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Demand an Action Plan to Save South Africa's Rhinos

  • por: Michael Taylor
  • destinatário: South African Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs Mrs. Edna Molewa

The South African government has taken steps to try and stop the scourge of Rhino poaching - but has the country done enough?

The slaughter of rhinos in South Africa continues, and the body count has been rising fast.

One horn can fetch as much as $100,000 a kilogram. That's more expensive than gold! And, in far too many cases, the gains from poaching one of these rare and unique animals for its horn far outweighs the punishment for being caught.

Only about 20,000 white rhinos, and 5,000 black rhino now survive in Southern Africa, withroughly 29,000 left alive worldwide. That's down from 500,000 at the beginning of the 20th century.

  • 2013 - 1,004 rhinos poached in South Africa.
  • 2014 - a staggering 1,215 rhinos were killed by poachers in South Africa alone - roughly one every eight hours.
  • 2015 - 1,175 rhinos were slaughtered.

If the slaughter continues, 2016 could be the year that deaths overtake births. More decisive action is needed, and it is needed fast. We can not afford to ignore this. Our children may not forgive us.

Sign with me and become part of a legacy, one that our children will be forever grateful for, one that you can be proud of. Demand a more comprehensive action plan to save imperiled rhinos.

ler carta de petição ▾
Minister Molewa,

We the undersigned urge you to make ending rhino poaching and saving these mighty animals from extinction your ministry's top priority.
As custodians of the land and all the animals in it, the South African government has a responsibility to take the initiative and to do everything necessary to stop the slaughter.

Currently, most of the responsibility has fallen on citizens and private owners who have developed a range of innovative approaches to make rhinos less attractive to poachers. More than 150 organisations are now actively involved in their own efforts to address the problem, but with no one driving the effort centrally, there is no cohesion, limited integration and plenty of duplication of effort- when what is needed is a strategic and focused response.

We believe that your ministry could be doing more to drive the process and coordinate anti-poaching and conservation efforts. We also believe that your ministry can and should do more to address the very root of the cause - the misguided belief in Asia that rhino horn has medicinal value.

Here are some specific steps we urge you to undertsake:

1) Coordinate an international education program with your Asian counterparts to start a campaign that targets the entire population of countries where demand for rhino horns persist, namely China and Vietnam. People in these countries must come to understand that rhino horn has no medicinal value.

2) Block hunting permits to individuals from countries with weak CITES control.

3) Erect an electric fence between Kruger National Park and Mozambique.

4) Establish environmental courts to improve the rate of successful prosecution of couriers and buyers.

5) Increase prison sentences for poachers or anyone caught with illegal rhino horn.

6) Boost army patrols in problem areas.

7) Ban rhino horn sale.

8) Provide more rhino conservation funding to to non-governmental organisations.

9) Centralise local and international efforts to bring poaching under control.

There is no silver bullet or any one solution. It will also take many different angles and strategies to save these animals, but the South Africa's government must do more to drive the effort.

[Your comments will go here]

Sincerely,

[Your name]
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As custodians of the land and all the animals in it, the South African government has a responsibility to take the initiative and to do everything necessary to stop the slaughter.

Currently, most of the responsibility has fallen on citizens and private owners who have developed a range of innovative approaches to make rhinos less attractive to poachers. More than 150 organisations are now actively involved in their own efforts to address the problem, but with no one driving the effort centrally, there is no cohesion, limited integration and plenty of duplication of effort- when what is needed is a strategic and focused response.

We believe that your ministry could be doing more to drive the process and coordinate anti-poaching and conservation efforts. We also believe that your ministry can and should do more to address the very root of the cause - the misguided belief in Asia that rhino horn has medicinal value.

Here are some specific steps we urge you to undertsake:

1) Coordinate an international education program with your Asian counterparts to start a campaign that targets the entire population of countries where demand for rhino horns persist, namely China and Vietnam. People in these countries must come to understand that rhino horn has no medicinal value.

2) Block hunting permits to individuals from countries with weak CITES control.

3) Erect an electric fence between Kruger National Park and Mozambique.

4) Establish environmental courts to improve the rate of successful prosecution of couriers and buyers.

5) Increase prison sentences for poachers or anyone caught with illegal rhino horn.

6) Boost army patrols in problem areas.

7) Ban rhino horn sale.

8) Provide more rhino conservation funding to to non-governmental organisations.

9) Centralise local and international efforts to bring poaching under control.

There is no silver bullet or any one solution. It will also take many different angles and strategies to save these animals, but the South Africa's government must do more to drive the effort.

[Your comments will go here]

Sincerely,

[Your name]

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