Despite these efforts, all rhino species are still threatened with extinction as the illicit trade in rhino horn has surged dramatically over the last 10 years. It is not only vital that poaching stops for the long-term survival of the species, but we need to continue expanding populations into their historical range which can only be accomplished through securing safe places for their return.
With the support of our partners, we have reintroduced several populations of black rhinos into their former ranges and plans to do more are on the horizon. Black rhinos are currently found in three of the 17 parks under our management - Majete and Liwonde in Malawi, Akagera in Rwanda - and were reintroduced to all three parks after decades of poaching had completely eliminated them.
Protecting all wildlife from illegal hunting is one of our top priorities in all of the parks we manage. In Liwonde National Park in Malawi, for example, we fenced the park , hired and trained a larger and better-equipped ranger unit, and have utilised a suite of advanced technological methods to monitor wildlife and reduce illegal hunting.
African Parks assumed management of Liwonde in , in partnership with Government, and in the last three years not one rhino or elephant has been lost to poaching. African Parks is typically the largest employer in every place in which we work; we invest in education , healthcare and infrastructure - to provide effective park management and attract tourism to the parks — all of which benefits the local communities.
By helping to bring jobs, schools, and revenue to the areas around protected areas, we are creating partnerships with local communities who are buying-in to the long-term conservation of their national parks. African Parks has spearheaded several historic translocations of black rhinos, and will continue to do so in the future. In , we led the effort to bring back rhinos to Akagera National Park in Rwanda after a year absence. In , we translocated five additional rhino from European zoos to Akagera to bolster the genetics of the population.
Photo credit: Nakedi Maputla. AWF works in communities to recruit and train rangers, and equip them with technology to better track wildlife movements and provide more targeted protection.
International bodies, including the United States, have provided troop support to beef up forces. Still, for the local rangers trying to protect their park, the mission is daunting. Sure, the cold-hearted are among the perpetrators. But for many, poaching is the best of a slate of bad options for supporting themselves and their families. Many countries that are home to elephants, rhinos and other valuable wildlife are desperately poor.
The tusks of a single elephant can weigh up to pounds, meaning the killing of just one elephant is a life-changing windfall for a family. Photo credit: Amy Rizzotto. To stop poaching, we have to change that calculus.
The international community has already made strides by banning the sale of ivory. But to make a dent in the black market, potential poachers need other ways to earn a living and support their families.
AWF and other groups work to help communities realize the economic benefits of conservation. Any student or practitioner of public policy will tell you that implementation is everything. While the international community has made important commitments to conservation of endangered wildlife through trade bans, too often reality falls short of the promise.
A damning report from the Environmental Investigation Agency accused Chinese officials of fueling the ivory trade in their country, where the material has long been used in carvings and as a symbol of wealth and prosperity. So long as countries undermine their international commitments to wildlife protection, poaching will continue to thrive.
Rhino poaching is being driven by the demand for rhino horn in Asian countries, particularly China and Viet Nam. Rhino horn is used in Traditional Chinese Medicine, but increasingly common is its use as a status symbol to display success and wealth. Poaching is now a threat in all rhino range states, however, as South Africa is home to the majority of rhinos in the world, it is being heavily targeted.
More than ever, field programmes are having to invest heavily in anti-poaching activities. Poachers are now being supplied by international criminal gangs with sophisticated equipment to track and kill rhinos.
Frequently a tranquiliser gun is used to bring the rhino down, before its horn is hacked off, leaving the rhino to wake up and bleed to death very painfully and slowly. Poachers are often armed with guns themselves, making them very dangerous for the anti-poaching teams who put their lives on the line to protect rhinos. The scarcity of rhinos today and the corresponding intermittent availability of rhino horn only drives the price of horn higher and higher, intensifying pressure on declining rhino populations.
Find out the latest poaching statistics. They are made of keratin — in rhinoceros horn, it is chemically complex and contains large quantities of sulphur-containing amino acids, particularly cysteine, as well as tyrosine, histidine, lysine, and arginine, and the salts calcium carbonate and calcium phosphate. When used, the horn is shaved or ground into a powder, before being dissolved in boiling water and consumed.
There are five species of rhinoceros and, with the exception of one subspecies of African White rhino, all are in danger of being hunted to extinction for their horns. Rhinos, as we know them, have been around for millions of years, but Dr H. Spaiens has created a predicament from which they might never recover.
0コメント