New Trend: Poaching Rhino for Limbs and Ears

[Toko]

Trade now runs to tendons, ears and calves’ toenails

December 1, 2014 | Posted by: Allan Williams

IT is not just about the horn. These days the black market spoils for rhinos include bone marrow and bodily fluids.

Even rhino calves are in danger and being killed just for their toenails.

This is caused by poaching syndicates expanding their business by creating a demand for animal byproducts.

Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (Wessa) governance programme manager Morgan Griffiths said a trend had emerged where rhino limbs were now being hacked off.

“The exact same thing happened years ago with elephant poaching. These highly lucrative criminal syndicates opened several markets for the byproducts.”

He said this increased the value of the rhinos and the incidence of poaching.

“It is worrying as these syndicates have mastered the art of running their criminal operations as a business and diversifying their product range.”

A rhino’s forelegs and toenails have proved the most popular.

“The bones are removed from the actual forelegs as well as the toenails. Calves with no horns are also being killed just for their toenails.”

In other attacks, poachers cut into rhinos’ knees to extract the fluid.

Some Eastern Cape incidents include rhinos having their ears cut off and toenails removed while nationally some incidents have involved leg tendons been taken.

This new trend comes in the wake of the government’s controversial bid to legalise the horn trade. It hopes this will flood the market and reduce poaching.

The government has about 15 tons of horns stockpiled with 12% in the possession of private owners, according to wildlife monitoring network Traffic.

A decision to legalise the trade is expected to be made when South Africa hosts the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in 2016.

Last month, Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa said no specific decision had been made yet.

“Because of the increase in rhino poaching since 2008, rhinos have been at the centre of the world’s attention. This is because losing a rhino not only disturbs the ecological balance, but also harms the South African economy.”

The proposed rhino horn trade legislation is part of an ongoing study to explore the feasibility of legalising the commercial international trade in rhino horn.

A 10-member panel has been appointed to also study the socio-economic impact of illegal wildlife trafficking on South African communities and private reserves.

Griffiths said they were in the process of developing a submission for review by the panel.

“We are deeply concerned that the re- opening of rhino horn trade may mirror the horrifying increase in elephant poaching that occurred after ivory sales were allowed a few years back.”

The proposal has seen mixed reaction from experts and conservationists.

Several Eastern Cape rhino owners support the bid, provided strict controls are in place.

Retired lawyer and Campaign Against Canned Hunting director Chris Mercer said lifting the ban on horn trade would not get to the root of the problem and it was optimistic and unrealistic to think it would.

“Rhinos are being poached because African governments have neither the political will nor the competence to manage their game parks effectively,” he said.

Mercer said other outside the box methods should be tried before legalisation of horn was considered.

This would include laws such as a shoot-to-kill policy on poachers and making it mandatory for all horns to be laced with poison.

[Mel]

Oh my word... This world is getting more and more absurd by the minute...

This is even worse news for the rhino... if the current status can get worse at all...

[Richprins]

Ja..this article, or the opinion, is using the gruesome to promote an anti-trading agenda, IMO.

But correct, all sorts of rhino bodyparts are now being given magical qualities. Remember, poachers don't want to return empty-handed if they can't get a horn, (the horn is whisked away anyway) so why not foist some new muti crap on the susceptible locals?

Obovementioned bodyparts are not destined for the Far East, one wouldn't think, so some entrepeneurship?

[Flutterby]

What magical properties do toenails and tendons have???