Black Rhino-Black Future

[Harshad Barve]

Dear all

Yet another animal slaughtered , Black Rhinos are critically endangered species

http://bushwarriors.wordpress.com/2010/12/16/breaking-news-critically-endangered-black-rhino-slaughtered-in-serengeti-national-park-tanzania/

Shameful day for mankind

Harshad

[Ken Watkins]

This will never end until the farming of Rhino horn is allowed, but CITES has strange political overtones. Perhaps Tanzania may have been able to afford more rangers if it was allowed to sell the big pile of Ivory it has had for a very long time.

Nice to see a mention about Yemen, this has been the case for a long time but certain NGO's persist in spreading this myth.

[Roger Clark]

Ken,
I strongly disagree about "farming" rhino horns. The key to stop poaching of rhino horns is education that rhino horns have no "medicinal" value and change the perception/myth that it does. Increase the penalty for getting caught poaching, including the death penalty in certain situations.

Tanzania should destroy the ivory collection it has. The danger is that if this continues, the tourists will stop going to the Serengeti and elsewhere. I love Tanzania, but I'm concerned about this so much, my next trip might be my last. And when I'm in the country next year, I will make it known the peril they are placing their economy in by these actions/lack of action. I'm sure the tourist economy is far greater then rhino horns or ivory.

Roger

[Ken Watkins]

Roger,

Can I recommend that you try to Find a book by John Frederick Walker called Ivory's Gosts you will find ut very interesting and very well researched.

You can buy it direct from here

http://johnfrederickwalker.com/2-writing/


Many other highly reputable wildlife organisations agree with my position, unfortunately bad news sells newspapers.

[Roger Clark]

Here is a good summary of the situation:

http://www.worldwildlife.org/what/globalmarkets/wildlifetrade/faqs-elephant.html

and other animals:

http://www.worldwildlife.org/what/globalmarkets/wildlifetrade/

If China and Japan shut down ivory imports like the US and Europe, the problem would become very small. There is no need for ivory in this day and age.

Similarly with rhino horns and other animal parts. The money being talked about in animal trade is small compared to the tourist trade as many people will and do pay to see and photograph animals in the wild.

For example, in 2008 Tanzania's tourism economy was $1 billion:
http://www.eturbonews.com/2162/tourism-leads-tanzania’s-economy (http://www.eturbonews.com/2162/tourism-leads-tanzania%E2%80%99s-economy)

So Tanzania wants to sell $20 million in ivory and that might impact a billion dollar industry? Seems shortsighted.

Roger

[Harshad Barve]

If China and Japan shut down ivory imports like the US and Europe, the problem would become very small. There is no need for ivory in this day and age.

Similarly with rhino horns and other animal parts. The money being talked about in animal trade is small compared to the tourist trade as many people will and do pay to see and photograph animals in the wild.

Very well said Roger , fully agreed

[Sid Garige]

Roger,

Can I recommend that you try to Find a book by John Frederick Walker called Ivory's Gosts you will find ut very interesting and very well researched.



Killer timing Ken. Just finished listening to Gontran de Poncins's Kabloona:Among the inuit.
I guess Ivory's Gosts will be a good company on next weeks yellow stone trip. :)

[Ken Watkins]

Sid,

It is a more readable book than his "A Certain Curve of the Horn", although that is good too, I highly recommend both.

Roger,

Here is another point of view on Ivory

http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=114363

As for Black Rhino the population has nearly doubled in the past 10 years thanks mainly to South Africa, where this slaughtered animal came from. The reasons for poaching are mainly economic, the banning of trade by CITES has had no effect whatsoever and never will.

[Hilary Hann]

Not sure what all the references to Walker and the ivory stockpiles has to do with rhino horn. The markets for both products are quite different and driven by different dynamics in countries outside of Africa. The fact that money drives the poaching (or harvesting) is just a product of the differing desires for the two. The passion for ivory as an item of beauty involves different end users than those people driven by a burning need for the perceived benefits of rhino horn. If more people could keep the issues separate it would help reduce the confusion. Collecting and trading tusks from naturally dead elephants is a whole different ball game from harvesting rhino horn from farmed animals.

There is much research out there available to view, with polarised views and many respected conservationists who consider the possibility of legally farming rhino horn as tantamount to raising the white flag. If the answer to all the ills promulgated by humans is to 'legalise it', I think it is a slippery slope. But then Ken and I have had differing views on this for a long time and I don't think either time or knowledge will change that.

As far as the black rhino population doubling due to South African efforts, perhaps some attention should be made to the shocking number of rhino deaths this year alone in SA, and what is being done to counteract the highly sophisticated operators.

Trade and economics are not the answer to all our problems. Ethics, education and good governance will get my vote every time.

[Sabyasachi Patra]

I agree with Roger. Farming is not the solution. Education and protection is the solution.

Stopping the ivory sale from the African stock, will help in the protection of the Indian elephants as well.

I hope they are able to protect the rhinos better.

Cheers,
Sabyasachi

[Lorant Voros]

Agree about education and protection. I also think there should be serious consequences for poachers if there are caught. Somehow this should be stopped in a global level.