michler of Africa Geographic notes that he is still in operation.

Not only does the man still carry his hunting licences, but the provincial authorities continue to issue him with permits to hunt and move rhino around the country. Bear in mind that magistrates deemed the charges serious enough to set bail at a whopping R1 million. Despite this, he *or* his company has seemingly been issued with at least 12 rhino hunting permits in the last few months, and they have been granted permits on at least 8 occasions to “convey” rhino, not to mention a host of other species.

Dawie Groenewald’s bail amount was reduced earlier this year from R 1 million (USD $147,065) to R 100,000 (USD $14,705) by the Musina magistrate’s court in Limpopo.

The case is expected to resume in September 2011.

Among the litany of charges faced by Groenewald and his henchmen are assault, fraud, corruption, malicious damage to property, illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, and contravention of the National Environmental Biodiversity Act.

Help raise awareness about the rhino crisis

Want to help? Share this article and check out our awareness campaigns:

Bust the Myth – Save the Species rhino crisis awareness campaign
Rhino Horn is NOT Medicine rhino crisis awareness campaign

Visit Saving Rhinos to learn more.

Rhishja Cota-Larson

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Extreme Close-Ups of Black and White Rhinos Feeding [Video]

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 22:26:02 +0000

Amazing footage of the two African rhino species.

This incredible video shows the different feeding styles of Africa’s black and white rhinos. The black rhino (also called the “hook-lipped” rhino) uses prehensile lips to browse, and the white rhino (also called the “square-lipped” rhino) uses square lips to graze.

It is thought that the white rhino was not named for its color, but rather for the word “weit” (meaning “wide”), in reference to the rhino’s lips.

The rhinos are so close, you can almost smell them! Enjoy!

Rhishja Cota-Larson

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