The Plea for the African Rhinos
Greed and ignorance are driving the rhinoceros to extinction
The rhinos are getting wiped out from Africa because their horns are believed to have miraculous healing properties in Chinese medicine and for their translucent color when carved .Five of the world's rhinoceros species are on the brink of extinction because of these reasons.
The horns are shaved or grounded into a powder which is dissolved with boiling water. This is what is used to treat several ailments, such as rheumatism, gout, convulsions, fever, snakebites, vomiting, hallucinations, etc. But medically it hasn't been proven that it works. To prevent poaching, some rangers in African countries such as Kenya and South Africa remove the rhino horns.
Armed park rangers are daily working on the front to combat poaching. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and in SA rhino horns also have been poisoned, so that they can be easily detected by X-ray machines and be poisonous if ingested.
Just in 2011, 448 rhinos were killed for their horns in SA and 668 in the same country in 2012. As of June 26th, 2013, 446 rhinos had been killed only in SA, but this affects all rhino states in Africa. The problem is that only one regular size rhino horn can get about a quarter of a million Dollars in Vietnam alone. China and Vietnam demands are fuelling this illegal trade of rhino horns.
What are we doing to help the rhinos?
CATCA-ACWF monitors the illegal e-trade of protected wildlife (inc. rhinos).
In our last investigation completed this year, the "Internet trade of elephant ivory in Africa and Asia", we exposed some traders with very large amounts of elephant tusks and rhino horns in several countries. We notified our findings to the enforcement governmental agencies where these operations took place in 3 different continents for them to investigate it, confiscate the horns and prosecute the sellers.
The ACWF also cooperates with enforcement agencies in some African countries, e.g. the Kenya Wildlife Service and others.
To check the last report of our investigation, check
this link:
http://www.acwfeu.org/10.html
