Syndicated via Planetsave.

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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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, 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.

Two beautiful baby rhinos making adorable noises!

These two curious baby rhinos seem to be talking to each other, as they enjoy some attention from admirers. It’s not every day we get to hear baby rhino sounds – so check it out!

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.

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.

© Saving Rhinos LLC

Image: © Saving Rhinos LLC

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.

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

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.

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

• Black Rhino fact sheet
• Indian (Greater One-Horned) Rhino fact sheet
• Javan Rhino fact sheet
• Sumatran Rhino fact sheet
• White Rhino fact sheet

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

Image: © Saving Rhinos LLC

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.

Absolutely stunning!

Artist Maximo Riera has created an incredible piece: An exquisitely detailed chair in the shape of a rhino.

The Rhino Chair is part of “The Animal Chair Collection” which includes an octopus, walrus, lion, beetle, and whale. (View all of them here.)

Each piece begins with the artist’s sketch of the animal, which is turned into a three-dimensional digital image. Using a computer and “mechanized sculpting tools”, the end result is a precise, compressed foam replica of the animal. This is sanded and painted by hand to form the back of the chair.

According to the artist: “Because of its superlative size and presence, The Rhino Chair is considered more like a throne than a regular chair. There is not a better animal than the Rhino to reflect nature’s capacity and mightiness.”

“Each creation retains the animal’s natural vitality whilst being totally biological accurate in their appearance. This collection is homage to these animals and the whole animal kingdom which inhabits our planet, as an attempt to reflect and capture the beauty of nature in each living thing.” – Maximo Riera, Artist.

The chairs are a Limited Edition and prices are by request only. Please see Maximo Riera’s website for additional information.

Photos courtesy & © Maximo Riera

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.

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:

• Chishakwe Volunteer Programme
• Chishakwe Facebook® page

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

Website - Twitter - Facebook - More Posts

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

Is there something sinister lurking behind South Africa’s legal rhino trade?

As the rhino death toll continues to rise in South Africa, disconcerting information regarding the country’s legal rhino trade continues to emerge.

One of the most well-known (“alleged”) exploiters of legal trade loopholes is Dawie Groenewald of the notorious “Groenewald gang“, who legally purchased a significant number of rhinos prior to his arrest in September 2010.

Investigators later found a mass grave of 20 de-horned rhinos on Groenewald’s property.

Groenewald’s heinous activities are part of a deadly scourge – using rhino trade loopholes to launder rhino horn – and there is no shortage of others like him, who are more than willing to cash in on medicinal myths about rhino horn.

Let’s take a look at the scams and schemes.

Public documents obtained from South Africa’s Parliamentary Monitoring Group website indicate that in 2008, a “Mr. J.F Hurne” purchased at least six rhinos at auction and subsequently delivered them to a “Mr. D. Groenewald”. *

More recently, there is unconfirmed information circulating via mass email and social media networks of a 2011 transaction between Dawie Groenewald and a “Mr. John Hume” (a prolific game rancher mentioned in Bloomberg) involving the sale of nine rhinos. Update 07/14: It is now confirmed by IOL that Groenewald “has a contract” to buy nine rhinos. If the deal goes through, three male rhinos will be sent to Groenewald’s Prachtig property and the six female rhinos will be sent to Hume’s ranch.

Hume is (by his own admittance to Bloomberg) an advocate of legalized trade in rhino horn, and connected to professional hunter Peter Thormahlen, who was twice arrested for suspected involvement with Vietnamese “pseudo-hunts.”

Even Peter Thormahlen has been prosecuted for leading hunts feeding the horn trade. In 2006 at the Loskop Dam Nature Game Reserve, he paid a token fine after his Vietnamese hunter casually told an official that he did not know how to shoot.

The second time, in Limpopo province in 2008, Thormahlen was indignant and fought the citation in court with the help of lawyer Tom Dreyer.

(Thormahlen’s second case was dismissed.)

‘A significant number of rhinos’

According to the publicly available document referenced above, which shows a series of rhino transactions from 2007 to 2010, Dawie Groenewald and/or a “Mr. D. Groenewald” seems to have acquired a significant number of rhinos between 2008 and 2010. Take a look:

2008

Six rhinos previously referenced:

2009

Here’s a rather large acquisition worth noting (2009):

2010

Meanwhile, copies of permits granting Dawie Groenewald permission to “hunt or convey” white rhinos – issued despite his arrest in 2010 – are circulating via email and have now surfaced on various social media networks, such as Facebook®.

Take a look at the permit copies here.

(If you are using Facebook®, you can easily locate these images.)

Laundering rhino horn with hunting safaris

Just days ago, a Thai national named Chumlong Lemtongthai was arrested – along with five Thai “hunters” – in South Africa.

Lemongthai had allegedly arranged rhino hunting expeditions for the purpose of buying the horns from the hunters. He would then ship the horns abroad to be used illegally in traditional Chinese medicine.

However, the identity of the South African trophy hunt operators who aided Lemongthai remains unclear.

WARNING: THIS VIDEO CONTAINS IMAGES OF HUNTING.

To learn more about how South African hunting safaris are used as a front for trafficking illegal rhino horn, check out Mules Hunting Rhinos? Sinister Scam Unfolds in South Africa.

China’s rhino horn scheme

It is highly unlikely that China’s multimillion dollar rhino farming scheme could have developed without South Africa’s willingness to legally export over 100 live rhinos to China between 2007 and the present.

Despite the fact that China (along with Vietnam) had already been implicated as a destination for illegal rhino horn sourced from Southern Africa , at least 18 rhinos were exported to China from South Africa during a six-month period in 2010.

• Chinese News Reports Arrival of 12 Rhinos from South Africa (August 3^rd, 2010)
• Reports of More Rhinos Arriving in China from South Africa (December 19^th, 2010)

What is particularly disturbing about these multiple rhino deals between South Africa and China is that in addition to the escalation in rhino killings between 2008 and the present, there was no shortage of indicators that should have been noted by the country of export, South Africa.

The first was in 2007, when the Chinese government infused traditional Chinese medicine research with USD $130 million – five times more than the previous year’s budget – to “standardize and modernize” traditional Chinese medicine. How did this not pique the interest of authorities?

• Eastern Medicine Goes West (September 14^th, 2007. The Wall Street Journal – WSJ.com)

Then in 2008, a Chinese research proposal revealed the location of China’s “rhino farm” and “horn harvesting experiments”, along with intentions to circumvent CITES. For additional information, see:

• Revealed: Location of China’s Rhino Farm and Horn Harvesting Experiments (July 20^th, 2010)
• Chinese Researchers Hope to Turn Rhino Horn Cultivation into Thriving Enterprise While Avoiding CITES Scrutiny (November 17^th, 2010)

Another Chinese research proposal recommends the acquisition and stockpiling of rhino horn. Check out the following to learn more:

• Concern Grows Over Possible Links Between Rhino Horn Demand and China’s State-Funded TCM Research (October 5^th, 2010)

Why does this matter?

This matters because there is growing evidence which strongly suggests that widespread abuse of South Africa’s existing legal trade loopholes is fueling and feeding the demand for rhino horn, and camouflaging the illegal rhino horn trade.

The extent to which the illegal rhino horn trade is being aided and augmented by legal trade in South Africa – both in live rhinos and trophy exports – is indeed unsettling, and is certainly deserving of deeper scrutiny.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

* In the public document referenced above, “Mr. D. Groenewald” may or may not refer to Dawie Groenewald.

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.

Good work by the Hawks and the South African Revenue Service.

South Africa’s elite Hawks have arrested a Thai national at his residence in Edenvale. The suspect had used legal trophy hunts as a cover for acquiring rhino horn, which he sent abroad for illegal use in traditional Chinese medicine.

The South African Revenue Service (SARS) stated that the alleged trader had an “order” for 50 rhino horn sets in his possession when he arrived in the country last month.

The suspect arrested today entered South Africa on Monday 13 June this year when SARS Customs officials searched him and found various documents, invoices, an order for 50 sets of rhino horn, a computer and a cell phone that were detained for further investigation.

He was arrested in connection with several violations of the Customs and Excise Act, most notably section 80 (1), which deals with the “improper use of permits in respect of goods”.

The name of the trophy hunt business involved in the scheme was not provided.

Also noteworthy is that two Thai nationals, identified as Phichet Thongphai and Punpitak Chunchom, were arrested last month Edenvale for trading in lion bones.

The pair is employed by a Laos-based company known as Xaysavang Export Import. They were approached by South African game farmers who wanted to sell lion bones, which are frequently substituted for tiger bones in traditional Chinese medicine.

• Learn more about how South African hunting safaris are used as a cover to run rhino horn at Mules Hunting Rhinos? Sinister Scam Unfolds in South Africa.
• Learn more about rhino horn at Busting the Rhino Horn Medicine Myth with Science.

See also ‘Tiger Bone & Rhino Horn: The Destruction of Wildlife for Traditional Chinese Medicine’.

Image: 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.