Last rhinos in Mozambique killed

  • Thread starter Thread starter ETF
  • Start date Start date
Very sad - not that rhinos are dead, per se, but that mankind has completely exhausted a specifically protected resource in the face of legislation attempting to deter such acts.
 
Are the rhinos in question black rhinos, white rhinos or both? The Southern White Rhino is in better shape, population-wise, than the Black Rhino. This is certainly a reversal from the days of my youth when the Black Rhino was part of the "Big Five" of dangerous animals that every self-respecting safari-ist bagged. Without checking up on the matter, I believe the Northern White Rhino is all but gone--last I heard, there were only a dozen or fewer left in the wild. Dreadful to see these remarkable animals that have been around for tens of millions of years being wiped out because of quack medical superstitions.
 
The article doesn't say, but implies that the population on the SA side of the border is in better shape thanks to better protection and less corruption.

Worst thing is I doubt the majority of people buying rhino horn even believe it works (I mean honestly if you had trouble getting it up wouldn't you just buy viagra?), I bet instead it's more about showing off that you can afford such a rare and expensive thing. No fucking class.
 
^A couple of decades ago, the biggest increased threat to rhinos seemed to come for the demand for their horns from dagger handles in Yemen. Yemeni men were earning good money in oil fields of the Gulf and wanted to flaunt their newfound wealth in this fashion. These days, I believe the market has returned to East Asia. Unfortunately, rhino horn is not only valued as an aphrodesiac but as a general panacea for all sorts of ills. As I recall, Vietnam is the foremost center of demand for rhino horn.

At least one South African rancher has argued that the market could be very largely supplied by sedating ranched white rhinos, cutting off their horns, and selling them. The horns grow back in a couple of years. However, export of rhino horn is banned in SA.
 
Asians and their superstitious believes in animal parts used as medicine. I am Asian and I have never believed that crap.
 
Yes I was being incredibly lazy and racist just labelling the whole problem as chinese.

Farming them sounds like a pretty good idea.

Reminds me, I read somewhere that average tusk size on African elephants has been decreasing as a result of poacher-induced natural selection.
 
There was an item in the newspaper the other day that a couple of local Vietnamese guys were convicted for trafficking in rhino horns. I felt a little sorry for them since most, if not all, their stock had come from trophy rhinos that had been dead for decades.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)
Back
Top Bottom