South Africa has taken the first step on the long and controversial road to lifting the world ban on rhino horn trading.

South Africa has taken the first step on the long and controversial road to lifting the world ban on rhino horn trading.

The ban has been in place for more than 30 years.

Last month, the Department of Environmental Affairs placed two advertisements on its tenders website to initiate a series of studies that could pave the way for a resumption of controlled rhino-horn trading.

The studies will include a detailed assessment of whether there are “options and opportunities available to South Africa to access a legal market”.

A separate study will look into the feasibility of dehorning thousands of rhinos as a way of saving them from poachers’ bullets.

Department spokesman Albi Modise said yesterday no decisions had been taken on the question of trading horns internationally, and the preliminary studies were to guide future decision-making on “various options” to safeguard the country’s rhino population.

International trade in rhino horns was banned in 1977 by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) after a wave of poaching threatened to decimate rhino populations in Africa and the Far East.

South Africa, which still allows trophy hunting under a permit system, also imposed a moratorium on the domestic sale of rhino products and horns in 2009.

This followed an upsurge in rhino poaching in this country in recent years.

Fed by international criminal syndicates chasing sky-high profits, the black market demand for horns has reached the point where more rhinos were killed in South Africa last year than the combined total over the previous decade.

Earlier this week, Environment Minister Edna Molewa said she was considering imposing a moratorium on rhino hunting because of the abuse of rhino trophy-hunting permits.

As the death toll continues to climb, there have been several calls to reopen the debate on whether the international Cites trade ban remains an effective tool to combat unscrupulous and well-organised crime syndicates. - The Star

http://www.iol.co.za/scitech/science/environment/sa-eyes-lifting-of-rhino-horn-ban-1.1130604

Cele muzzles police on rhino poaching

Skukuza - The office of National Police Commissioner General Bheki Cele has banned all provincial and regional police communication officers from commenting on issues concerning rhino poaching.

The ban followed the death of two suspected rhino poachers who were killed during a shoot-out with South African National Defence Force soldiers in the Kruger National Park on Thursday.

On Friday, provincial police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Leonard Hlathi refused to comment on the shoot-out and referred all questions to national police spokesperson Brigadier Sally de Beer.

“I suggest you telephone the national office for comment because we are not allowed to comment on stories concerning rhino poaching,” Hlathi told African Eye News Service (AENS) on Friday.

Hlathi's senior, Brigadier Lindelani Mashego confirmed that local or provincial police were no longer allowed to comment on rhino poaching incidents.

"There's an agreement between the affected parties and other government departments that the issue of rhino poaching has to be communicated through the national office of the police.

"The national office has come up with a joint operation working with the intelligence and they are the ones who are handling questions from the media about rhino poaching issues," said Mashego.  

20 suspected rhino poachers killed

However, when AENS contacted De Beer, she also refused to comment on the grounds that the police did not release a statement concerning the matter.

“The Kruger National Park should comment,” said De Beer.

Attempts to get SANDF joint tactical head office provincial spokesperson Captain Albert Mathonsi to comment were futile.

"We don't speak to the media, we are only here to assist the police deal with rhino poaching in the Kruger National Park," said Mathonsi.

South African National Parks (SANParks) spokesperson Reynold Thakhuli confirmed that two suspected poachers were killed on Thursday following a shoot-out with soldiers.

"The shoot-out ensued after three armed men confronted the soldiers and started firing without uttering a word. One of the soldiers was short in the leg and the soldiers shot back, killing the two men and injuring the other one,” said Thakhuli.

He said an AK-47 and a hunting rifle were seized from the scene.

Thakhuli said at least 20 suspected rhino poachers had been killed this year alone while 69 were arrested.

This year, more than 159 rhino have been killed in the Kruger alone. Altogether, about 150 suspected rhino poachers have been arrested nationwide.

Meanwhile, the Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve has suggested that rhino horns be poisoned to deter poachers.

The idea was put forward during discussions held at Kromdraai, outside Pretoria, last week.

Reserve spokesperson Lorinda Hern said poisoning rhino horns may reduce the demand in Asian countries, where rhino horn is used for medicinal purposes, most notably as an aphrodisiac

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Cele-muzzles-police-on-rhino-poaching-20110911

King lashes out at rhino poachers

ZULU King Goodwill Zweli-thini has condemned the killing of rhinos, saying that wildlife and the environment were critical for the well-being of the nation.

Addressing thousands of Zulu maidens at the Reed Dance ceremony at his eNyokeni Palace in Nongoma at the weekend, he dubbed those responsible for killing rhinos “heartless” individuals.

“Stop this rubbish of destroying the wildlife and killing rhinos and other animals,” the king said.

“You are really behaving like dogs that do not care about their futures. These animals are a wealth given by God to the people of KwaZulu-Natal. Change the way you are behaving because the killing of rhinos is a defiance of my order as your king to respect and protect wildlife,” he said.

The king, a known environmentalist, said he was aware that some members of his Usuthu tribe were involved in rhino poaching.

“May I warn you today that I will personally hunt you down and deal with you accordingly if you carry on with this unbecoming behaviour,” he said.

The king said the killing of rhinos was no longer something that could be ignored, as it was spreading like wildfire.

“Last year alone, a total of 333 rhinos were illegally killed. This year, which has not yet come to an end, 274 rhinos have been killed. Stop this, I urge you,” said the king.

At the ceremony this year the Zulu maidens, joined by President Jacob Zuma, the king and Premier Zweli Mkhize, planted more than 30 000 trees around the palace.

The trees were donated by the Champion of Environment Foundation in South Africa, headed by Bantu Holomisa, who also participated in the planting of trees.

Addressing the maidens, the king warned them of the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse, urging the youth not to indulge in such substances.

“Please stay away from criminality. Please purge from your hearts any hero-worshipping of criminals.

“Do not buy anything from criminals.

“Do not be lustful of anything that is ill-gotten,” said the king.

Revived in 1985 by the king, the Reed Dance ceremony is held annually to instil a sense respect and promote the preservation of virginity as part of the fight against the spread of HIV/Aids.

http://www.iol.co.za/mercury/king-lashes-out-at-rhino-poachers-1.1135527

SA eyes lifting of rhino horn ban

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A MORATORIUM on rhino hunting could be on the cards to prevent unscrupulous individuals from manipulating the permit system, Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa said. Photo: Moloko Moloto

South Africa has taken the first step on the long and controversial road to lifting the world ban on rhino horn trading.

The ban has been in place for more than 30 years.

Last month, the Department of Environmental Affairs placed two advertisements on its tenders website to initiate a series of studies that could pave the way for a resumption of controlled rhino-horn trading.

The studies will include a detailed assessment of whether there are “options and opportunities available to South Africa to access a legal market”.

A separate study will look into the feasibility of dehorning thousands of rhinos as a way of saving them from poachers’ bullets.

Department spokesman Albi Modise said yesterday no decisions had been taken on the question of trading horns internationally, and the preliminary studies were to guide future decision-making on “various options” to safeguard the country’s rhino population.

International trade in rhino horns was banned in 1977 by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) after a wave of poaching threatened to decimate rhino populations in Africa and the Far East.

South Africa, which still allows trophy hunting under a permit system, also imposed a moratorium on the domestic sale of rhino products and horns in 2009.

This followed an upsurge in rhino poaching in this country in recent years.

Fed by international criminal syndicates chasing sky-high profits, the black market demand for horns has reached the point where more rhinos were killed in South Africa last year than the combined total over the previous decade.

Earlier this week, Environment Minister Edna Molewa said she was considering imposing a moratorium on rhino hunting because of the abuse of rhino trophy-hunting permits.

As the death toll continues to climb, there have been several calls to reopen the debate on whether the international Cites trade ban remains an effective tool to combat unscrupulous and well-organised crime syndicates. - The Starhttp://www.iol.co.za/scitech/science/environment/sa-eyes-lifting-of-rhino-horn-ban-1.1130604

THAI RHINO ACCUSED A FLIGHT RISK

SHAUN SMILLIE

A SHOUT of “Amandla!” and applause. That was how the women in green greeted magistrate Eric Mhlari’s decision not to grant Chumlong Lemtongthai bail.

The women in green were ANC Women’s League members, and they and several animal rights organisations were relieved yesterday.

“I thought it was going to go the other way, I was just so stressed. I thought he was getting bail,” said rhino rights activist Selomie Maritz.

The court found that Thai national Lemtongthai was too much of a flight risk, even though he had handed in his passport to authorities, and his attorney, Alwyn Griebenow, had argued that his client had yet to be convicted and constitutionally was eligible for bail.

It took Mhlari more than an hour to read his detailed judgment yesterday afternoon.

0014 01/09/2011 Members of the ANCs Women League hold up their posters in the Kempton Park Magistrates Court calling for bail to be denied during the bail application of Chumlong Lemtongthai, a Thai national concerning the killing of rhinos in South Africa. Picture: Ihsaan Haffejee

He told the court he had had to weigh up several issues that had been raised during the two days of the bail hearing.

These included the fact that Lemtongthai had no family in South Africa, had no fixed address, and the difficulty experienced in extraditing someone from Thailand.

He said another important consideration had been the possibility of Lemtongthai interfering with witnesses.

“It is not impossible for a person to obtain travel documents, or even flee without any at all,” the magistrate said.

He told the court that “the State fears that there is the possibility the accused might flee the country, as there is nothing binding the accused to the country. Thus it is my inevitable conclusion that bail is refused.”

Earlier, State prosecutor Allen Simpson had a protesters’ banner brought before the magistrate. He told the court that the case had generated a lot of public interest and this had to be taken into account during the bail application.

The defence countered that this had nothing to do with the legal system and amounted to little more than a lynch mob.

Lemtongthai is accused of running a syndicate that used Thai prostitutes and strippers, who would pose as hunters.

His modus operandi allegedly was to obtain legal trophy permits to shoot rhinos. The permits would be in the names of the Thai women.

Earlier, the court heard that the women didn’t shoot the animals, but posed alongside the carcasses for photographs.

The State said 26 rhinos had been shot this way, and Lemtongthai had sold the horns for R65 000 a kilogram.

He is charged with contravening the Customs and Excise Act, and fraud.

However, Griebenow told the court yesterday his client made R25 000 a month, but that he owned a Hummer worth R300 000 and had furniture valued at more than R800 000.

He had two houses worth R500 000 and another R3.5 million in Thailand.

“We had considered getting one of his family members to come over,” said Griebenow yesterday after the hearing. “If his family was willing to travel all the way here, why would he be a flight risk? My client told me that if bail was not granted, he will pursue the case.”

Lemtongthai will be in court again on September 15 to decide on a trial date.

Outside court yesterday, the leader of the ANC Women’s League contingent, Sally Peterson, said it was just one small victory for animal rights.

“You touch an animal, you touch a woman,” she said. http://www.iol.co.za/the-star/thai-rhino-accused-a-flight-risk-1.1129950