Counter Poaching Efforts

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Cambridge Consultants works on project designed to catch rhino poachers

09/06/2013 | 11:24 AM by Chris Reidy / Globe Staff


A technology consulting firm with a 35-person office in Kendall Square is now testing an early-warning system designed to protect Kenyan rhinos and elephants from poachers.

The firm is Cambridge Consultants of the UK, and it is now testing a system of motion-triggered cameras that will be deployed around watering holes and connected to the Iridium satellite network. The hope is that a hundred of these cameras will be in place by the end of year. Via the Iridium satellite network, which the cameras link into, photos can be sent to a mobile app that will allow users around the world to have access to near real-time images of rare animals.

The cameras designed by Cambridge Consultants don’t just detect vibrations; they can also triangulate the sound of gunshots. As a result, the expectation is that park rangers can pinpoint the location of poachers and intervene immediately, the firm said.

Cambridge Consultants is working on the project with the Zoological Society of London and the Kenya Wildlife Service.

Among other technologies, the project makes use of Raspberry Pi micro-computers, long-life batteries, and LED flash lighting.

In a statement, Richard Traherne, head of wireless at Cambridge Consultants, said: “The challenge was to create a remote monitoring system that was robust enough to withstand extreme weather conditions and animal attacks and could be easily hidden in any surroundings – all within the available budget. The vital importance of the conservation project gave us a valuable incentive to come up with an innovative new system that could help ZSL (the Zoological Society of London) in its mission.”

The “Instant Wild” app that will let people view photos from the project on their smartphones is available at iTunes. The app is still in the test mode. But by the end of year, when more cameras are deployed, the expectation is that it will be of great interest to smartphone users interested in conservation.

In its press release, Cambridge Consultants noted that one rhino is killed every 11 hours in Africa due to the demand for products made from rhino horns. There are just 539 wild rhinos in Kenya today, compared with the 20,000 in 1969.

Much of the work for this project was done in the UK. The firm’s US headquarters office in Kendall Square has a focus on medical technology. For example, the Kendall Square office recently worked with HemoSonics, a medical device company. HemoSonics was working on a device designed to provide critically-needed data to guide the treatment of bleeding and blood clots in surgery, trauma, and intensive care.

Cambridge Consultants recently launched a US recruitment effort to identify and attract new talent in the medical technology arena.

The firm also worked with the US Navy on holographic radar technology, a Globe story from 2011 noted.

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US Will Destroy 6-Ton Ivory Stockpile to Highlight Global Wildlife Trafficking Crisis

Date: 09 Sep 2013
By: Rhishja Cota-Larson

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service has announced that six tons of confiscated ivory currently held in Denver, Colorado, will be destroyed on October 8, 2013, as part of a strategy to focus attention on the global wildlife trafficking crisis.

The U.S. stockpile includes raw and carved whole tusks, smaller carvings, and other elephant ivory items. Since ivory is very resistant to destruction — for example, burning ivory does not actually destroy it — the stockpile will be crushed.

“The ivory ‘crush’ is part of a series of upcoming coordinated actions that will spotlight the rising tide of poaching and trafficking that is threatening wild populations of elephants, rhinoceros and other iconic species – and strengthen global efforts to crack down on these criminal activities.”

In order close loopholes that “currently make it easier for criminals to smuggle ivory and other wildlife products in violation of U.S. and international law”, the USFWS also plans to propose changes to existing regulations and policies.

An estimated 25,000 — 30,000 African elephants are being killed annually to feed a renewed demand for ivory, mainly from China. A complicated array of ivory trade loopholes has paved the way for traffickers to launder elephant tusks and grow this deadly market.

Annamiticus fully supports the U.S. decision to destroy its ivory stockpile. We encourage other governments to do the same with their own ivory stockpiles.

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Establishment of the Advisory Council on Wildlife Trafficking

The White House
Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release September 09, 2013


Today at the White House, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced the members of the Advisory Council to the Presidential Task Force on Wildlife Trafficking.

As directed by the Executive Order on Combating Wildlife Trafficking that the President signed on July 1, the Advisory Council is comprised of knowledgeable private-sector leaders, representatives of nonprofit organizations, and former government officials, who will advise and assist the Presidential Task Force, including as it works to develop a National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking.

The members of the Advisory Council named today are:

Judith McHale (Chair), President and Chief Executive Officer, Cane Investments, LLC
David Barron, Chairman of the Board, International Conservation Caucus Foundation
Patrick Bergin, Chief Executive Officer, African Wildlife Foundation
Tod Cohen, Vice President and Deputy General Counsel of Global Government Relations, eBay Inc.
David Hayes, Distinguished Visiting Lecturer of Law, Stanford Law School
Carter Roberts, President and Chief Executive Officer, World Wildlife Fund
Cristián Samper, President and Chief Executive Officer, Wildlife Conservation Society
John Webb, Former Chief of the Environmental Crimes Section, Department of Justice
Alternates:

Crawford Allen, Senior Director, TRAFFIC
Stanley Asah, Assistant Professor, University of Washington
Marcus Asner, Partner, Arnold & Porter LLP
Susan Lieberman, Former Director of the Global Species Program, WWF-International

The United States remains strongly committed to combating wildlife trafficking, to assisting foreign nations in building capacity to combat wildlife trafficking, and to assisting in combating transnational organized crime.

Executive Order -- Combating Wildlife Trafficking


COMBATING WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to address the significant effects of wildlife trafficking on the national interests of the United States, I hereby order as follows:

Section 1. Policy. The poaching of protected species and the illegal trade in wildlife and their derivative parts and products (together known as "wildlife trafficking") represent an international crisis that continues to escalate. Poaching operations have expanded beyond small-scale, opportunistic actions to coordinated slaughter commissioned by armed and organized criminal syndicates. The survival of protected wildlife species such as elephants, rhinos, great apes, tigers, sharks, tuna, and turtles has beneficial economic, social, and environmental impacts that are important to all nations. Wildlife trafficking reduces those benefits while generating billions of dollars in illicit revenues each year, contributing to the illegal economy, fueling instability, and undermining security. Also, the prevention of trafficking of live animals helps us control the spread of emerging infectious diseases. For these reasons, it is in the national interest of the United States to combat wildlife trafficking.

In order to enhance domestic efforts to combat wildlife trafficking, to assist foreign nations in building capacity to combat wildlife trafficking, and to assist in combating transnational organized crime, executive departments and agencies (agencies) shall take all appropriate actions within their authority, including the promulgation of rules and regulations and the provision of technical and financial assistance, to combat wildlife trafficking in accordance with the following objectives:

(a) in appropriate cases, the United States shall seek to assist those governments in anti-wildlife trafficking activities when requested by foreign nations experiencing trafficking of protected wildlife;

(b) the United States shall promote and encourage the development and enforcement by foreign nations of effective laws to prohibit the illegal taking of, and trade in, these species and to prosecute those who engage in wildlife trafficking, including by building capacity;

(c) in concert with the international community and partner organizations, the United States shall seek to combat wildlife trafficking; and

(d) the United States shall seek to reduce the demand for illegally traded wildlife, both at home and abroad, while allowing legal and legitimate commerce involving wildlife.

Sec. 2. Establishment. There is established a Presidential Task Force on Wildlife Trafficking (Task Force), to be co-chaired by the Secretary of State, Secretary of the Interior, and the Attorney General (Co-Chairs), or their designees, who shall report to the President through the National Security Advisor. The Task Force shall develop and implement a National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking in accordance with the objectives outlined in section 1 of this order, consistent with section 4 of this order.

Sec. 3. Membership. (a) In addition to the Co-Chairs, the Task Force shall include designated senior-level representatives from:

(i) the Department of the Treasury;

(ii) the Department of Defense;

(iii) the Department of Agriculture;

(iv) the Department of Commerce;

(v) the Department of Transportation;

(vi) the Department of Homeland Security;

(vii) the United States Agency for International Development;

(viii) the Office of the Director of National Intelligence;

(ix) the National Security Staff;

(x) the Domestic Policy Council;

(xi) the Council on Environmental Quality;

(xii) the Office of Science and Technology Policy;

(xiii) the Office of Management and Budget;

(xiv) the Office of the United States Trade Representative; and

(xv) such agencies and offices as the Co-Chairs may, from time to time, designate.

(b) The Task Force shall meet not later than 60 days from the date of this order and periodically thereafter.

Sec. 4. Functions. Consistent with the authorities and responsibilities of member agencies, the Task Force shall perform the following functions:

(a) not later than 180 days after the date of this order, produce a National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking that shall include consideration of issues relating to combating trafficking and curbing consumer demand, including:

(i) effective support for anti-poaching activities;

(ii) coordinating regional law enforcement efforts;

(iii) developing and supporting effective legal enforcement mechanisms; and

(iv) developing strategies to reduce illicit trade and reduce consumer demand for trade in protected species;

(b) not later than 90 days from the date of this order, review the Strategy to Combat Transnational Organized Crime of July 19, 2011, and, if appropriate, make recommendations regarding the inclusion of crime related to wildlife trafficking as an implementation element for the Federal Government's transnational organized crime strategy;

(c) coordinate efforts among and consult with agencies, as appropriate and consistent with the Department of State's foreign affairs role, regarding work with foreign nations and international bodies that monitor and aid in enforcement against crime related to wildlife trafficking; and

(d) carry out other functions necessary to implement this order.

Sec. 5. Advisory Council on Wildlife Trafficking. Not later than 180 days from the date of this order, the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary), in consultation with the other Co-Chairs of the Task Force, shall establish an Advisory Council on Wildlife Trafficking (Advisory Council) that shall make recommendations to the Task Force and provide it with ongoing advice and assistance. The Advisory Council shall have eight members, one of whom shall be designated by the Secretary as the Chair. Members shall not be employees of the Federal Government and shall include knowledgeable individuals from the private sector, former governmental officials, representatives of nongovernmental organizations, and others who are in a position to provide expertise and support to the Task Force.

Sec. 6. General Provisions. (a) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable domestic and international law, and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(b) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department, agency, or the head thereof, or the status of that department or agency within the Federal Government; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

(d) Insofar as the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. App.) (the "Act"), may apply to the Advisory Council, any functions of the President under the Act, except for that of reporting to the Congress, shall be performed by the Secretary in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Administrator of General Services.

(e) The Department of the Interior shall provide funding and administrative support for the Task Force and Advisory Council to the extent permitted by law and consistent with existing appropriations.

BARACK OBAMA


FACT SHEET: U.S. Efforts to Combat Wildlife Trafficking

Wildlife trafficking is a multi-billion dollar illicit business that is decimating Africa’s iconic animal populations. Many species -- most notably elephants and rhinoceroses -- now face the risk of significant decline or even extinction. Like other forms of illicit trade, wildlife trafficking undermines security across nations. Well-armed, well-equipped, and well-organized networks of poachers, criminals, and corrupt officials exploit porous borders and weak institutions to profit from trading in illegally taken wildlife.

The United States is committed to combating wildlife trafficking, related corruption, and money laundering. With our international partners, we are working to reduce demand, strengthen enforcement, and building capacity to address these challenges bilaterally, regionally, and multilaterally.

A New Executive Order to Better Coordinate the U.S. Response

Today the President will sign an Executive Order (E.O.) to enhance coordination of U.S. Government efforts to combat wildlife trafficking and assist foreign governments in building the capacity needed to combat wildlife trafficking and related organized crime.

The E.O. establishes a Presidential Task Force on Wildlife Trafficking charged with developing a National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking. It also establishes an Advisory Council on Wildlife Trafficking comprised of eight individuals with relevant expertise from outside the Government to make recommendations to the Task Force.

New Assistance to Support Regional Partners

As the President will announce today in Tanzania, the U.S. Department of State will provide an additional $10 million in regional and bilateral training and technical assistance in Africa to combat wildlife trafficking. This will include approximately $3 million in bilateral assistance to South Africa, $3 million in bilateral assistance to Kenya, and $4 million in regional assistance throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

This training and technical assistance aims to:

1) Strengthen policies and legislative frameworks;

2) Enhance investigative and law enforcement functions;

3) Support regional cooperation among enforcement agencies; and,

4) Develop capacities to prosecute and adjudicate crimes related to wildlife trafficking.

In addition, USAID will launch a wildlife technology challenge, which will promote the use of innovative technologies like mobile phone applications and wildlife DNA analysis techniques to assist in combating wildlife trafficking.

The State Department, USAID, and the Department of Interior U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) will also assign a USFWS official to our Embassy in Dar es Salaam to support the Government of Tanzania's efforts to develop an overarching wildlife security strategy.

New U.S. Enforcement and Regulatory Efforts to Combat Wildlife Trafficking

The Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program, which was signed into law on January 2013, enables the Secretary of State to offer rewards up for information leading to the arrest, conviction, or identification of significant members of transnational criminal organizations who operate primarily outside the United States.

The law also allows for rewards for information that dismantles such organizations or leads to the disruption of their financial mechanisms. The United States intends to leverage this new authority, as appropriate, to combat the most significant perpetrators of wildlife trafficking.

In addition, the Department of Interior will enhance regulations that directly affect illegal wildlife trafficking of elephants and rhinoceroses. These regulations pertain to U.S. federal laws including the Endangered Species Act, the African Elephant Conservation Act, and the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act.

Successes to Date and Building on On-going Activities

These new commitments build on on-going efforts within the U.S. Government, and with foreign governments, international organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector to reduce demand and strengthen enforcement and institutional capabilities. Representative examples include:

Capacity Building from Asia to Africa

USAID supports over $12 million per year in counter-wildlife trafficking activities, including support for anti-poaching activities in Africa and Asia, capacity building, and demand reduction campaigns in Asia.
The State Department and Department of the Interior / USFWS support the International Law Enforcement Academy in Gaborone, Botswana, which has trained 350 law enforcement officers in wildlife crime investigations since 2002.
To specifically address transcontinental trafficking, USAID is funding a three-year program with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and the wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC to improve understanding of current trends in wildlife trafficking and identify priority wildlife trafficking issues on behalf of the broader law enforcement and security communities.
The State Department is providing more than $2 million to support investigation, interdiction, and prosecution efforts in East Asia and the Pacific, including park ranger training and special investigative training for wildlife managers at the U.S. International Law Enforcement Academy in Bangkok.
The USFWS is providing an additional $2 million annually to support the Wildlife Without Borders capacity building program, which aids government agencies and non-governmental partners in enhancing wildlife law enforcement training, promoting best practices for community stewardship of wildlife resources, and addressing other critical conservation needs.
The Department of Justice and the USFWS jointly investigate and prosecute wildlife trafficking cases, working alongside international partners, to provide training and state-of-the-art forensic support for investigating and prosecuting wildlife crimes.
Conservation and Demand Reduction

The USFWS provides $10 million annually to enhance and support wildlife conservation throughout Africa and Asia. The funds support essential wildlife protection activities in 25 African countries, including improving capacity to carry out investigations and prosecutions of wildlife crime; developing effective park law enforcement and management to deter illegal hunting; improving management of key wildlife species and protected areas; and developing community management schemes.
USAID invests $200 million a year in biodiversity conservation, $70 million of which is in Africa. These investments provide support for community-based approaches to natural resources management in Africa, including community-scouting and ranger programs.
In consumer nations in Asia, USFWS supports government partners in awareness and demand reduction campaigns, which include public outreach to discourage consumption, noting the cost to wildlife of purchased exotic items, and highlighting criminal consequences of consuming illegally trafficked or purchased wildlife products.
Building a Coalition of Partnerships

The United States is working with the International Consortium to Combat Wildlife Crime and other interested partners to support the creation of a global network of regional and national Wildlife Enforcement Networks to improve communication and strengthen response actions across enforcement agencies globally. USAID has invested $17 million since 2005 to specifically support improving these regional networks of wildlife enforcement officials, as well as increasing public awareness, reducing demand for wildlife products, and building political will. The United States is also supporting the creation of new networks in central Africa and the Horn of Africa, among others in Asia and South America.
Additionally, the United States encourages participation by governments, civil society, and the private sector in existing partnerships that combat wildlife crime, such as the Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking (CAWT).
Raising the Issue in International Fora

The United States successfully co-sponsored a resolution at the 2013 UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice encouraging UN Member States to classify wildlife trafficking as a “serious” crime as defined in the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. This will facilitate further international cooperation among states that have ratified or acceded to the treaty, and will lead to increased penalties for traffickers.
Through U.S. advocacy, the 2012 APEC Leaders Declaration included commitments to address both the supply and demand for endangered and protected wildlife, including through capacity building and increased enforcement.

[Toko]

First state conservation agency in Africa trials toxic infusion of rhino horn

10 SEPTEMBER 2013

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (Ezemvelo) has become the first state conservation agency in Africa to trial the toxic infusion of rhino horn to deter the rampant poaching of this species. The poisoning and injection of an indelible dye into the horn will render it unsafe for any consumption.

The brainchild of Gauteng-based organisation Rhino Rescue Project, the rhino of Ndumo Game Reserve and Tembe Elephant Park will be the trial population for the infusion, with indelible dye and ectoparasiticides, to stem the tide of poaching. Aside from rendering the horn worthless as an ornament and discouraging it as a medicinal compound, the dye can also be detected by X-Ray machines at airports, for example.

As part of the pilot project, the rhino will have their DNA recorded and transponders inserted - all further deterrents to poachers. The Ndumo and Tembe reserves have been selected because they are considered the frontline of future rhino poaching in KwaZulu-Natal.

The pilot project will also facilitate further research and development into the infusion procedure and represents a collaboration between Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, the University of Pretoria, which will conduct toxilogical and pharmaceutical research, Rhino Rescue Project and Peace Parks Foundation.

Peace Parks Foundation secured funding to support this crucial endeavour from the following pioneer partners: Neville and Pamela Isdell, the Liberty Wildlife Fund and the Sophia Foundation.

As an organisation whose core business is facilitating transfrontier conservation development in the region, Peace Parks Foundation has established a new programme to support conservation agencies with combatting wildlife crime.

“It is critical to transfrontier conservation development that practical, well-considered methods be implemented to combat wildlife crime. The Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area, which connects protected areas in Mozambique, South Africa and Swaziland, has seen many successes and one cannot allow wildlife criminals to stem this progressive approach to conservation in any way. Directly targeting the value chain of illegal trade by pro-actively devaluing the asset, the rhino horn, means the risks will soon start outweighing the rewards for criminal syndicates”, said Werner Myburgh, Peace Parks Foundation CEO.

Ezemvelo stated that depending on the results, the agency would be prepared to expand the project to its other rhino populations.

“We are impressed with the Rhino Rescue Project’s research and development; certainly enough for us to embrace this project wholeheartedly. There are no guarantees, but infusing both a toxic substance and indelible dye into the horn should act as a very definite impediment to purchasers and users of poached horn,” said Cedric Coetzee, Ezemvelo’s rhino coordinator.

If the pilot project proves successful in terms of deterring poachers, then Ezemvelo would consider its wider use: “For the moment, though, we are concentrating on an area where we are bracing ourselves for a poaching onslaught”.

The entire project was hailed by the KZN’s provincial government’s MEC for Agriculture and Environmental Affairs, Dr Jeff Hadebe, as an “outstanding experiment”.

“We will try pretty much anything to dampen the motivation for killing our rhino. I am enthusiastic about this development and I hope our communities will embrace this effort as much as I do. We simply must stop – or at the very least slow down – these dreadful attacks on our natural heritage. If successful, I will encourage my colleagues to expand this to other rhino populations throughout our parks,” he said.

The pioneer of the rhino horn treatment concept is the Rhino Rescue Project. Infusing a toxin into the horns of rhino is a process developed by veterinary surgeon Dr Charles van Niekerk and Dr Lorinda Hern. Rhino Rescue Project co-founder and vet, Dr Charles van Niekerk said: “The toxic cocktail can be safely and relatively quickly infused into the horn, making it poisonous to humans and therefore not fit for consumption, although it is in no way harmful to the rhino. The indelible (i.e. indestructible) dye acts as a warning to end-users that a horn has been contaminated and should not be consumed, as well as reducing the horn's aesthetic appeal."

Community representatives from both KZN and southern Mozambique will be closely involved in the pilot project. This will include the 200 rhino ambassadors that Ezemvelo appointed to patrol and monitor the Ndumo/Tembe region, as part of a 400-strong broader community awareness programme started last year in the Hluhluwe iMfolozi Park protected area.

As it costs approximately R8 000 (US$800) to treat one rhino, any and all donations to save a rhino or contribute to the rhino horn treatment project will be welcome. A dedicated account has been set up by Peace Parks Foundation, in partnership with Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, which will allocate 100% of any donation towards the protection of KwaZulu-Natal’s rhino populations. Click here for online donations, or contact Alrika Hefers.

So far this year, 618 rhino have been poached in South Africa, 62 of them in KwaZulu-Natal

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Rhino horn poison ‘extremely toxic’

September 11 2013 at 09:06am
By Tony Carnie

Durban - South Africa has deployed a powerful and poisonous new weapon to stem the flow of rhino blood soaking into the country’s soil.

On Tuesday Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife took the step of being the first state conservation agency to inject a chemical cocktail into the horns of several rhinos in an effort to contaminate an illegal black market wildlife product, the price of which has shot through the roof in the Far East and fuelled a deadly war that has claimed another 620 rhinos in the first nine months of the year.

Although the poison is not intended to kill people who swallow crushed rhino horn potions, wildlife officials warned that it was “extremely toxic” and poisonous enough to make users of the illegal product seriously ill.

Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhoea, nerve disorders and other dose-related health problems.

The first animals to undergo the treatment are on the front line of KwaZulu-Natal’s rhino war in the Tembe Elephant Park and Ndumo Game Reserve which lie on the northern border with Mozambique.

The horns will contain a bright red dye similar to the indelible marker dyes used to stain banknotes.

Apart from warning international crime syndicates and those using rhino-based traditional health remedies that the horns could be deadly, the dye can also be picked up on airport X-ray scanning machines – even if the horn is ground to powder.

Wildlife veterinarians Charles van Niekerk and Lorinda Hern, who have pioneered the “horn infusion” technology with several privately owned rhinos near the Kruger National Park and other poaching hot spots, said there was no evidence that the toxins could seep from the horn into the rhino’s flesh.

The first of several rhinos would be “infused” over the next few days and, depending on the results of the pilot project, Ezemvelo may extend the treatment to rhinos in other reserves.

The hope is that the illicit product will lose its commercial value to the extent of deterring poachers.

Ezemvelo chief executive Bandile Mkhize said he recognised that poison infusions were not a “silver bullet” which would end poaching, but it was one of several strategies to deter poaching.

“We cannot sit back and watch this species disappear on our watch,” he said.

While the strategy has been hailed by several conservationists as a bold and daring response to poaching, the deliberate poisoning of a product which can cause health problems has raised ethical and legal issues.

But Meshack Radebe, provincial MEC for Environmental Affairs, brushed these concerns aside.

Instead of querying whether conservation agencies could be held liable for criminal charges if any rhino horn-users became sick, Radebe said the emphasis should be on the “real criminals” slaughtering rhinos and profiting from the illegal sale of their horns.

“Let us arrest and deal with the poachers instead,” he said.

He urged Mozambican government officials and journalists in Tembe to take back a message to their country about what had happened in KZN.

Nevertheless, a Durban-based environmental lawyer has questioned the ethical and legal dimensions of poisoning a product which could be used for human consumption, regardless of whether the international trade in rhino horn was illegal.

“As much as I would like to see a more aggressive approach to poaching, the use of poison as a deterrent to poaching is akin to the use of chemical weapons in war,” he said.

“Under our common law, any person who creates a dangerous situation or condition is liable for the consequences if a person is hurt or killed.”

The cost of poisoning Ezemvelo rhino horns is being sponsored by the Stellenbosch-based Peace Parks Foundation, which was set up under the patronage of Nelson Mandela and international conservation donors.

Chief executive Werner Myburgh said a dedicated fund had been set up locally for the public to make donations to further rhino horn infusions.

See www.peaceparks.org. - The Mercury

[Toko]

KNP raises rhino awareness with Vietnam

JOHANNESBURG - The Kruger National Park is, for the first time, hosting a delegation of environmental authorities from Vietnam in a bid to raise awareness about rhino poaching and its effects in Southern Africa.

The Vietnamese officials revealed rhino horn continues to gain popularity in their country and the penalties for poaching and smuggling are far less stringent.

The deputy chief of Vietnam’s environmental police said only five people were arrested in Vietnam for smuggling wildlife this year.

If found guilty, the accused can face a jail sentence of between five and seven years.

Vietnam’s National Assembly member said there’s still a big perception amongst his country’s general population that rhino horns have medicinal benefits, adding that dispelling the myth is one of their biggest challenges.

At present 100 grams of rhino horn costs about R50,000 in Vietnam.

This has made the rare commodity a symbol of status amongst the country’s affluent class.

Vietnam’s deputy police chief has also revealed that a person was caught at the Nội Bài International Airport in Hanoi with six horns that weighed approximately 16 kilograms.

He said this was one of the nation’s biggest busts.

(Edited by Tamsin Wort)

[Richprins]

I hope that ink makes the horn visibly discoloured on the outside?

Otherwise poachers won't be deterred? Many operate at night too?

The news needs to be spread far and wide in Asia that horn is becoming poisoned!

The costs are extreme, but obviously Foreign donors are giving, which is great!

[Toko]

White Rhino Joining Endangered Species List
SEP 12, 2013 11:46 AM ET // BY GAYATHRI VAIDYANATHAN

The United States has listed the southern white rhinoceros as ‘threatened’ under the Endangered Species Act to curb the rampant poaching of wild populations.

The United States is a hub for the rhino horn trade, and products often transit here en route to South East Asia. Indeed, the United States has the greatest number of trophy hunters importing horns as trophies, said Teresa Telecky, director of wildlife for the Humane Society International.

Between 2002 and 2012, Americans imported 116 horn carvings, 206 horn pieces, 63 horns and 688 hunting trophies (including the head and horns of a rhino), according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Criminals in the U.S. buy these trophies and sell them in China or Vietnam, where the horns are used in folk remedies for their perceived, though non-existent, medicinal properties. Libation cups are also often carved from the horns in Chinese and Middle Eastern cultures. Horns are sold for about $65,000 per kilogram.

All this has doomed the rhino, which is being poached in record numbers across its range.

Four species of rhinos — the Javan, black, Sumatran, and Indian — which are highly endangered are already protected under the Endangered Species Act. The southern white rhino is the fifth and final addition (the northern white subspecies went extinct in 2006).

Despite its name, the southern white rhino is grey and a hulking beast weighing about 3,300 to 5,300 pounds with a heights of about 6 feet (1.85 m).

There are 20,160 individuals of the southern white rhino in the wilds of Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe.

The world was successfully protecting the southern white rhinoceros under an international wildlife trafficking agreement called “Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species” or CITES. Then in 1995, lobbying by South Africa de-listed the nation’s southern white rhino population as a “most endangered” species under CITES, and allowed limited hunting and exports.

In 2005, the international community also de-listed Swaziland’s white rhino population.

Since then, a steady stream of trophy horns has been transiting the globe. The numbers tell a grim story. In 2012, poachers in South Africa killed 668 rhinos, up from 13 in 2007. And this year some 618 rhinos have been poached in South Africa.

“The reason that rhino poaching increased so much over the past six years, and continues to rise, is that there is growing wealth in Viet Nam,” Telecky said. “More people are able to afford to buy rhino horn now than ever before.”

Without detailed genetic tests, it is difficult to say whether the horns belong to the white rhino or one of the other highly endangered species. So, criminals in the U.S. who sell horns of other endangered rhino species could claim their product was from the southern white rhino.

Now, with the listing under the Endangered Species Act, all criminals trading in rhino horns will be prosecuted in the United States.

[Duke]

Listening to Radio702. As you will know there is a Vietnamese delegation visiting ZA including KNP.

They are saying the onus is upon us to prove that Rhino Horn does not have medicinal value

Now It does not as far as I know, I am a Pharmacist. Even if it did why can you not swaloow an aspirin for your fever or take the proven cancer drugs. What does medicinal value have to do with status and recreation, as the use has become in Vietnam

Here

Xolani Gwala says the Vietnamese are demanding we prove that rhino horn has no medicinal value

[Duke]

You can listen to it here

Andrew Patterson of Rhinose haviving a slighty different (diplomatic ) view on the subject.