What is Driving the Demand

[Toko]

There’s a country that will pay $300,000 per rhino horn to cure cancer and hangovers, and it’s wiping out rhinos

By Gwynn Guilford

What is driving this “highly organized” crime ring?
If you guessed “China,” you were wrong. The answer is Vietnam. The country’s appetite for rhino horn is so great that it now fetches up to $100,000/kg, making it worth more than its weight in gold. (Horns average around 1-3 kg each, depending on the species.)
Behind the mysterious craze for rhino horn
The weird thing is that the surge in Vietnamese demand is fairly recent. Though rhino horn elixirs for fevers and liver problems were first prescribed in traditional Chinese medicine more than 1,800 years ago, by the early 1990s demand was limited. Trade bans among Asian countries instituted in the 1980s and early 1990s proved largely effective in quashing supply, with some help from poaching crackdowns in countries where rhinos live. Meanwhile, the removal of rhino horn powder from traditional Chinese pharmacopeia in the 1990s had largely doused demand. In the early 1990s, for instance, horns sold for only $250-500/kg (pdf, p.85). And only around 15 rhinos were poached in South Africa each year from 1990 to 2007.
But things started changing in 2008. That year, 83 were killed, followed by 122 the next year. By 2012, that number had hit 688. Here’s a look at how many rhinos were killed, on average, each day:
The cancer-zapping miracle drug?
What happened in 2008 to prompt a resurgence in demand? The closest guess is a rumor that swept Vietnam in the mid-2000s that imbibing rhino horn powder had cured a Vietnamese politician’s cancer. That rumor persists to this day. And note that this has nothing to do with traditional Chinese medicine. As Huijun Shen, the president of the UK Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine explained to Nature magazine, there’s no record of using rhino horn to treat cancer in nearly two millennia worth of Chinese medical texts (p.23).
In Vietnam, however, at least some respected doctors vouch for rhino horn’s cancer-curing properties. One woman who purchased $2,000 worth of horn powder on her doctors’ advice.
Rising standards of living are driving up demand
So why are Vietnamese willing to shell out thousands for the pharmacological equivalent of chewing your fingernails? The short answer: wealth. Vietnam’s tally of multimillionaires has grown 150% in the last five years. The Convention on the International Trade on Endangered Species notes that this rising wealth is “inflating a bubble of demand for rhino horn” (pdf, p.3). This chart of retail sales hints at how rapidly Vietnamese consumer spending has picked up in just a few years:
But as in many fast-developing countries, the quality and availability of cancer care in Vietnam hasn’t kept pace with the country’s economic growth. “Cancer is a big problem in Vietnam. We have about 150,000 new cases a year, and the waiting list for radiotherapy is very long,” Vietnamese oncologist Dr. Dang Huy Quoc Thinh told the International Association for Atomic Energy Bulletin (pdf, p.2). “People die because we can’t provide the treatment in time.” As of 2010 Vietnam had only 25 radiotherapy machines for a population of 87 million (pdf). Here’s a look at how that ratio—about 3.48 million people per machine—compares with those of neighboring countries, via the IAEA’s Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy (pdf, p.3):
Plus, rates of cancer are also rising 20-30% a year, both because prosperity has brought increased pollution and unhealthier lifestyles, and simply because more cases are being caught and diagnosed. However, many people still aren’t very familiar with cancer, so that 70-80% of patients at Vietnam’s four cancer hospitals are diagnosed only in late stages. That gives Vietnam a cancer mortality rate of 73%, one of the highest in the world, according to the deputy director of a hospital in Hanoi; the average for the developing world is 67.8%, he said.
“The alcoholic drink of millionaires”
Some conservation groups, however, don’t think rhino horn’s newfound popularity in Vietnam has much to do with the cancer cure-all rumor (pdf, p.2). The more likely reason, they say, is that the horn powder is increasingly seen as a cocaine-like party drug, virility enhancer and luxury item—”the alcoholic drink of millionaires,” as a Vietnamese news site called it.
That’s partly because it is supposed to help the liver. With alcohol consumption on the rise as living standards improve, the swinging Vietnamese now prize rhino horn as a way to let them drink more and cure hangovers faster. Tom Milliken, an expert on the rhino horn market, reckons that a rhino-horn detox, ”especially following excessive intake of alcohol, is probably the most common routine usage promoted in the marketplace” (pdf, p.29). (The idea that it’s an aphrodisiac, however, has no basis in traditional Chinese medicine.)
A status symbol for posh young Vietnamese
In fact, rhino horn is now more expensive than cocaine, which has helped build its cachet. It’s also ideal for greasing palms for business deals (pdf, p.36). That could be partly because newly affluent Vietnamese don’t have that much to spend their money on. The government has issued just 10 licenses for distributors of luxury goods. And its small size means Vietnam is still off the radar for many luxury brands.
Rhino horn is also popular among some public officials. ”I can drink a lot of alcohol but I am still sober and strong. I don’t have a headache and I do not feel tired,” Tran Huy Tu, a senior policeman, told AFP, apparently fearless of any consequences. “It’s not legal to buy this stuff, but in Vietnam you can buy anything with money.”
Officials have been entwined in the business for a while. The Vietnamese embassy in South Africa has been “repeatedly implicated in illicit rhino horn trade” (pdf, p.82) according to a report by conservation group Traffic. It’s not like all of the Vietnamese government has turned a blind eye; its customs officials sometimes confiscate rhino horn, and the government just signed an agreement with South Africa to step up enforcement.
Which country will be the next to lose its rhino population?
The Vietnamese rhino horn craze has caused an unprecedented surge in rhino poaching throughout Africa and Asia. The last rhino of Mozambique was confirmed dead in early May. Oftentimes, poachers saw off the rhinos’ horns while they’re still alive, leaving them to bleed to death:
A rhinoceros killed by poachers in Karbi hills, near India’s Kaziranga National Park. AP Photo
The slaughter is such that poaching is becoming less frequent in some areas, simply because there are so few rhinos left to kill. Have a look at how Zimbabwe’s poaching has trended:
Paradoxically, the world’s dwindling rhino population threatens only to make this worse, as diminished supply makes prices climb even higher. Given that one of the things driving demand is the perceived luxury of the item, higher prices alone are unlikely to snuff out demand. And with a single horn fetching as much as $300,000, the risk of being caught probably seems to many poachers to be one worth running.
That’s probably why the fight against poaching is something of a losing battle. Though South Africa has done an admirable job of protecting its white rhinos, 668 were poached there in 2012—a 50% increase on 2011. And as we discussed recently, other countries may soon use drones to foil poachers, so dire is the problem.
Vietnam’s own nature park rangers don’t have to worry, though. Their job is already done. In 2010, the last Javan rhino in Vietnam was found dead, a bullet wound in his leg and with his horn hacked off.

[Toko]

Pioneering research reveals new insights into the consumers behind rhino poaching

South Africa, 17th September 2013--The use of rhino horn as a symbol of status among wealthy urban Vietnamese has been identified as a major driver of the current rhino poaching crisis. Findings from consumer research – concluded earlier this year in Viet Nam – has added significantly to our understanding of why a growing economy and emergence of a middle class with disposable incomes, is pressuring African rhino populations.

Funded by WWF South Africa (WWF-SA) and co-ordinated by TRAFFIC’s Greater Mekong Programme Office – this research surveyed 720 people in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. It found that the buyers and users of rhino horn primarily consider it a status symbol – often used to gift to family members, business colleagues or people in positions of authority. They also associate it with a feeling of ‘peace of mind’.

“Rhino horn consumers are wealthy and powerful and as such are seen as influential people within Vietnamese society,” says Dr Jo Shaw, WWF-SA’s Rhino Co-ordinator. She adds, “While their reasons for purchasing and consuming rhino horn are linked to an underlying belief in its medicinal properties there is a current trend of use to enhance social standing.”

Shaw further explains, “Research reveals that typical users of rhino horn are successful, well-educated men, over the age of 40 who live in Viet Nam’s main urban centres. They value their luxury lifestyle, which is often based around meeting peer group pressures and tend to view animals as commodities to serve functional and income-generating purposes rather than feeling an emotional connection”.

Perhaps the most significant finding is the fact that beyond current consumer groups lies a large “intender” group: people who are not currently buying or using rhino horn, but who expressed their intent to do so in future. Dr Naomi Doak of TRAFFIC’s Greater Mekong Programme says, “Intenders want to become buyers and users of rhino horn as it is favoured and valued by those they want to impress. They have already made a conscious decision to purchase rhino horn even though they know it is illegal.”

Doak adds, “We need a combination of enhanced law enforcement and demand reduction campaigns to shift attitudes and behaviour against the trend in rhino horn use within the growing middle-class in Viet Nam – without changing the situation in the end user market the pressure on rhinos will continue to inflate. Our new insights on what is driving demand will allow the most targeted and influential response to dissuade consumption”.

Dr Morné du Plessis, WWF-SA’s CEO concludes, “Understanding and influencing the drivers of rhino horn demand in end-user markets - such as Viet Nam – forms a fundamental part of WWF-SA’s fivepoint strategic framework to address the dramatic increase in rhino poaching and combat the threat to rhinos. This pioneering consumer research will help us achieve these goals, as the fight against rhino poaching will ultimately be won in Asia, not Africa.”

Ahead of World Rhino Day on 22nd September, WWF-South Africa is calling on global citizens to use their voice to spread the word and help involve famous social influencers by posting messages, including #iam4rhinos or #sátcánhcùngtêgiác in Vietnamese, on Facebook and Twitter as part of a Twitterstorm to show their support for rhinos. Follow the storm as it unfolds on Twitter: @WWFSouthAfrica.

“Giving rhinos a voice through social media is a simple and effective way for people to show that consumption of rhino horn is unacceptable. Unless action is taken by both the public and governments to reduce demand and stop poaching, these prehistoric creatures will be lost forever,” said Mr Thinh Van Ngoc, WWF-Viet Nam’s Country Director.



DateTuesday, September 17, 2013 at 15:12 |

[Toko]

Rhino Horn Consumers: who are they? (Factsheet: PDF, 600 KB)

DID YOU KNOW?
Main users of rhino horn tend to be men over the age of 40
Buyers of rhino horn are often women in their 50s who are supplying their families
Only 35% of the people surveyed said they would never buy or consume rhino horn
The most popular perceived benefit of rhino horn use is emotional; this symbol of wealth and power is also strongly associated with success and therefore asserts one’s social standing
(Results from consumer research commissioned by TRAFFIC, completed in 2013 under the WWF/TRAFFIC Illegal Wildlife Trade Campaign)

WHO IS BUYING AND USING RHINO HORN? Results from the consumer survey
- 41% of those who admitted to buying or consuming rhino horn were buyers only. The majority of these buyers acquire rhino horn for their family, including parents or spouse.
- 39% of those who admitted to buying or consuming rhino horn were consumers only. This group said they had never bought rhino horn, but had used it after receiving it from friends, family or business partners and colleagues.
- 16% admitted to purchasing it as a gift for their boss, friends, colleagues or government officials.


RHINO HORN CONSUMERS, WHO ARE THEY?
Demand for rhino horn as a luxury purchase by upper-middle class citizens in Viet Nam, including professional businessmen, celebrities and Government officials, has been identified as the strongest driver of the current rhino poaching crisis. More than 500 rhinos have been killed in South Africa alone within the first half of 2013.

A consumer research study, conducted in 2013, surveyed 720 individuals in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and discovered that rhino horn users value this item because of its significance from a social point of view. Buyers and users of rhino horn form a powerful social network consisting of important individuals with whom it is crucial to maintain good relationships. Rhino horns are sometimes bought for the sole purpose of being gifted to others; to family members, business colleagues or people in positions of authority. Those purchasing rhino horn believe that owning rhino horn, as well as being able to purchase it for others, reaffirms their social status and strengthens the bonds among peers within their particular network. People involved in these activities are usually familiar with each other and trusted within their social circle even though they are engaging in an illegal activity.

Rhino horn consumers are currently seen as influential people within Vietnamese society. Educated, successful and powerful individuals are the main market for the horns which come all the way from Africa to satisfy high local demand.

Users of rhino horn are generally health conscious and want to maintain or enhance a healthy lifestyle for themselves and their loved ones. While their main reason for purchasing rhino horn is to reaffirm their social status, this is supported by an underlying belief in health benefits. Users believe rhino horn possesses properties that detoxify the body and can therefore cure anything from a hangover to serious illnesses. Consumers feel that having rhino horn at home ensures the well-being of their families.

Among traditional medicines, rhino horn is considered to be ‘the best of the best’ so the purchase also brings peace of mind and confidence that they have made the right choice in case someone becomes unwell. Rhino horn consumers also use other illegal wildlife products like bear bile and tiger bone, among others.

Many rhino horn consumers are aware that the animals are killed so they can have a rhino horn. But they feel very disconnected from this and so do not see themselves as the catalysts for the current rhino poaching crisis. Others feel that even if the species were to be lost forever, they personally will not be affected and so do not care.

In Viet Nam, many wildlife products are perceived as valuable and rare, but rhino horn is probably the most desirable. Rhinos are thought to be unconquerable in nature, “the strongest animal there is”; the current poaching crisis and extinction of the Javan rhino in Viet Nam in 2010 illustrates this is no longer true. In some ways, the rarity of the product adds to its appeal since one must be part of an exclusive network of people who can get in touch with suppliers.

Consumers spend a fortune every time they buy rhino horn despite the lack of conclusive evidence of its medical properties. Just one study of the use of rhino horn to treat children’s fever, led by Tsai F.J. in Taiwan in 1993, has been published using widely accepted, rigorous methods and standards and it did not recommend the use of rhino horn when compared to acetaminophen. Spending money on this product does nothing more than encourage the poaching of rhinos and the illegal trade of wildlife products which endangers countries and their citizens. Additionally, all rhino species are listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which prohibits commercial international trade in rhinos and their products and derivatives, including hunting trophies.

WWF and TRAFFIC are dedicated to keeping track of the changes in rhino horn demand to be certain which niches in the market need to be targeted to decrease this driving force behind the current poaching crisis.

WHO ARE THE BUYERS OF THE FUTURE?
Of those not currently using rhino horn, 16% are “intenders”, individuals who said they wanted to buy or consume rhino horn in the future. It is believed that with the increase of wealth in Viet Nam’s upper-middle class, this group will soon become rhino horn consumers. Even though only 5% of the people surveyed admitted to buying or consuming rhino horn, this percentage is expected to keep growing as intenders acquire the economic power to become consumers.


Consumer Archetype: Mr. L
Mr L is a fictional example of a typical rhino horn user based on results from the consumer survey.

[Twigga]

Thanks Toko

A few shockers

Now how to change Mr L mind?

[Toko]

http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/ ... cH0nfntmko

Rhino horn used to cure hangover

August 4 2015 at 07:35pm
By Tony Carnie


Durban - Far from being used widely in ancient Oriental medicine potions, horns from South African rhinos are now increasingly used to promote business deals or to ease the throbbing hangovers of rich, middle-aged men in Vietnam.

This is the surprising conclusion of a Vietnamese-born researcher at the Potchefstroom campus of North-West University.

Dr Dao Truong, who conducted a survey of more than 600 wealthy Vietnamese men in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, found that 47% of the respondents admitted to using rhino horn for a variety of reasons.

The survey focused specifically on Vietnamese men with an income of more than the equivalent of R14 000 a month.

Nearly 90% were married and 99% had studied at university.

Of the men who admitted to using rhino horn, almost 47% reported that they used it to ease the effects of hangovers. Just over 30% said they used rhino horn potions as a cleansing agent to “detoxify” their bodies, while just under 8% said the horn was used in an attempt to cure life-threatening diseases such as cancer.

“Although rhino horn is promoted as an aid to improve sexual potency, few consumers reported using rhino horn for this purpose, despite them being middle-aged married men.”

Shavings of rhino horn were also used often during business meetings, especially to seal financial transactions.

“The symbolic function of rhino horn as a medium to communicate status and prestige and obtain social leverage in Vietnamese society makes the reduction of demand extremely challenging,” he said.

“While individuals may be willing to change consumption behaviour in home environments, collective interests and the symbolic place of rhino horn in social networks and events means that the refusal to consume or serve rhino horn may be interpreted as putting personal interests ahead of those in the group,” Truong said.

While the exact breakdown of consumption in the Far East remains unclear, Vietnam has emerged as one of the main destinations of rhino horns poached mainly in South Africa over the past seven years,

Last year, at least 1 215 rhinos were poached for their horns in South Africa, compared to fewer than 20 animals in in 2007.

“My hope is that this research may assist governments, non-government groups and international agencies to establish policies and strategies to mitigate or prevent further loss of the rhino,” Truong said.

He suggested it might be possible to target high-ranking businessmen and government officials in Vietnam to help discourage the use of rhino horns.

The Mercury

[Lisbeth]

I'd rather buy the latest Mercedes model, if I wanted to show off

[Alf]

Agree 100% Lis

Good taste

[Richprins]

Some of the locals are also getting into rhino parts muti now....but conveniently leave the horn itself for export...

[Flutterby]