White Rhino grazing at Monate Lodge

Monday 14 November 2011

South Africa rhino poaching hits record: WWF

Rhino poaching in South Africa has hit a new record high, with 341 of the animals lost to poachers so far this year as black-market demand for rhino horn soars, wildlife group WWF said Thursday.
Poaching deaths have already outstripped last year's total of 333, the previous record, WWF said.
Officials blame the poaching surge on organised crime syndicates selling rhino horn for use in Asian medicinal treatments -- especially in Vietnam, where it is believed to cure cancer.
"In order to save rhinos from extinction, the criminal syndicates operating between South Africa and Vietnam must be uncovered and shut down for good," Joseph Okori, WWF's African rhino programme coordinator, said in a statement.
"Vietnam should follow South Africa's example and start sending poachers, traders, smugglers and sellers to jail."
WWF also confirmed last week that rhinos have gone extinct in Vietnam.
The organisation said the country's last Javan rhino was found shot with its horn removed.
Booming demand has driven the price to half a million dollars per horn, according to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
South Africa, which lost just 13 rhinos to poaching in 2007, has responded to the surge by dispatching army troops to fight poachers and stepping up arrests.
But it has struggled to stop poaching syndicates that use helicopters, night vision equipment and high-powered rifles to hunt their prey.http://news.ph.msn.com/regional/article.aspx?cp-documentid=5486702

SA rhino poaching at record high

The number of rhinos poached in South Africa has reached a record high, the WWF said.

“Statistics from SA National Parks show that 341 animals have been lost to poaching so far in 2011, compared with a record total of 333 last year,” the fund said in a statement.

Three of the five rhino species globally were critically endangered. The last reported poaching took place in the Free State on October 24.

The carcasses of an adult pregnant cow and another younger cow were found at the Sandveld nature reserve near Bloemhof. This was followed by a WWF announcement in the same week that rhinos in Vietnam have gone extinct.

“The carcass of Vietnam’s last Javan rhino was found with a gunshot wound and without its horn.” There were now fewer than 50 Javan rhinos left globally, all held in one national park in Indonesia.

In an effort to increase South African numbers, 19 black rhinos were successfully moved from the Eastern Cape to Limpopo yesterday as part of the WWF black rhino range expansion project.

The week-long transfer was completed yesterday. This was the seventh black rhino population established in the country by the WWF. Close to 120 black rhino have been relocated to date.

“This was possible because of the far-sightedness of the Eastern Cape provincial government, which was prepared to become partners in the project for the sake of black rhino conservation in South Africa,” the WWF’s project leader, Jacques Flamand, said in a statement.

During a meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) last year, the international community concluded that the increase in poaching was caused largely by demand for horn products in Vietnam.

“The unfounded rumour that rhino horn can cure cancer most likely sealed the fate of the last Javan rhino in Vietnam,” said the WWF’s Asian rhino expert doctor, A Christy Williams. “This same problem is now threatening other rhino populations across Africa and South Asia.”

South Africa has been the focal point of poaching because it has the largest population of rhinos in the world, the WWF said.

“Since armed protection for rhinos in South African national parks is strong, poaching syndicates are likely to shift to countries with weaker enforcement power, including possibly Asian countries that may be caught off guard,” said global species programme director at WWF Carlos Drews.

Despite this, legal loopholes which allowed the export of rhino hunting trophies were being exploited. In an attempt to restrict the trophy hunting, Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa proposed amendments to the norms and standards governing the practice.

Molewa submitted the suggested amendments for public comment on September 30. These covered the norms and standards for marking rhino horn and trophy hunting of white rhino, the department said in a statement early October.

“The proposed amendments are intended to address the abuse of the permit system,” said spokesperson Albi Modise. “Although illegal hunting is the main threat that could impact on the survival of rhinoceros in the wild in the near future, stricter provisions relating to hunting are required.”

In September, a delegation of Vietnamese officials visited South Africa to discuss enhancing law enforcement co-operation between the two countries.

“Vietnam should follow South Africa’s example and start sending poachers, traders, smugglers and sellers to jail,” said the WWF’s African rhino programme coordinator, Joseph Okori.

“In order to save rhinos from extinction, the criminal syndicates operating between South Africa and Vietnam must be uncovered and shut down for good.”

Rhino Crisis Round Up

South Africa’s rhino death toll now stands at a record 341.

The total includes 16 critically endangered black rhinos. A whopping 197 of the 341 killings occurred in South Africa’s famed Kruger National Park.
Global slaughter
This grim news comes less than ten days after the Javan rhino subspecies (Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus) was declared extinct. The last individual was found dead in 2010, with a gunshot wound and her horn removed.
WWF’s Asian rhino expert, Dr. A. Christy Williams, explained that the false notion of rhino horn usefulness as a miracle cure for cancer is driving the global slaughter.
The unfounded rumour that rhino horn can cure cancer most likely sealed the fate of the last Javan rhino in Vietnam. This same problem is now threatening other rhino populations across Africa and South Asia.
Rhino horn and ivory trade expert Dr. Tom Milliken of TRAFFIC pointed out that rhino populations in both Africa and Asia are threatened by the same demand for rhino horn.
It’s tragic that the Javan rhino has been wiped out in Vietnam by the same forces that are driving rhino poaching in Africa. This is the ultimate wake-up call for the Vietnamese government to turn aggressively on its internal rhino horn market.
Not only are South Africa’s rhinos targeted in national parks and on private farms, the country’s legal trade in rhinos is serving as a smokescreen for laundering rhino horns for the illegal market.
WWF noted that loopholes in South Africa’s trophy hunting permit process and rhino horn stockpile management are being exploited, and that “improvements are needed”.
Shared responsibility
Countries which are involved in supplying rhino horn, transporting rhino horn, and consuming rhino horn share responsibility for the rhino crisis.
Dr. Carlos Drews, Global Species Programme Director at WWF said international efforts to crack down on the rhino horn trade need to be stepped up.
Since armed protection for rhinos in South African national parks is strong, poaching syndicates are likely to shift to countries with weaker enforcement power, including possibly Asian countries that may be caught off-guard.
To break the illegal trade chain, governments in source, transit and consumer countries must all scale up their efforts.
Unfortunately, South Africa appears to be sending mixed messages about halting rhino horn demand.
Although considering “stricter provisions” on rhino hunting to curb loophole abuse, a spokesperson for South Africa’s Water and Environmental Affairs Ministry claimed that the Department is also looking at a “legal rhino horn trade” scheme (which would essentially validate the myth that rhino horn is a miracle cure for cancer).
There was no mention of the potential effect of China’s multimillion-dollar rhino horn “business” on rhino horn demand, or further explanation regarding South Africa’s role as the supplier of at least 103 live rhinos to China since 2007.
Rhino calf killed in Namibia
A baby rhino was found snared in Namibia’s Huab Conservancy, with the tiny horns hacked off.
According to The Namibian, tracks found near the body showed that the mother had stayed with her baby for several days.
Bernd Brell from the Save the Rhino Trust was quoted as saying that the killers attempted to “hide the evidence”.
… the poachers removed the horns of the calf before they cut of its hind leg to hide the evidence of a snare. Then they split open the carcass’s belly from the throat to the back in order to attract scavengers, in the hope that the animal would vanish and no sign of poaching would remain.
This was the first reported rhino murder in the Kunene Region in 17 years.
Javan rhino survey
Regarding Asian rhinos, there is concern that the last surviving population of Javan rhinos may contain only a handful of females.
Out of 17 rhinos recorded via camera trap in the eastern half of Ujung Kulon National Park, four were breeding females, according to The Jakarta Globe.
Recently, the video cameras were moved to the western half of the park, which is “more remote”.
It is hoped that additional female Javan rhinos will be found; the results could be known in a few weeks.
Hope for Javan rhinos
However, there is hope for Javan rhinos in Indonesia, thanks to Operation Javan Rhino.
The International Rhino Foundation (IRF) along with an international team of partners, is working to expand the useable habitat for Javan rhinos in UKNP by creating the 4,000 hectare Javan Rhino Study and Conservation Area (JRSCA).
We are doing this by constructing small bridges, an electric fence, and a patrol road; eradicating invasive species which have taken over a good portion of the habitat; planting rhino food plants; providing a water supply and saltlick; and constructing additional guard posts. The continued survival of the Javan rhino depends on their population increasing in numbers as rapidly as possible, and in spreading the population out so that ‘all the eggs are not in one basket’.

http://www.inamibia.co.na/news-and-weather/15-africa/2889-rhino-crisis-round-up.html

Rhino Air: Hold onto your horns! Dangling miles above the earth, the amazing flight which saved a herd of rhinos from certain death

Dangling from cords tied to their ankles, 19 hulking animals were transported out of the South African hills inaccessible by road in the country's Eastern Cape.
And these incredible images show exactly how conservationists used a military helicopter to carry the herd of 1,400-kilo rhinos to their new home, away from poachers.
Conservationists put the endangered beasts to sleep and hoisted one at a time for the 15-mile flight.
The big move was orchestrated by World Wildlife Fund experts, who yesterday drove the rhinos 1,000 miles to fresh breeding ground in the northern Limpopo province.
Flying high: Each animal, which weighs at least two tons, spent 20 minutes in the air being flown to safety
Today photographer Michael Raimondo, who captured the spectacular scenes, said each animal spent around 20 minutes in the air.
He said: 'It was quite incredible. These things are so heavy - some of them weigh a couple of tons.
'The main aim was to ensure the rhinos were moved in a way that would not distress them, so they were darted and put to sleep before being lifted.'
Mr Raimondo, director of environmental body Green Renaissance, was among a team of 25 who helped with the painstaking process.
He added: 'We couldn't get trucks to them as they were in a very remote area, so military choppers were needed to bring them out.
'The helicopters had been tried and tested during exercises so we knew they could carry incredibly heavy things.'
Hold onto your horns: Even though the rhinos were fast asleep, they were blindfolded to stop them becoming frightened if they suddenly woke up
Heavy load: The rhino's were darted and put to sleep before being airlifted to a secret location in a bid to increase the number across South Africa
The mammoth cargo included males that were nearly four metres long, and weighed up to 2,000 kilos.
Black rhinos are under threat across Africa, where poachers in safari parks and private reserves kill and maim the beasts for their horns.
New figures published today by the WWF revealed that more of the vulnerable animals have been slaughtered in the first 10 months of this year than during the whole of 2010.
Official statistics show that that 341 rhinos have been lost to poaching this year in South Africa, compared to 333 last year.
This week's herd was the seventh to be transferred to new bushland by WWF, which is attempting to increase the population.
The precise locations were not revealed in an effort to prevent criminals from targeting the animals.
WWF project leader Jacques Flamand helped revive the animals after each helicopter journey, which took place around half a mile above the ground.
He said: 'The operation was difficult due to the number of animals and the long distances involved.
Flight of the Rhino: Black rhinos are under threat across Africa, flying the animals out of danger was the only option for conservationists as their habitat was inaccessible by road
What just happened? One of the rhino's is woken up in his new home by Conservationist Jacques Flamand after taking a 15 miles flight upside down
'But wildlife veterinarians, conservation managers and capture teams worked cooperatively to ensure the success of the translocation. We were united in a common cause.'
The project was the first of its kind in South Africa, but previous trips with elephants in Malawi demonstrated how humane the procedure could be.
Dr Flamand added: 'Previously rhinos were either transported by lorry over very difficult tracks, or airlifted in a net.
'This new procedure is gentler on the darted rhino because it shortens the time it has to be kept asleep with drugs, the respiration is not as compromised as it can be in a net and it avoids the need for travel in a crate over terrible tracks.'
The WWF Black Rhino Range Expansion Project has been running in South Africa for eight years, and seen 120 animals moved.
The operation is one of many conservation attempts to curb the death of the animals, which are classified as 'critically endangered'.
The increase in illegal hunting has been fuelled by a demand for horn in the Far East, where it is ground up and used in traditional medicines.
Earlier this year experts said the substance was being sold on the black market for around POUNDS 35,000 a kilogram - making it more valuable by weight than gold.
A world-first scheme launched in June saw a DNA database of rhino horns set up to crack criminal networks that kill and torture the beasts.
Black and white rhinos are popular sights in South Africa's array of game parks, which are visited by millions of tourists every year, many from Britain

South Africa record for rhino poaching deaths

Some game farms in South Africa have resorted to de-horning rhinos before poachers get to them
The demand for rhino horns has led to record poaching this year in South Africa, wildlife charity WWF has said.
Figures from South Africa National Parks show 341 rhinos have been killed so far in 2011, already outstripping last year's record total of 333.
WWF says the spike in poaching in Africa and South Asia is largely caused by increased demand for rhino horn in Vietnamese traditional medicine.
Poachers saw off a darted rhino's horn, leaving the animal to bleed to death.
In the five years up to 2005, an average of 36 rhinos were killed each year in South Africa.
The WWF said law enforcement efforts were increasing, but were not sufficient to stop the smuggling and sale of their horns by organised crime rings.
South Africa has been the focal point of poaching because it has the largest population of rhinos in the world, with 1,916 black rhinos and 18,780 white rhinos, the conservation group said.
The rhino horn trade is regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) and at present South Africa only allows the export of horns as hunting trophies.
WWF said improvements were needed in the regulation of hunting permits and the management of rhino horn stock piles in the country.
"Since armed protection for rhinos in South African national parks is strong, poaching syndicates are likely to shift to countries with weaker enforcement power, including possibly Asian countries that may be caught off-guard," Carlos Drews, global species programme director at WWF, warned in a statement.
South Africa's government has commissioned a study into whether legalising trade in rhino horn could help to bring down poaching.
In Vietnam many believe that ground rhino horn can be used to cure cancer - although there is no scientific proof of this - and horns taken to the the Middle East are used to make handles for ornamental daggers
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15571678

South Africa detains Thai rhino poaching suspect

Some black rhinos are being bred in zoos to protect the species
A Thai man suspected of having links to a rhino poaching syndicate has been detained in South Africa.
He is suspected of being an associate of another Thai national, Chumlong Lemtongthai, a South African Revenue Service spokesman told AFP news agency.
Mr Lemtongthai is in custody charged with organising illegal rhino poaching expeditions.
Wildlife charity WWF said this week that demand for rhino horns had led to record poaching in South Africa.
The latest suspect's name cannot be released until he is formally arrested.
He has a previous conviction in South Africa for smuggling lion bones and other illegal animal products and was trying to enter the country on a fake passport, Revenue Service spokesman Adrian Lackay was quoted by AFP as saying.
Officals allege the syndicate ran by Mr Lemtongthai would obtain trophy hunting permits and then buy the rhinos' horns from the hunters for an average of 65,000 rand ($8,342; £5,201) per kilogramme to send overseas.
WWF says the spike in poaching in Africa and South Asia is largely caused by increased demand for rhino horn for use in traditional medicine in Vietnam and other parts of Asia.
In Vietnam many believe that ground rhino horn can be used to cure cancer - although there is no scientific proof of this - and horns taken to the the Middle East are used to make handles for ornamental daggers
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15591397

Wednesday 2 November 2011

South Africa hardens its stance on rhino trophy hunts

Alarmed by record levels of rhino poaching this year, South Africa is launching a crackdown on one of its most lucrative tourist attractions: trophy hunting.
So far this year, 324 rhinos have been illegally killed in South Africa, usually shot by organized gangs of criminals who sever the rhino horns for trafficking to Vietnam and China. The slaughter this year is expected to far exceed the record total of 333 rhinos killed by poachers last year.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/africa-mideast/south-africa-hardens-its-stance-on-rhino-trophy-hunts/article2199740/

Survey of endangered Javan rhinos finds far fewer females than males in Indonesian park

JAKARTA, Indonesia — A survey of endangered Javan rhinos in an Indonesian park has found far fewer females than males, a potential setback in efforts to save the species.
Video cameras set up in the eastern half of Ujung Kulon National Park recorded 17 rhinos this year. Just four were female.
Park official Arif Junaedi said Friday the cameras have now been moved to the more remote western half of the park, and that “hopefully many more females remain” there. The results should be known in November.
Only 40 to 60 Javan rhinos remain in the park, which is the animal’s original habitat. They are the last known living members of the species, with none in captivity.
The last known Javan rhino in Vietnam was found dead in April, apparently after poachers killed it for its horn.

Two white rhino were illegally shot and their horns removed in a Free State reserve, provincial environmental spokesman Kgotso Tau says.

The carcasses of an adult pregnant cow and another younger cow were found at the Sandveld nature reserve near Bloemhof on Monday morning.
Tau said it seemed the rhino were killed during Sunday night.
Various tracks were found in the vicinity and it was suspected that the poachers were in the reserve on foot.
“We were lucky that poachers had not been active in the province until now,” said Tau.
He said rhino guards were deployed in all Free State reserves.
The incident was the second rhino poaching incident, to remove horns illegally, in the Free State this year.
Another adult rhino cow was illegally shot at the Willem Pretorius reserve near Ventersburg in February this year.
A total of 309 rhino had been poached in South Africa this year, the national department of environmental affairs said earlier.

http://www.timeslive.co.za/scitech/2011/10/26/white-rhinos-poached-in-the-free-state

Rhino poaching suspect to stay behind bars

An alleged rhino poaching syndicate leader, who illegally used permits acquired by prostitutes and strippers to hunt rhino, was denied bail by the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg.
In September, the Kempton Park Magistrate's Court ruled that Chumlong Lemtongthai was a flight risk, but he challenged magistrate Eric Mhlari's decision this week, saying it was unconstitutional to deny him bail because he was not a South Africa, the Saturday Star reported.


High court judge Motsamai Makume upheld Mhlari's decision on Friday, saying Lemtongthai had no family in South Africa or property.

He also cited an affidavit by one of the Thai women, who was going to be called as witness, in which she said she feared for her life after receiving calls from Thai nationals who threatened her, the newspaper reported.

The state alleges that Lemtongthai paid Thai strippers and prostitutes to use their permits to hunt rhino.

Once the rhino was shot, the women would then be called to come and pose for photos with the carcasses.

Lemthingthai's company, Xaysavang Trading Export Import is being charged R65 000 per kilogram of rhino horns. The state alleged that 26 rhinos were shot, the Saturday Star reported.

He is expected to appear back in the Kempton Park Magistrate's Court on November 8 on charges of fraud and contravening the Customs and Exercise Act. -- Sapa

Protest against rhino poaching

TO raise awareness and get more people behind the move to stop the cruelty of killing rhinos, the Joburg Zoo will host a march against rhino poaching on 13 November.
Black rhinos are being poached almost to extinctionThe march will run from 10am to 12pm and participants are encouraged to bring their own placards bearing anti-rhino poaching messages. Normal zoo entrance fees will apply.
According to Candice Segal, the zoo’s marketing assistant, the march will take place within the zoo. “The route will start at the bandstand and go through main roads such as Seal Street, Cat Walk, Wetland Walk, up Memorial Boulevard and around Tiger Trek, Jungle Junction and end at Phila, the black rhino’s enclosure,” she added.
The idea is to raise awareness about rhino poaching; it will also allow zoo staff and visitors to voice their opinions on rhino poaching and its “devastating effects” on South Africa’s rhino population.
“We had a lot of activities around rhino poaching when Phila, the rhino, first came to the zoo in October 2010. The march is the first for the zoo with regards to the issue of rhino poaching,” explains Segal.
Anyone who wants the illegal rhino horn trade and killing of rhinos to stop is invited to join the march.
There are two white rhinos and one black rhino at Joburg Zoo. Phila, the black rhino, was attacked twice by poachers and shot nine times, but survived. As a result, it was moved from Modimolle, in Limpopo, to the safety of the zoo.
Phila arrived in Joburg on 25 October 2010 to find temporary sanctuary while it recovers fully from its injuries, explains the zoo’s website.
Rhino poaching has escalated rapidly in recent years. The reasons for this are varied: disadvantaged people hunt wildlife for food and some for traditional medicines. There is also a large illegal trade in rhino horn, mostly with Asian countries.
In South Africa, in 2010 alone; about 333 rhinos were killed by poachers because of the rising demand for rhino horn. Some people misguidedly believe that the horn has properties that can cure cancer and impotence.
Because of demand and vigilant protection measures that have been instituted, rhino poachers have become more sophisticated, and use helicopters to spot the animals in the bush and night vision equipment at night to avoid getting caught. Each horn weighs about 10kg.
Black rhinos are listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species.
http://www.joburg.org.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7376&catid=88&Itemid=266

Monday 31 October 2011

Baby Rhino Rescued From Tree

A crying three-week-old rhino was discovered with its head trapped in the fork of a tree.
  • Poachers had hit the calk over the head with a machete and shot its mother dead.
  • It took a half hour to free the calf since its head had swelled up.
A three-week-old South African rhino was rescued from a thorn tree after fleeing poachers who shot its mother dead and hit the calf over the head with a machete, a report said Thursday.
"I heard the little one cry, I saw it was trapped and was hurting, but I could not do anything until the vet arrived," game farm owner, Neels van Rensburg told Die Beeld newspaper.
The bleating baby white rhino was discovered with its head trapped in a v-shaped fork of a small tree near the carcass of its mother on a game farm near Pretoria. The cow had been shot in the heart and head.
 

Rhino Killer Shot by Police

Call it justice, karma, or rhino relief. A serial rhino killer has been shot and killed by Swaziland police after he shot at them. ‘Lucky’ Maseko was wanted in South Africa for attempted murder, and environmental crimes, including the deaths of at least ten rhinos in the last two years. Swaziland is where he wound up after leaving a trail of death from South Africa, “Swaziland has been targeted because there is low risk here compared to doing the same in SA. The situation will get worse if the country amends the Game Act because criminals from other countries and even locals will know that it is safe to poach in Swaziland. They will use the weak legislation to their advantage,” said a conservation official there. (Source: Swaziland Times)
Maseko was just one of three rhino killers shot dead by Swaziland police. After the shooting of the rhino poachers, two rhino horns, guns and ammunition were recovered. An individual who commits such heinous crimes against human beings repeatedly is known as a serial killer. Will that term ever be extended to include humans that repeatedly cause the deaths of animals, especially if the killer is contributing to the extinction of an entire species? After all, humans are actually just primates and also animals. So what exactly is the difference? Animal poachers who repeatedly kill animals have been known to shoot at conservation rangers sometimes killing them. Shouldn’t the law recognize the relationship between animal destruction and violence against humans in psychopaths and sociopaths and punish them accordingly?
Maseko was listed on the INTERPOL website was wanted. He was also one of South Africa’s most wanted, for various poaching charges and skipping bail. In South Africa he was once caught at a police roadblock with guns near a nature preserve containing rhinos. It was assumed he intended to kill some of them.
Swaziland is a very small country bordered on three sides by South Africa, so it is sort of inside the borders of South Africa. In the 1990s they were losing one rhino  per week due to poaching. Today they might be down to just about 100.
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/rhino-killer-shot-by-police.html

Turning rhinos into fast bucks

When it comes to poaching, Wollworths has moved beyond the egg section. Woolworths recently threw its weight behind rhino conservation with its MyPlanet scheme that encourages customers to contribute to the MyPlanet Rhino Fund (an Endangered Wildlife Fund initiative) by swiping their cards at participating retailers. Well done Woolworths - but take a deeper look, because a leopard doesn't change it's spots.

http://www.noseweek.co.za/article/2614/Turning-rhinos-into-fast-bucks

Owner dehorns rhinos

The owner of a Jeffrey's Bay nature reserve believes dehorning the rhino on his property will minimise the risk of the animals being poached.

Johan Lottering has dehorned 10 of the 13 rhino on the reserve after being tipped off about a possible attack by poachers.

He said they plan to do this every two years.

Lottering said the horns have been stored in a safe at a bank.

“It is in a safe deposit in the bank because it’s too dangerous to keep it on the farm. We twice received tip-offs that people were about to strike over weekends but we had people out in the veld 24 hours a day over weekends,” he said.

Hundreds of rhino are poached every year in South Africa.

In the most recent incident, environmental officials and police have reportedly launched a manhunt for poachers who killed two white rhinos in the Sandveld Nature Reserve in the Free State.

http://www.eyewitnessnews.co.za/Story.aspx?Id=76425

Thai rhino horn suspect seeks bail

A Thai national accused of buying rhino horns through permits acquired illegally by strippers and prostitutes took his battle to be freed on bail to the Johannesburg High Court on Wednesday.
The man claims the State has no grounds for detaining him.
Chumlong Lemtongthai was challenging last month’s ruling by the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court that he was a flight risk as he had nothing tying him to South Africa.
In opposing his bail, the State had argued it was possible for Lemtongthai to skip the country despite his travel documents being in the investigating officer’s possession because he could bribe Home Affairs officials to get other documents. Magistrate Eric Mhlari agreed, saying it was not impossible for people without documents to travel.
But, arguing in court on Wednesday, Lemtongthai’s counsel, advocate Laurance Hodes SC, disagreed, saying the magistrate had erred in refusing bail and that it was unconstitutional to deny a person bail simply because they had no family in South Africa.
“The magistrate erred in holding that he was of the opinion that the fears of the State that the appellant may not stand trial, it being possible that the appellant might flee the country, there being nothing binding the appellant to South Africa, led him to conclude bail should be refused. The magistrate erred in finding the appellant constituted a flight risk.”
Hodes said Mhlari had also erred in finding that the State had a strong case against Lemtongthai, saying he had a solid defence to charges of contravening the Customs and Excise Act and fraud. The man was willing to pay R100 000 bail and there was no evidence to prove he would skip bail.
However, prosecutor Allen Simpson differed, arguing that no amount of money would be sufficient to keep Lemtongthai in the country. “Money is clearly not an object, so he is indeed a flight risk.”
Judge Motsamai Makume reserved judgment for tomorrow.
Lemtongthai is accused of running a syndicate that used Thai prostitutes and strippers, who would pose as hunters.
The State said 26 rhinos had been shot this way, and Lemtongthai had sold the horns for R65 000 a kilogram.
http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/thai-rhino-horn-suspect-seeks-bail-1.1165912

Could legalising rhino horn trade stop poaching?

South Africa is considering legalising rhino horn trade - in a bid to combat rampant rhino poaching, but the suggestion has been met with mixed reaction in Southern Africa.
Demand for rhino horn is at an all time high and South Africa, which has the largest reserves of the wild animal, is a prime hunting ground for poachers.
Over the past three years, gangs are said to have killed more than 800 rhinos for their horns, which can fetch £22,000 ($35,055) per kg on the black market.
Poachers use a chainsaw to cut away the rhino's horns, after darting it with a tranquilizer - drugged and helpless the animal bleeds to death.
Large syndicates are involved in this multi-billion dollar trade worldwide - exporting the horns from Africa to parts of Asia and the Middle-East.
Despite many anti-poaching measures 310 have been killed in South Africa this year, more than 330 had been killed at the end of last year - and the numbers are set to increase, experts warn.
In the five years up to 2005, an average of 36 rhinos were killed each year.
Some say today's efforts are "too conventional" and are not enough.
Africa's rhino population
  • 80% Africa's rhino population is found in southern Africa
  • There are 4,500 black rhino in southern Africa
  • The black rhino population has decreased by 95% since the 1980s
  • There are 20,000 white rhino in South Africa alone
  • About 80% of Africa's rhinos are found on state-owned land and the rest on private property
Sources: WWF and Campfire Zimbabwe
Now South Africa has commissioned a study into whether legalising trade in rhino horn could in fact help to bring down poaching, the Department of Environmental Affairs announced recently.
"We are impartial at this stage but we are looking at all the suggestions which could help us in the fight against poachers," the department's spokesperson, Albie Modise, told the BBC.
"We are awaiting submissions and would consider this if we get authentic scientific backing that this would be effective," he said.
The idea is that legalising rhino horn trade would make South Africa directly responsible for meeting the demand for the horns - taking power out of the hands of poachers and placing it in the hands authorities who would also be sensitive to current conservation efforts.
These authorities would do market research into global markets of the trade, said Mr Modise.
The department says rhino horn stock piles could also be sold to fund further rhino conservation efforts.
Mr Modise says the suggestion first came up at a rhino summit held last year to find ways of tackling poaching in southern Africa.
Rhino horn trade is regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) and at present South Africa allows the export of horns only as hunting trophies.
The legal debate
But the consideration has drawn heavy criticism from international conversation group WWF, which says this would be a setback by decades the efforts made to stabilise the rhino population.
"We understand the need to come up with new ways of combating the rhino horn trade but we are against the notion that legalising it is the answer," said Morne du Plessis, of WWF in South Africa.
“Start Quote
We must be open to the idea of engaging with the markets and finding ways which would make Africa benefit from the demand”
End Quote Charles Jonga Director of Campfire Association Zimbabwe
"How can we control legal rhino horn trade when we can't even control illegal trade. There are too many unknowns for us to even start thinking in that direction," Mr du Plessis said.
If WWF believed legalising the industry would be of benefit - it would be done research on the matter itself, he added.
Instead, WWF believes that such a move would only further endanger the lives of rhino - and possibly drive them to extinction.
There are currently 4,500 of the critically endangered black rhino (Diceros bicornis) spread across southern African nations - a shocking decline from the 1980s when 75,000 of the mammals were mostly found in Zimbabwe.
The two sub-species of white rhino (Ceratotherium simum) have a population in the region of 20,000 in South Africa alone.
But Campfire Association Zimbabwe - which advocates being able to make a living from wildlife - supports the idea of legalising the trade, saying it is time efforts looked at untested measures as opposed to the current ones which are not always effective.
"We view this as part and parcel of placing value on the rhino species. We are looking forward to a time when communities would benefit directly from living with the species," says Charles Jonga, who heads Campfire Zimbabwe.
He said his organisation, which was founded in the 1980s, had found that communities which were directly involved in conserving wildlife and were also able to earn a living from it were more keen to protect the animals from poachers.
If the trade were legal, Campfire Zimbabwe says, it would give power to countries with rhinos to set appropriate conditions to the sale - for example insisting that the horn not be used for medicinal purposes or perhaps to get clarity on what markets use the horns.
Mr Jonga said the demand needed to be met and not shunned, adding that there were ways of doing this without driving the rhino population to extinction.
"We must be open to the idea of engaging with the markets and finding ways which would make Africa benefit from the demand and indeed the communities where the rhinos are found," said Mr Jonga.
"We must also look at possibilities of breeding the rhino in our communities," he added.
Conservationists suspect that most of the illegally harvested rhino horns destined for south-east Asia are used for medicinal purposes.
In Vietnam many believe that ground rhino horn can be used to cure cancer - although there is no scientific proof of this - and those horns taken to the the Middle East are used to make handles for ornamental daggers.
Some measures have been put in place to curb poaching in South Africa including the deployment in recent months of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to protect the animals from poachers by patrolling "hotspots".
Millions of dollars have been invested over the past few years on high-tech technology, upping conservations efforts and starting up range expansion programmes all in a bid for counter the effects of poaching on the rhino population.
While many countries are desperate for answers to the poaching problem - and many agree that a lot more can be done to save rhinos, critics says South Africa's idea might be too unconventional and untested to get the supports it needs.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15355494

Wednesday 19 October 2011

Viability of rhino horn trade studied

Pretoria - The department of water and environmental affairs (Dwea) has commissioned a feasibility study to look into legalising the rhino horn trade.

“The department, as part of the outcomes of the Rhino Summit held in October last year, has commissioned a feasibility study on the viability of legalising trade in rhino horn in South Africa," department spokesperson Albi Modise told African Eye News Service on Friday. "The terms of reference for the study have been published and a service provider will be appointed shortly."

He said market research would also be done into global rhino horn markets.

He said it was already a known fact that the market for rhino horns was in the Middle and Far East.
“We are not sure about [other] countries or clients who would be interested in buying the horns," he said.
Funds raised from the sale of government-owned rhino horn stockpiles would be used for rhino conservation, he said.

Modise said it was also important to locate black market traders and shut them down. He was adamant that the war against rhino poaching could be won.

Chair of the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa Andrew Rossaak has supported the initiative.
“We really support...research [efforts] because there will be a clear understanding of the demand of horns overseas,” said Rossaak.

Rossaak agreed that funds raised through legal rhino horn trade could be used to protect rhinos against poaching.

Last week, South African and Vietnamese officials agreed to draw up a Memorandum of Understanding and collaborate, amongst others, on natural resource management, wildlife protection and law enforcement.
The bi-lateral meeting focussed, in particular, on rhino poaching and the illegal trade in rhino horn.

Since January 1, poachers have killed at least 281 rhinos in South Africa.

Dwea minister
Edna Molewa has reported that only about 18 800 white rhino and 2 200 of the endangered black rhino remain in South Africa.

She said 155 suspected rhino poachers were arrested this year. Sixty-five arrests were in the Kruger National Park.

Molewa proposes new rhino rules

Johannesburg - In an attempt to further restrict the trophy hunting of rhino, Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa has proposed amendments to the norms and standards governing the practice.

Molewa submitted the suggested amendments for public comment on September 30. These covered the norms and standards for marking rhino horn and trophy hunting of white rhino, the department said in a statement on Friday.

"The proposed amendments are intended to address the abuse of the permit system," said spokesperson Albi Modise.

"Although illegal hunting is the main threat that could impact on the survival of rhinoceros in the wild in the near future; stricter provisions relating to hunting [are] required."

This was to ensure that the processes were standardised and to reduce possible abuse of the system.

Microchip

"The department... views this in a very serious light and is committed to the fight against rhino poaching and abuse of the permit system," said Modise.

The amendments stipulate that all live rhino sold and transported must be micro-chipped in both horns.

Rhino horns obtained as a result of dehorning, which were not micro-chipped, will now have to be micro-chipped by the permit issuing authority.

The information would then be kept on a provincial and a national database.

It was also proposed that all rhino hunts be strictly controlled.

This would be by means of an individual threatened or protected species (Tops) hunting permit which would ensure that all horns could be traced to where the hunt took place.

The hunting of rhino may, therefore, not be authorised in terms of a standing permit for game farms, or a game farm hunting permit provided by the owner of a registered game farm.

The amendment proposes that a person may only hunt and export one rhino for trophy purposes within a 12-month period.

The hunting could also take place only under the supervision of a conservation official, preferably an environmental management inspector (EMI) from the province concerned.

The supervisor must then immediately hand over the information and microchip numbers to the department.

Any exports of rhino horn must be endorsed by the EMI, the department said.

DNA samples would have to be collected when rhinos were darted for translocation and treatment.

Samples would also have to be collected from detached horns obtained through, among others, natural mortalities and dehorning.

"The results of these DNA samples aim to assist enforcement officials to achieve successful prosecutions during criminal proceedings," said the department.

The samples would then be sent to the Onderstepoort Veterinary Genetics Laboratory as soon as possible.

Anyone who wanted to submit representations or comments on the proposed amendments could do so during October.

It is estimated that 307 rhino have been poached so far this year. In 2010, 333 rhino were poached.

About 180 people have been arrested this year, up from 165 last year.