Rhino deaths soar in South Africa
Newly released government figures have shown that South Africa lost 448 rhinos to poaching in 2011 – more than one a day - and at least eight more have been confirmed dead already this year.
The 2011 total includes 19 critically endangered black rhinos, of which fewer than 5,000 remain in the wild. There has been a steady increase in rhino deaths through poaching over the last few years, with 333 South African rhinos killed in 2010, nearly three times the number killed in 2009.
“More rhinos were poached in 2011 than has been recorded in any single year before,” said Andrew McVey, Species Programme Manager at WWF-UK. “If left unchecked, poaching gangs could put the survival of these iconic species in jeopardy.”
More than half of South Africa’s rhino deaths last year occurred in the world-famous Kruger National Park. The popular safari destination lost 252 rhinos in 2011, and witnessed the poaching of an additional eight rhinos in the first weeks of the new year, according to authorities from South Africa National Parks.
The rise in poaching is occurring despite increased law enforcement efforts, South African officials made 232 poaching-related arrests in 2011, compared to 165 the previous year. Sentences imposed for rhino crimes have also increased in recent years, with poachers and horn smugglers receiving as long as 16 years in prison.
“Rhino poaching is being conducted by sophisticated international criminal syndicates that smuggle horns to Asia,” said Dr Morné du Plessis, CEO of WWF-South Africa. “It’s not enough to bust the little guy - investigators need to shut down the kingpins organizing these criminal operations. Governments in Africa and Asia must work together across borders to stop the illegal trade.”
The recent upsurge in rhino poaching has been tied to increased demand for rhino horn in Asia, particularly Vietnam, where it carries prestige as a luxury item, as a post-partying cleanser, and also as a purported cancer cure.
“Rhino horn has gained popularity among wealthy Vietnamese elites and business people to give as a gift, when currying political favour, or taking as an antidote to overindulgence,” said Tom Milliken, TRAFFIC’s rhino trade expert. “But killing endangered rhinos to mitigate a hangover is a criminal way to see in the New Year.”
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine experts, rhino horn has no proven cancer treating properties. Contrary to popular myth, it has never been used in traditional medicine as an aphrodisiac.
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has found that consumer demand in Vietnam is driving much of the rhino poaching. CITES has also ruled that Vietnam needs to show progress in curtailing illegal trade in rhino parts and derivatives.
“So far we have yet to see Vietnam respond to this ruling from CITES,” says Colman O Criodain, Wildlife Trade Policy Expert at WWF International . “For that matter, CITES must put pressure on Vietnam to respond meaningfully, as it has done with other countries whose compliance with the Convention has been called into question.”
Because it is home to most of the world’s rhinos, South Africa has been the epicentre of poaching. However, rhinos in other African and Asian range countries are also being targeted by poachers.
In October, WWF announced the extinction of rhinos in Vietnam. The last Javan rhinoceros in the country was killed by poachers and its horn removed. In Nepal, however, strong conservation and law enforcement efforts ensured that no rhinos were lost to poaching in 2011.
In both Africa and Asia, WWF and TRAFFIC are providing assistance to field rangers, criminal investigators, prosecutors, and customs authorities. Additionally, TRAFFIC has facilitated visits between South African and Vietnamese government officials to discuss deepening cooperation on law enforcement.
A bilateral treaty to ramp up law enforcement collaboration between South Africa and Vietnam was negotiated in September 2011 but still remains unsigned.
ENDS
Rhino population statistics
African species
Black Rhino: 4,838 IUCN Red List Classification: Critically endangered
White Rhino: Approx 20,000, up from fewer than 100 in 1900. IUCN Red List Classification: Near threatenedSouth Africa rhino population: 1,916 Black, 18,780 White
Asian species
Greater-one horned: 2,913. IUCN Red List Classification: Vulnerable
Javan: No more than 50. IUCN Red List Classification: Critically endangered
Sumatran: Fewer than 200. IUCN Red List Classification: Critically endangered
South Africa poaching numbers
Source: SANParks
2009: 122 rhinos
2010: 333 rhinos
2011: 448 rhinos, 19 critically endangered black.
Arrests in 2010: 165
Arrests in 2011: 232
About WWF
WWF is one of the world's largest independent conservation organisations, with more than five million supporters and a global network active in more than one hundred countries. We're working to create solutions to the most serious environmental issues facing our planet, so that people and nature can thrive. Through our engagement with the public, businesses and government, we focus on safeguarding the natural world, tacking climate change and changing the way we live.
Find out more about our work, past and present at www.wwf.org.uk
About TRAFFIC
TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, works to ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the conservation of nature. TRAFFIC is a joint programme of IUCN and WWF.
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