CITES! All member states. Keep the International Ban in Rhino Horn Trade in Place!

Rhino continue to be poached, in South Africa. Year on year.

China was the main driver for this demand using rhino horn to treat ailments such as high fever, some infections, combined with other medications, for over 3000 years.

However, in China, South Korea and Taiwan it has been banned, and the use of rhino horn has not been listed in Traditional Medicines since 1993. Scientific research has shown that rhino horn does not cure fevers, infections or indeed any other ailments, including hangovers or cancer. Traditional medicine authorities in South East Asian countries are promoting other substitutes such as Radix Isatidis for minor ailments.

Trade in rhino horn (listed as an Appendix 1 on the CITES listings) in all Asian countries (it's illegal to trade in any country) is illegal, but this has not stopped the rhino horn being freely available right throughout China causing the rhino poaching incidents to rise by a staggering 8000% since 2007!

However, a new player in the decimating effects on wild rhino namely Viet Nam, is driving this animal to extinction throughout the range states.

Up until 2007, poaching incidents of rhino were few, only 13. Then all of a sudden the poaching incidents and year on year have risen dramatically.

The cause for this massive increase in poaching incidents was put down to what can only be described as a rumour, in that rhino horn had cured cancer in a former politician.

The politician was never named, nor was there ever any information on what type of cancer was cured. This rumour spread quickly and after the Javan rhino in their own country was declared extinct, the poachers began targeting other rhino species all over Africa and Asia.

The illegal trading of many species of wildlife between China and Viet Nam through porous borders shows no sign of letting up.

Although the government of South Africa has implemented many initiatives in the attempts to halt the poaching incidents with some success, China and Viet Nam have shown very little political will in putting an end to the demand or the illegal trading of rhino horn in these countries. Smugglers of illegal contraband work with impunity through border towns and lax government policing allows Viet Nam the benefit of being the conduit of this trade in wildlife.

Viet Nam has over- taken China in the consumption of rhino horn and can now be considered the major reason why rhino continue to be slaughtered on a daily basis in South Africa, most often dying the most horrendous deaths.

Unborn foetus' are not counted when figures are eventually published, (why this is delayed is not clear) by the South African government, and neither are the deaths of orphans which do not stand up to the terrible killings of the mothers.

Annual South African government statistics complete the picture of well over 7,000 rhino carcasses piled up in South Africa. This figure spans over a decade of rhino poaching incidents. Although there is a small decrease in rhino deaths
for 2017, the deaths remain dangerously close to what the rhino populations can sustain on a whole.

Figures of 25,000 rhino (most of them white rhino, Ceratotherium Simum Simum, in South Africa) have been published, but this includes both the black and white wild rhino, (black rhino populations between 5,000 and 5,400) and it would be interesting to see if the South African government is going to publish the exact amount of rhino remaining in the National Parks going forward at the next CITES Conference of the Parties 18, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, May 2019.

We presented a petition to Mr. John Scanlon at the COP17 held in Johannesburg begging member states to upgrade the white rhino to Appendix 1, back in line with the listing of the black rhino as Appendix 1. This still remains on our agenda, as the numbers in the wild, we believe are still being poached faster than the rhino are being born. White rhino were listed as Appendix 1, however the parties to the Convention downlisted the white rhino in South Africa to Appendix 2 in 1994, and the white rhino in Swaziland in 2004.

It is assumed that legalising the trade of rhino horn's prices will fall, thereby making illegal trade unprofitable. SAFFR believes that money generated from the sales of rhino horn will be used to improve security and conservation efforts, on a small scale, as we must bare in mind that rhino horn trade is about profits. Credit is due to these owners as it is through their ownership, via Ian Players efforts that the white rhino has been brought back from the brink of extinction in South Africa. To be able to continue keeping their rhino safe and secure, profits will have to be plowed back into the high costs of keeping their rhino safe from harm. The South African government offers no assistance financially in this regard. Some are stocking rhino purely for a profit-driven reason subjecting these animals to a dehorning procedure on a regular basis. The poaching incidents will continue as syndicates are banking on the extinction of all rhino species.

As the TRAFFIC conservation programme has reported; "Beyond sport hunting, illegal trade networks supplying Viet Nam have also acquired hundreds of rhino horns through other illegal sources in South Africa, including poaching, theft and unregistered stocks held in the private sector."

The following information is taken from the article written by WORLD ANIMAL NEWS, and investigations carried out by the Elephant Action League, and whilst operating undercover
wildlife trafficking operations, "Operation Red Cloud", key trends found were..

1. Rhino horns were found in all locations that were investigated. Rhino horn and other wildlife contraband was moved from Viet Nam through the Guangxi or Yunnan Provinces and onwards to China's primary retail markets. (Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang and Beijing)

2. The average price of rhino horn was between $26,000 and $40,000 per kilogram for whole raw horn, and between $34 and $70 per gram for cut objects. (2017)

3. Smugglers tend to use individuals to transport contraband across borders because people can move more freely without being searched.

4. The same routes are being used for human trafficking, drugs and illegal arms.

5. The corruption exhibited by Customs and law enforcement authorities at Vietnamese and Chinese borders is substantial.

6. Most dealers do not hold a large inventory of rhino horn (raw, carved or whole). Instead, the material is generally sourced on demand and primarily sold only to familiar customers in order to avoid detection by authorities.

7. A seasoned rhino horn dealer had high profile connections enabling them to purchase wildlife, including rhino horns, and how the Chinese Naval Fleet were also used to transport contraband into China.

8. Large quantities of many other wildlife products were also found by investigators such as tiger teeth, skin and bones, as well as bear bile, paws and gall bladders, Hawksbill turtle shells, helmeted hornbill beaks, snow leopard skins, civet cats, king cobras, wolf skin and teeth and corals.

These governments have been given enough information regarding the illegal trade of rhino horn in their countries, yet there is no evidence or very little of the syndicates being brought to book or of any harsh sentences meted out to the members of these syndicates.

In South Africa, high profile government officials have been found to be working with poachers and syndicates. It is becoming the 'norm' as quite often news headlines publish these findings. Members of the South African Police Service, National Park Rangers and other high-ranking persons have been involved in rhino horn dealings or poaching incidents.

Given that we are no closer to stopping the continued slaughter of our rhino, year after year, we at Southern African Fight for Rhino propose that the international ban on the sale of Rhino horn remains in place.

We hope you agree with us, and sign this vital petition to be presented by us, at the up coming Conference of the parties 18 in Sri Lanka, May 2019.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/wildlife/8935724/Deadly-trade-rhino-horn-poaching-surges.html


Deadly trade: rhino horn poaching surges - Telegraph
www.telegraph.co.uk
A marked increase in rhino horn poaching has been blamed on the growing Chinese population in Africa. On safari in Kenya, Jessica Hatcher seeks the perspective of some of China's richest and most infuential figures

Please support us, SOUTHERN AFRICAN FIGHT FOR RHINO, in our ongoing efforts against rhino poaching and rhino conservation!! We WILL attend the next CITES convention and thus we urgently need to start preparing for the #COP18 to be held in Sri Lanka next year. This includes submitting proposals, in person,to amend the Appendices which involve ranching or an absence of consultation with range States, for consideration at CoP18 [Resolution Conf. 11.16 (Rev. CoP15) or Resolution Conf. 8.21 (Rev. CoP16) apply]. The submission of these proposals needs to be done THIS year before end of June. All proposals have been prepared and are ready to go!

Preparing also involves ensuring the funds to attend! And this is where we need YOUR help. We have to sort flights and accommodation for all the meetings we will be attending and this sits us at a goal of R100,000 we need to reach in order to do so.

SAFFR has been a prominent face at the #Cites meetings. We cannot do so without your help and support.

Our bank details are:

Paypal: flicker48@yahoo.com
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Direct Transfer:
FNB
Southern African Fight for Rhino
Account number: 62606932285
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NPC NUMBER: 2016/002289/08
Website: http://www.saffr.co.za/

https://cites.org/eng/news/calendar.php  

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