Rhino Horn is NOT Medicine » Saving Rhinos

India: Second Rhino Killed in Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, First Tracker Dog Deployed

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 21:28:21 +0000

Authorities hope a new tracker dog will help find rhino killers.

The body of a female rhino from Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary was reportedly found over the weekend, and unsurprisingly, her horn was missing.

Although bullet wounds were not found on the rhino, S.K. Seal Sharma, divisional forest officer of the Guwahati wildlife division, told The Telegraph the incident will be treated as a rhino poaching case by the authorities.

The horn of the rhino was missing but there were no bullet marks on it. However, as the horn is missing this is a case of poaching.

In June 2011, the first rhino in five years was killed at Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary. A schoolteacher from a neighboring village was arrested; authorities noted that the tragedy could not have occurred without the cooperation of locals living near the Sanctuary.

Dog on the case

The current Pobitora case marks the first time that a tracker dog has been deployed in Assam.

The dog – a Belgian Malinois named “Jorba” – has been trained to detect wildlife products, including ivory. The breed is used in American and European military and police work.

Jorba is said to have already provided some leads for the forest department.

Earlier this year, The New York Times speculated that a Belgian Malinois was part of the US Navy SEAL raid on Osama Bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan.

Image: Pleple2000, 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, 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.

Website - Twitter - Facebook - More Posts

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

By Popular Demand: ‘Horny’ Rhino T-Shirts (and More)

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 17:26:51 +0000

More rhino t-shirt designs!

Since 2007, we’ve been offering a wide selection of rhino t-shirts and other merchandise, and one of the most popular t-shirt designs has consistently been our “horny is good” t-shirt. People seem to have fun with this message.

This year – just in time for the holidays – those who enjoy the “horny” double entendre are in for a treat: We’ve just added a new online store called Horny Forever.

Horny Forever features designs that are geared towards adults. (Those of you with an eye for detail might have noticed a slightly different version of the Saving Rhinos logo – more on that later.)

Six ‘horny rhino’ designs

As of this writing, there are six designs (including the original “horny is good“), with more in this week’s pipeline.

In addition to the Horny Forever logo, there is “Big & Horny” (a white rhino) and another called “Making Baby Rhinos” that is simply an illustration of two rhinos (making a baby rhino). “Have a horny day!” is a simple twist on a classic design.

And then there’s just “HORNY” which sports a golden rhino with plum lettering.

Visit both stores:

Horny Forever – let’s keep rhinos horny forever!
Main store – home of the “Rhino horn is NOT medicine” t-shirts

Please note: Merchandise is available for online ordering only; international shipping is available.

Rhinos in Nepal

We contribute a portion of our t-shirt proceeds to Partnership for Rhino Conservation (PARC/Nepal) and have been doing so since 2009.

The funds help pay for printing educational materials and sponsoring public awareness events that directly impact the people living side-by-side with the greater one-horned rhino in the Chitwan National Park buffer zone. In addition, we promote PARC’s efforts on our social media platforms.

Find out more about the public awareness activities we have helped support at Update from Nepal: A Successful Year of Raising Public Awareness About Rhino Conservation.

About Saving Rhinos

Saving Rhinos LLC is mostly a self-funded endeavor, and is not a charity or nonprofit, and does not accept donations. I also work behind the scenes to provide subject matter expertise to select NGOs and verifiable media sources.

Image: © Saving Rhinos LLC

Rhishja Cota-Larson

Website - Twitter - Facebook - More Posts

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

Concern Grows Around Role of Rhino Horn ‘Suppliers’ in South Africa

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 20:38:12 +0000

Rhino horn suppliers share the blame for fueling the rhino crisis.

Questions are being raised regarding rhino horn “suppliers” and their effect on illegal rhino horn trafficking.

Fueling the demand for rhino horn

Zimbabwean environmentalist and prestigious Goldman Prize winner Raoul du Toit, explained in an in-depth article published by Vietnam’s Thanh Nien Daily that rhino horn suppliers in South Africa “are also to blame” for fueling the demand for rhino horn.

Many people in South Africa are also to blame for the poaching crisis, including a number of rhino owners who have illegally sold horns that they have derived from their rhinos.

A similar view appears to be shared by renowned rhino horn and ivory trade expert Dr. Tom Milliken of the wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC, who recently told Thanh Nien Daily that he disagrees with South African game farmers lobbying for “legal trade” in rhino horn and pointed out there is no one to “negotiate” with – except criminal syndicates.

I do not agree with the views of the farmers who only seem to be looking at this issue from the viewpoint of a supply they think they can offer. None of them are talking to the governments on the consumption side of the equation and all of those countries, including China, Vietnam and Thailand, have internal trade bans in place.

So who do they negotiate with – the criminal syndicates driving the illegal trade now?

This echoes a statement made earlier this year by CITES Chief of Enforcement, John Sellar, who said via the Independent Online that the only markets that exist for rhino horn are illegal, and that rhino horn trade depends upon the exploitation of families at their most vulnerable.

Criminals are preying upon the sufferers of what is one of today’s most horrendous diseases … exploiting sufferers and their relatives at a time of their lives when they’re essentially facing a debilitating and often terminal condition.

It’s like telling someone who has lung cancer to chew their fingernails.

Dr. Milliken further notes that there is “growing pressure” to declare a moratorium on rhino hunting in South Africa, in an effort to crack down on exploitation of trophy hunt loopholes.

Those bent on illegal trade keep finding loopholes or work with criminal elements in the sport hunting industry to evade controls.

Humane Society International (HSI) agrees that rhino horn supplies need to be cut off, as part of an overall rhino conservation strategy that includes demand reduction and law enforcement.

HSI recommends that South Africa’s legal trade loopholes need to be closed, exports of rhinos from South African ranches to rhino horn consumer countries need to be stopped, and that private rhino horn stockpiles need to be managed transparently and “preferably destroyed.”

Whetting the rhino horn appetite

Research into South Africa’s rhino horn trade policy suggests that the appetite for rhino horn continues to be whetted by intentional leakage of private rhino horn stockpiles from South Africa into the illegal market.

In 2009, TRAFFIC found that five provinces in South Africa failed to provide private stockpile data to CITES.¹

For the Free State, Mpumalanga, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, and Western Cape, which collectively hold 20% of the private sector rhinos, no data were available.

TRAFFIC further noted that “significant volumes” of private rhino horn stockpiles are undocumented and vulnerable to illegal trade, concluding that South Africa’s “control policy for rhino horns is inadequate”.

Learn more

For further reading, check out:

How South Africa’s legal loopholes are used as a cover for the illicit rhino horn trade:”Concern Grows Around South Africa’s Legal Trade in Live Rhinos”
How South African trophy hunters work with rhino horn syndicates to launder rhino horn for the Vietnamese market: “Mules Hunting Rhinos? Sinister Scam Unfolds in South Africa“. (Also available here in Chinese and Thai.)
How unscrupulous people are attempting to cash in on the rhino horn myth (published December 6^th, 2010): Are ‘Insiders’ Intentionally Fueling the Demand for Illegal Rhino Horn?”

1. Milliken, T., Emslie, R.H., Talukdar, B. (2009). African and Asian Rhinoceroses – Status, Conservation and Trade. CoP15. CITES Secretariat, Geneva, Switzerland.

Image © Saving Rhinos LLC

Rhishja Cota-Larson

Website - Twitter - Facebook - More Posts

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

Update from Nepal: World Rhino Day 2011

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 22:48:09 +0000

World Rhino Day in Nepal!

On September 22^nd, 2011, World Rhino Day was celebrated for the first time in Nepal.

The historic event was covered by local TV, radio (Nepal and South Africa), local newspapers, and social media.

Team leader and founder of Partnership for Rhino Conservation (PARC/Nepal) Suman Bhattarai, spoke to journalists, stakeholders and other parties about World Rhino Day – and the need to protect rhinos.

He explained that rhinos are under threat globally because of myths about rhino horn.

The misconception and mystical belief about rhino horn is the main cause for rhino poaching.

In addition to promo clips leading up to World Rhino Day, the program was broadcast live through Beso Channel, and on three radio stations, then aired again several times.

Chitwan’s online news portal, Chitwan Khabar, also featured World Rhino Day on the website.

Mr. Bhattarai was interviewed by Synergy FM in Nepal, and Jacaranda FM in South Africa.

A total of 20 World Rhino Day posters with hangers and frame were distributed to Chitwan National Park, Bufferzone Council, Bufferzone User Committees, Anti-poaching groups, Terai Arc Landscape Programme office, and members of the local media.

Another presentation was given by representatives of local institutions, who highlighted existing dangers to rhinos, and the possible role of local communities to overcome these threats.

It was chaired by the president of Mrigakunja User Committee and facilitated by the President of Community Based Geographical Information System Center Nepal. Participants included President of Bauchhouli VDC, Officer of TAL/WWF, Chairman of Anti-poaching Group, and the Hotel Association/Nepal.

This local presentation was organized by the Chitwan National Park Bufferzone Mrigakunja User Committee, Community Based Geographical Information System Center Nepal, Sauraha, and the Anti-Poaching Group (Bufferzone of Chitwan National Park).

World Rhino Day in Nepal was also supported by Saving Rhinos and Asian Rhino Project.

Partnership for Rhino Conservation, Nepal

We have been working with Suman Bhattarai and his grassroots organization Partnership for Rhino Conservation (PARC/Nepal) since June 2009. Under Suman’s guidance, PARC focuses on helping the residents of Chitwan National Park’s buffer zone live side-by-side with the greater one-horned rhino.

We assist Suman with promoting PARC’s efforts on our social media platforms and also with support from our t-shirt sales.

Find out more about the public awareness activities we have helped support at Update from Nepal: A Successful Year of Raising Public Awareness About Rhino Conservation.

Rhishja Cota-Larson

Website - Twitter - Facebook - More Posts

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

Vietnamese Officials Tell South Africa: Rhino Horn Myth Needs to Be Debunked

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 20:22:25 +0000

Positive signs or just more posturing?

The widely-publicized meeting between Vietnamese and South African officials earlier this week could actually be a step in the right direction: A Vietnamese diplomat was quoted as saying “we need to get rid of the wrong understanding that rhino horn can cure cancer.”

According to MSNBC, attending diplomat Kien Nguyen seemed willing to tackle the issue of rhino horn demand in Vietnam.

We need to raise public awareness of the importance of biodiversity and we need to get rid of the wrong understanding that rhino horn can cure cancer.

The reaction seems to be part of a growing consensus that illegal rhino horn trade needs to be addressed at the consumer level, as part of a multifaceted approach that includes increased prosecutions for rhino crimes along with anti-poaching efforts in rhino horn supplier countries, such as South Africa.

(Download the above posters from here.)

Last week, Education for Nature-Vietnam (ENV) launched an online campaign on the ENV Volunteer Network page on Facebook®, which is in Vietnamese. The campaign was in recognition of World Rhino Day.

The notion that rhino horn is a remedy for cancer has already been denounced by the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine (RCHM), the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ACTCM), and Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (CCAOM).

And in 2010, an oncologist in Malaysia spoke out against the use of rhino horn as a medicine.

Positive signs

Regarding the Vietnamese-South African talks on the rhino crisis: Although I tend to regard this type of high level posturing with a certain amount of skepticism (as in “how many rhino horns will be taken back to Vietnam after this meeting?”), I also make an effort to look for positive signs. And I think this qualifies.

So here’s to busting the medicinal myths about rhino horn!

Image #1 © iStockphoto.com; image #2 © Saving Rhinos LLC

Rhishja Cota-Larson

Website - Twitter - Facebook - More Posts

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

Today is World Rhino Day!

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 22:39:22 +0000

Rhinos are having their day in the spotlight.

Today is World Rhino Day, and there has already been a global outpouring of support for these magnificent animals.

Here are just a few of the highlights so far:

Peaceful protest

Save the Rhino International held a peaceful protest in front of the Vietnamese Embassy in London. The team wore rhino costumes, shouted slogans (such as “rhino horn is not medicine!”), and even carried jars of toenails.

Check out the video:

See more photos from Save the Rhino International’s event here.

TV broadcast

In Nepal, Partnership for Rhino Conservation (PARC/Nepal) arranged a TV and radio broadcast to celebrate the country’s first World Rhino Day.

Suman Bhattarai, founder of PARC/Nepal, did an outstanding job of organizing this historical event.

Peaceful gathering

A peaceful gathering in Cape Town attracted hundreds of people, thanks to the efforts of Rhino Africa Safaris and other local businesses.

Check out the photos here.

Trending

On Twitter, the #worldrhinoday and #rhinohornisnotmedicine hashtags are everywhere.

And “Today is World Rhino Day” was trending in South Africa:

More to follow

These are just a few of the many events and activities being done in recognition of World Rhino Day – there will be more to follow next week!

In the meantime, check out the World Rhino Day page on Facebook and learn more at the World Rhino Day FAQs.

Image: Saving Rhinos LLC; photo courtesy & © Suman Bhattarai, PARC/Nepal.

Rhishja Cota-Larson

Website - Twitter - Facebook - More Posts

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

Javan and Sumatran Rhino Posters

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 00:58:58 +0000

New posters!

Posters featuring critically endangered Javan and Sumatran rhinos are now available!

Just in time for World Rhino Day!

These A4 size posters are part of TRAFFIC Southeast Asia‘s “Twelve in Trouble” awareness campaign, which was launched in January 2011. Find out more about the “Twelve in Trouble” campaign by connecting with TRAFFIC Southeast Asia on Facebook®

To download a poster, simply click the URL located beneath each poster image.

Javan Rhino Poster

Download the Javan rhino poster by clicking here.

Sumatran Rhino Poster

Download the Sumatran rhino poster by clicking here.

Check out the downloads page of our website for more rhino posters!

Posters & images: © Saving Rhinos LLC & TRAFFIC Southeast Asia. Javan rhino photo © WWF; Sumatran rhino photo © Yayasan Badak Indonesia, courtesy of International Rhino Foundation.

Rhishja Cota-Larson

Website - Twitter - Facebook - More Posts

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

UK Tells It Like It Is: Rhino Horn Trade ‘Archaic’, Belongs in ‘Victorian Era’

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 17:52:20 +0000

Exactly!

Kudos to UK Environment Minister Richard Benyon for his candor at the CITES Standing Committee in Geneva. He described the rhino horn trade as “archaic” and added that it “belongs in the Victorian era”.

Here is Benyon’s quote, excerpted from the article on the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) website:

This trade in rhino horn belongs in the Victorian era, along with the idea that it can cure cancer or reverse a stroke. Rising demand based on these false claims has brought a majestic species to its knees while criminals and snake-oil salesmen line their pockets.

We need to act now if we want the rhino to survive, and we need a global effort to ensure the strongest possible restrictions are placed on this archaic, cruel and completely unnecessary trade.

Read the entire article at “Benyon calls for firm action against ‘archaic’ trade in rhino horn.”

Here’s to telling it like it is!

Rhino horn trade

To learn more about rhino horn trade issues, check out:

Image via Wikimedia Commons

Rhishja Cota-Larson

Website - Twitter - Facebook - More Posts

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

Rhino Horn Consumer Countries Could Be Squirming at CITES Meeting

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 20:20:06 +0000

Here’s to hoping for results instead of the same-old same-old.

With rhino horn and ivory trade issues at the forefront of the 61^st meeting of the Standing Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), China and other consumer countries are in the hot seat.

This week, WWF calls on government representatives attending the CITES meeting in Geneva to curb the proliferation of rhino horn and ivory trafficking.

Rhino horn consumers and suppliers

The NGO singled out China, Vietnam, and Thailand for their roles in the recent rise in both rhino and elephant killings.

It was also suggested that as the main supplier of rhino horn for the illegal market, South Africa needs to “do more to regulate the issuance of hunting permits and to create a more robust approach to prosecutions.”

Vietnam is likely to be taken to task for its unwillingness to address the illegal rhino horn trade, despite evidence showing that the country is a major destination for rhino horn. It was noted that Vietnamese government officials are allegedly involved in rhino horn consumption.

In addition, there is concern over Thailand’s widely publicized connection to the illegal rhino horn trade.

China can expect to be questioned over its multimillion-dollar “rhino horn scheme“, in which over 100 rhinos were imported from South Africa for the purpose of farming them for the Chinese pharmaceutical industry.

A spokesperson from WWF-funded TRAFFIC warned in June that China would “be confronted” in Geneva.

Regarding elephant killings and illicit ivory trade, WWF again called upon China to “strengthen its ivory management regime and by offer more support to the African countries where poaching and illegal trade are most prevalent.”

China and Thailand were identified as the world’s most significant consumers of ivory, while the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria were “failing to control domestic ivory markets.”

The CITES Standing Committee is comprised of 19 countries, selected on a regional basis, and oversees the business of the Convention in between meetings of the Conference of the Parties.

To learn more, check out:

Rhishja Cota-Larson

Website - Twitter - Facebook - More Posts

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

London Calling: Rhino Horn Consumer Countries Need to ‘Educate’ Citizens

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 08:07:42 +0000

A welcome step in the efforts to bust rhino horn myths!

Britain plans to address CITES this week with the request that rhino horn consumer countries launch awareness campaigns to debunk the notion that rhino horn contains medicinal properties.

According to a proposal prepared by the European Union (EU) and its Member States for the 61st meeting of the CITES Standing Committee, the belief that rhino horn has medicinal properties is behind South Africa’s surge in rhino killing and the rise in prices paid for antique specimens.

The EU recommends that consumer countries (China, Vietnam, Taiwan and Thailand were mentioned) take steps to curb the demand in rhino horn by educating citizens about rhino horn.

To reduce demand for rhino horn products and any associated poaching activity, we recommend that the Standing Committee invites the Secretariat and traditional Asian medicine consuming states to launch appropriately targeted educational campaigns to raise awareness about the lack of evidence supporting claims that rhino horn has certain medicinal properties.

It was also noted in the proposal that “growing affluence in many traditional consumer States” has led to a resurgence of trade and driven the price of rhino horn higher.

Thanks to The Independent for reporting on this issue at “Britain urges Asia to act over surging trade in rhinoceros horn.”

The entire report – “Proposal by the European Union (EU) and its Member States for the 61st meeting of the CITES Standing Committee” – can be found on the CITES website.

This issue is explored in detail at “Disturbing Connection Between Antique Rhino Horn ‘Activity’ and Rhino Killings in South Africa.”

Rhishja Cota-Larson

Website - Twitter - Facebook - More Posts

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.