Studies reveal we have about 20 million species living on our planet. We have successfully identified about eight percent of them. Yet over the next 50 years, 20 percent of all species will become extinct – we'll be losing creatures that we don't even know exist yet.
Studies reveal we have about 20 million species living on our planet. We have successfully identified about eight percent of them. Yet over the next 50 years, 20 percent of all species will become extinct – we'll be losing creatures that we don't even know exist yet.
“This is the context we need to view our rhino in,” said Andrew Muir at his talk, “On the horns of a dilemma”, hosted by the Rhodes Business School recently. “If things carry on the way they are, by 2030 the rhino could be one of those extinct species.”
Muir is a world-renowned environmental activist who is the director of the Wilderness Foundation and also holds a position on the Eastern Cape Parks Board. He has been the voice for South African rhino conservation at international events such as the World Economic Forum, pleading the case of our struggling wildlife with those who matter.
“The rhino has become the flagship species for disappearing wildlife all over the world,” said Muir, “By conserving them, we will be conserving many others too.”
Muir's talk spoke to the absolute reality of the poaching situation in our country. An important issue addressed involved the various myths about rhino-poaching that needed to be debunked. The first was the belief that most of our rhino horn is bought by the Chinese.
“50 to 70 percent of our rhino horn goes through Vietnam and on to other markets, although the majority of the horn stays there,” explained Muir, “Vietnam is a critical country in the process. We have dialogue efforts under way with them, as well as with China.”
The need for horn is so strong in these countries, that there are even farmers who can own herds of up to 80 rhino. The horn is then gradually shaved off the rhino, creating a sustainable supply. “We are aware of two of these farms in Vietnam and three in China,” said Muir.
The second fallacy was that those who use it believe it will cure cancer and work as an aphrodisiac. However, rhino horn has a deep-rooted history in a lot of Asian medicines and is rather used for general medicinal purposes. Renowned Eastern Cape wildlife vet, Dr William Fowlds, was present at the talk and interjected: “It turns out 80% of the 'horn' in Vietnam isn't even real rhino – that gives us a scale of how much they use it.”
The reason for the current surge of poaching in South Africa is that the Asian rhino populations have been irreparably reduced to virtually nothing. This, coupled with the economic boom these countries are seeing has resulted in a shift to targeting our rhino, as 90% of the world's rhino live here.
Of of Asia's five species of rhino, two of them have population numbers under 100 and the little Vietnamese Javan rhino became extinct two years ago. With our white rhino sitting at more than 20 000, we have the gold mine as far as poachers are concerned.
According to Muir, the correct steps to saving our beloved dinosaur descendants is exactly what we're doing now, public pressure.
“I'm going to the World Economic Forum meeting in China this coming September and I can tell you that they are extremely embarrassed. Not just with the rhino, but also things like shark de-finning and bear bile-farming. By keeping the media and protest as loud as possible, we embarrass them even more and push them to act.”
Rhino poaching has become a global problem.
“You'll find that the guys that wiped out our abalone are the same ones who have now moved onto our rhino, Muir said. The poaching syndicates operate on a global level and it isn't just South Africa that is responsible to stop it. Global co-operation is essential. If we had one of the US Military thermal imaging drones fly over the Kruger Park at night, we would be doing a much better job than sending rangers out to find a needle in a haystack.”
While we foster our international relations and build up a database of all of our rhino and their horns (which is greatly needed for prosecuting purposes when poachers are caught), we have to sit tight and protect our heritage with all our might. Although we are often plagued by bad rhino news, the Eastern Cape is a great role model for the other provinces when it comes to protection. Many of our game reserves have anti-poaching units and the relationship between our MEC for Environmental Affairs and the private industries is very good.
Muir also referred to our much publicised “Black Rhino Range Expansion Project”, another inspiring programme that is helping ensure a future for our Big Five beauty.
“If we say that a species only has value if it has value to us, then we're condemned to the Dark Ages,” concluded Muir, “By saving the rhino we save countless other species both directly and indirectly as we clamp down on these globally spread poaching syndicates.”
