The white rhino is the largest of the five species of rhino which exist today. The white rhino derives its common name from the Afrikaans word ‘weit’, which means ‘wide’, referring to the animal’s square lip and wide mouth. A mistranslation rendered ‘weit’ as ‘white’ and thus the common name: white rhino. In 1910, South Africa was believed to have 100 white rhinos. With great care and good management, the number has increased to 19000 today. Sadly, despite the substantial growth and many safety measures, there has been an increase in rhino poaching in South Africa. Two years ago, rhino poaching increased by 73%. As a result, in the previous year, twenty-one poachers were shot dead and 82 arrests were made.
There are many reasons for the increase in rhino poaching but the primary reason is for the medicine market. The main market is based in China. The Chinese believe that rhino horn provides a cure for fatal illnesses such as cancer. They also believe that it’s able to increase a person’s sexual prowess. Regardless of the fact that medical research shows that the horn is of no medicinal value, the Chinese continue to buy it at high cost on the black market. In parts of the Middle East the rhino horn is used for Djambiyya dagger handles, a ceremonial symbol of manhood. Since poaching seems to be spiralling out of control, the question remains: “What solutions are there for the growing poaching problem?”
Many nature conservationists have suggested dehorning as a solution. However, all it does is to move poaching from populations that have been dehorned to populations where they have not. Furthermore, it is expensive and has to be done every two years because horn grows at the rate of 0,8 kg a year and about 1,2 kg is left behind in the stump after cropping. Thus, the horn has a total weight of 2,8 kg after two years, which is attractive to a poacher.
Another suggested solution is burning horns stock. Destroying stocks would reduce potential supplies to the market and encourage speculators to stockpile, which would increase prices and increase poaching. Kenya was keen to destroy stocks and put a proposal to the last CITES (a group of 175 countries who banned international trade in rhino horn in 1977) meeting but they later which withdrew because there was no support for it.
Granted, poaching will not be stopped completely, but if it is reduced to about 200 rhinos a year, the current population of 21000 rhinos in South Africa will double to 42000 over the next 12 years. The country could sell the annual increase to parks in southern Africa. Selling 1260 rhino a year would produce income of $ 39 million (R 312 million). This would then increase South Africa’s total income from rhino to R 1 billion a year. Therefore, it’s important that everyone continues to raise awareness regarding rhino poaching as this will have an impact on the future of Africa’s most gregarious creatures.
Credit to Michael Eustace
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