Rhino poaching – the question which can’t be answered
Billions of Rands, highly trained special forces, bi-lateral agreements between nations, an together with international spotlight focused on anti-poaching efforts and still, nearly three rhino are poached a day. Why?
1 Who is hunting our rhino?
Every day, armed foreign nationals make cross-border raids into South Africa in pursuit of that most ridiculous of mythical medicines: the rhino horn. They stream across porous borders from Zimbabwe and Mozambique, hunting rifle in hand. Often, they are war veterans and expert trackers who can shoot straight.
The Kruger National Park – the site of the most poaching – makes up 150km of the 410km border between Mozambique and SA.
2 Why are our rhino hunted?
In modern day Vietnam, investigations showed that rhino horn is increasingly a status symbol.
WWF-SA rhino co-ordinator Dr Jo Shaw said a study of 720 Vietnamese citizens showed that buyers questioned had no shame about using it. “Powdered horn was seen as socially acceptable, even aspirational. Users felt the blame for the rhino’s death should lie with the poacher who has killed them. It is believed that the horn is sawn off when the rhinos are still alive as it would give best horn quality.”
A report on a hunting website, Pot-shot, claimed “increasing indications that the Mozambican opposition movement Renamo is actively involved in rhino poaching as a means of funding their organisation.”
The October article said “a senior police officer in Skukuza revealed the SAPS have obtained substantiation within the past several weeks linking Renamo to poaching activity in the Kruger National Park”.
Renamo is the opposition political party in Mozambique to Frelimo. Twenty years ago civil war ended, but Renamo took up arms again last year. AFP reported yesterday opposition leader Afonso Dhlakama may take part in the October elections “without signing a full accord with the government if there is a halt to fighting”.
In April, Mozambican Minister of Tourism Carvalho Muária said he believed that the Memorandum of Understanding signed between his country and South Africa at Skukuza would “discourage Mozambicans who are involved in poaching”. So far, there has been little let-up, with the official number standing at 558.
Inside the park, the SANDF and SA Police Service are bolstered by the KNP rangers. In turn they are boosted by state of the art helicopters, dog handlers, night sights and up-to-date modern training techniques.
Outside the park, the justice system rolls on – the latest sentence being 16 years each for two men caught poaching.
3 Is it enough?
Director of Save the Rhino International, Cathy Dean, felt 16 years was a good result. “The real problem is that poachers tend to think and operate in the short-term, and don’t think ahead in the long-term, so that the risks of being caught, prosecuted, locked-up etc are ‘discounted’ in favour of the chance of immediate gain.
“South Africa and other countries need to start prosecuting and convicting the Level 3 national-level couriers/buyers and Level 4 exporters to make a real impact,” Dean said.
4 Is SA legislation tough enough?
We have the National Environmental Management Act, the Protected Areas Act, the Biodiversity Act and the Threatened or Protected Species regulations.
So far 157 arrests have been made this year.
The Criminal Procedure Act is equally tough on anti-poaching forces.
With no official “war” having been declared, there are no rules of engagement and forces have to abide by the Constitution which allows only for minimum force.
We have the law, the firepower, caring citizens and a committed government.
We know who is poaching, what it is for, where, when and how it happens.
The only question which cannot be answered is why then are we still losing almost three rhino a day?
