31 Rhinos Killed in SA !!!! ( ONLY IN AFRICA :-( )

This info was forwarded to me by a member of AH, thanks.

Death from Poisoned Rhino Horn in Thailand

A woman mourns over the body of her deceased husband after he had purchased apparently purposely contaminated rhino horn on the open market in Bangkok. The source of the contamination is still to be verified but it is thought to be from a private game farm somewhere in southern Africa. Officials in Thailand are frantic to identify the source, as the powdered horn is sold in minuscule amounts... and they have no idea how much has already been distributed throughout Bangkok. Local hospitals are on standby for an unprecedented influx of new cases.

Officials are unable get information as the rhino horn dealers in Bangkok are being unco-operative. They neither want to be fingered as being the provider of the poisoned horn, not do they want to reveal their illegal international sources. It is believed that private game farm owners in southern Africa are colluding between themselves to distribute an effective poison that is harmless to the animals but harmful, or even fatal as in this case, to those that ingest the contaminated horn.

A game farm owner from the North West Province who obviously wishes to remain anonymous, has admitted to using the poison on 4 of his animals.

Three of them have shown no side-effects whatsoever 2 months after the poison was injected into the horns. However the 4th rhino was slaughtered and de-horned on a remote part of his farm in the last week of July. When asked to comment on the death in Thailand from suspect poisoned rhino horn, he refused to be drawn into the morals of the farmers joint action. He said that there would be many more cases in the near future as he was personally aware of at least another 5 slaughters of contaminated rhinos in the North West Province alone.

Authorities in South Africa are unable to comment on the "poison" collusion among the game farm owners nor are they able to verify the source of the contaminated horn.


Source: Bangkok Star

I guess this is the way to go for all Rhino farmers!!! If the users get scared they might die, there will be less poaching, maybe the demand will drop !

I had my last stats wrong we are up to 188 in SA thus far! Hopefully there is a lot of poison amongst them!

A rhino cow was on Wednesday night shot dead presumably with an R5 assault rifle near Roedtan in Limpopo. Her hamstrings and horns were chopped off with an axe.

Earlier in the day, a rhino bull was shot dead with an AK47 assault rifle in the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi nature reserve in KwaZulu-Natal and his horns were sawn off.

This brought the amount of rhino that had been killed by poachers since the beginning of last year to 300. This year, 178 rhinos have already been killed countrywide.

These numbers included the poached rhino and the calves that died after the mothers were killed.

Captain Herman Lubbe of the Modimolle (Nylstroom) police's cattle theft unit said the cow that had been poached in Roedtan, was 40 years old and her horn was 93cm long.

According to Riaan de Jager from the Limpopo department of environmental affairs, the rhino had been shot several times.

Professional hunter

The owner of the farm did not want to make his name known as he feared more poaching.

Faan Coetzee, head of the Rhino Security Project at the Endangered Wildlife Trust said the bull that was poached in KwaZulu-Natal was killed with one shot to the head.

It looked like it could be the work of a professional hunter. "The animal's horns were sawn off with precision. It means the horns were sawn off right at the nose," said Coetzee.

Rangers in the Kruger National Park also found the carcass of a badly decomposed rhino cow. Her calf of about two years old was apparently still with the carcass. The cow was presumably poached about two weeks ago.

André Snyman, the founder of eBlockwatch, said on Thursday he was on the verge of starting a database of rhino poaching on the website. Members of eBlockwatch in the Roedtan area helped nature conservation officials and police on Thursday with the tracking of poachers.

Soldiers deployed in Kruger Park

Coetzee said he had learnt that the national unit against poaching, which Water Affairs and Conservation Minister Buyelwa Sonjica was starting, would soon begin operations.

The defence force announced on Wednesday that 150 soldiers would be deployed from April 1 in the Kruger National Park to help fight rhino poaching.

Game farmers and auctioneers who attended the Soutpansberg game auction in Alldays on Friday believed that rhino poaching was the reason why not one of the 16 white rhino in the safety catalogue were sold. The two black rhino were also not auctioned off.

:gangster::machinegun::gunshooting:

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This info was forwarded to me by a member of AH, thanks.

Poisoned horn report a hoax, says expert
by Aleisha Tissen

JOHANNESBURG - It’s a hoax; nobody has died after consuming poisoned rhino horn.

Endangered Wildlife Trust Rhino Security Network’s Faan Coetzee yesterday put to rest rumours suggesting that a Bangkok man had died after purchasing “purposely contaminated” rhino horn on the black market.

Coetzee He said the malicious information probably likely originated in South Africa locally, adding it is “unprofessional” to spread such untruths it.

“Such false information has the potential to harm South Africa’s reputation and the fight against poaching. We are dealing with highly organised criminals who won’t fall for this, let’s be honest,” Coetzee told The Citizen.

He said he had liaised with a contact in Thailand who confirmed the report was untrue adding Thai authorities were not on high alert for possible further poisonings.

Reports on the supposed incident suggest the contaminated horn to be from a private game farm in the North West province.

Ed Hern, owner of the Rhino and Lion Reserve in Krugersdorp made international world headlines recently with for his plan to lace his rhinos’ horns with cyanide.

Hern confirmed he had heard rumours there had been a of the death in Bangkok.

Hern added that following on legal advice, he had been persuaded not to use poison but to rather attempt to use a substance that would act as an irritant to the consumer.

“An irritant is now being tested, the substance will make the consumer ill rather than killing them,” he said.

Zulu Wildlife Forum’s Tim Condon commented on the rumour saying despite the ethical furore the poisoning of rhino horn could trigger, it was a “positive way to fight back to help save the rhino, no matter how illegal – after all, the poachers and the ‘rhino mafia’ and corrupt politicians or official’s’ acts are also very much illegal.”

However, Coetzee said poisoning horn to tackle poaching was a highly illegal approach.

“It will be murder if you purposely poison horn and someone dies as a result. We don’t need to be criminals to solve this problem,” he said.


Source: The Citizen

Ibie,

Thats damn sad & brutal , wish could nail these heartless humans up the cross or put them in the Iron Maiden to die ....

Monish

The War On Rhinos

During August a flurry of blogs, webpostings and newspaper reports focused on the worsening rhino crisis in Southern Africa. I attempted to summarize the information in this article, adding some comments and thoughts of my own.

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=8061&size=1
The War On Rhinos. Photo credit John Van Den Berg.

On August 18th one male white rhino was killed with one shot to the head by poachers armed with an AK-47 assault rifle close to Masinda Camp in the iMfolozi Game Reserve - a place that is world famous for its successful restoration and conservation of the white rhino. Later the same day, a 40 years old rhino cow with a horn measuring 93 cm was shot dead presumably with an R5 assault rifle near Roedtan in Limpopo province; the animal was found with hamstrings and horns chopped with an axe. On August 23rd an armed gang of ten men held up two farm workers before proceeding to shoot and kill two rhinos on a farm between Modimolle and Vaalwater in South Africa's Limpopo province. The brazen daylight attack near Modimolle was unusual, in that most reports of the 300 rhinos believed to have been poached in South Africa since the beginning of last year suggest the attacks were done stealthily and mostly at night.

The highly organized poaching syndicates, probably steered by Asian mafia-like structures are using state of the art technical equipment like night-vision technique, global positioning systems from the air and ground, all kind of aircraft like microlights, helicopters and small fixed wings, high-tech air guns and cross bows delivering darts with efficient veterinary drugs and high-powered hunting rifles. Invariably they are heavily armed and ruthlessly willing to open fire on anyone who gets in their way. They are working with top-of-the range communication gear and surveillance/spotting and action teams; they are also not shy to use substantial bribes to make some security and conservation officials look the other way or collude in the killings; they pay high fees to induce people smuggling horns across international borders – and so on.

End of July 2010, the chief executive of South African National Parks (SANParks), David Mabunda said in a statement that "Perhaps it is no longer appropriate to refer to [the] illegal killing of rhinos as poaching given the levels of sophistication, violence, precision and the money behind it. We are dealing with unprecedented high levels of organized crime which the Police and all security agencies are helping to defeat.” Wildlife Ranching South Africa (WRSA), a nonprofit association established in 2005, said in a recent press release that "over 180 rhino have been killed in the past 8 months alone in South Africa. This [threatens] our African heritage and the safety and livelihood of many thousands of game farmers. The situation is now out of control and urgent new initiatives will need to be taken to deal with the escalating crisis."

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=8060&size=1
The War On Rhinos. Photo credit John Van Den Berg.

In this increasingly brutal war some desperate rhino owners have been reported to exploring biological warfare. There have been rumors that they have or are planning to inject toxins into horns which are essentially tightly packed hairs. The toxins wouldn't have a way into the animals' bloodstream and cyanide or any similar toxin would, theoretically, remain in the horn material when it is ground up. The assumption obviously is that a global awareness of poisoned rhino horn might act as deterrent for consumers of traditional Chinese medicines from using those that are or are said to containing powdered rhino horn. The demand for rhino horn could thus be dried up and the poachers will have no incentive to kill rhinos.

A recent, but questionable, report from the "Bangkok Star" circulated on Facebook about a Thai man who died after consuming medicines which were purported to contain rhino horn said that "the source of the contamination is still to be verified but it is thought to be from a private game farm somewhere in southern Africa.” Commenting on this incident WRSA said "while there is a huge empathy for the game farmers, WRSA does not support this unilateral action.

Although many people (especially from the extreme animals’ rights corner) have applauded the idea of poisoning rhino horn, it is not a good solution to the rhino poaching crisis. Innocent people who might not even know they are taking rhino horn could die and if any person dies from consuming poisoned horn material, it is murder. The people who actually do the poaching and smuggling – and who finance the sordid business would in all likelihood remain unharmed. A better way to tackle the consumer side of the rhino trade may be that the governments of the consumer countries in the Far East promote a general awareness that rhino horn is completely useless as a medication. In high-profile publicity they could expose the scams involving fake rhino horn in traditional medicine, so users may think twice before they part with their money.

Rhino horn, a time-honored component of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for thousands of years, has been credited with the potency to cure an unusually wide array of maladies from headaches to pus-filled boils – and even evil spirits, hallucinations and bewitching nightmares. Ironically, it seems the only condition rhino horn is not prescribed for is a lagging libido, although western media often report to the contrary.

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=8062&size=1
The War On Rhinos. Photo credit Steve Raymer.

Research in 1983 by Hoffmann-LaRoche, and 25 years later during a study at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) also concluded that rhino horn has no medical properties. Testing confirmed that "rhino horn, like fingernails, is made of agglutinated hair" and "has no analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmolytic nor diuretic properties" and "no bactericidal effect could be found against suppuration and intestinal bacteria." The tests at ZSL confirmed what by Hoffmann-LaRoche researchers found earlier. "There is no evidence at all that any constituent of rhino horn has any medical property. Medically, it's the same as if you were chewing your own nails.” Scientists at the Chinese University of Hong Kong also failed to confirm the alleged efficacy of rhino horn as a useful medicine. Interestingly, the ZSL analysis revealed that rhino horn contains identifying elements which could provide information about where the horns originated.

WRSA repeatedly called for controlled legal trade in rhino horns as a way to help address the rhino poaching crisis saying that legal trade rhino horn via the strictest controls and standards, overseen by the South African authorities is key to the solution. Proponents of opening formal trade argue that it allows for more transparency and profits that can be used for conservation (see also Michael Eustace’s article in African Indaba No. 8-1 “Rhino Poaching: Legalizing Horn Trade May Be the Answer”). Michael 't Sas-Rolfes, a South African wildlife conservation economist with specialist expertise in trade in endangered species worked extensively from 1990-1995 on the rhino issue especially on economic approaches to rhino horn management and the world trade in rhino horn. 'T Sas-Rolfes concluded in his report to TRAFFIC/WWF that legal trade was probably the best long-term solution, but the final report never got published (probably because of 't Sas-Rolfes’ conclusions). In 1995 some of the work was however summarized in a publication "Rhinos: Conservation, Economics and Trade-Offs" by the UK Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA). 'T Sas-Rolfes also worked on the tiger products trade, which is in many ways closely related to the rhino horn trade. A major study on the tiger bone trade will be released in the next few weeks. His work increasingly demonstrates that the continuing CITES trade ban might be a high-risk policy for rhinos and tiger, and may in fact be driving both closer to extinction.

The 2009IUCN/TRAFFIC report African and Asian Rhinoceroses--Status, Conservation and Trade stated that the illegal rhino horn trade progressively worsened since 2006 and Southern Africa emerging as a hotspot. The combined numbers of theft from government facilities and private collections, abuse of legal trophy hunting and illegal private sector sales suggest that a minimum of 1,521 rhino horns entered the illegal trade since 2006 (a two-fold increase over the previous period). Trade routes shifted from Yemen, where rhino horns were used crafting dagger handles to the traditional medicine markets in China and Viet Nam. China as signatory of CITES has banned trade in rhinoceros horn and its derivatives in 1993, but it appears that the use of rhino horn continues unabated in the TCM markets.

Since rhino horn has been proven to be totally ineffective as TCM ingredient, opening a legal trade route is however probably not the golden bullet for the desperately sought solution.

Why do millions of people persist in their belief that rhino horn is a miracle cure for all? Is this simply because they do not have access to accurate information? Or has the rhino horn business become so profitable that belief in the curative properties of rhino horn is actually encouraged as Rhishja Larson of Saving Rhinos LLC assumes? The ghastly trade where buyers in Viet Nam and China are willing to pay as much as US$1,000,000 for a single rhino horn is fueled by superstition, greed and skullduggery. Should we fuel this sordid environment with a “legal” rhino horn trade?

Yet, there might be still ample room for discussion and good arguments for the controlled horn trade issue. However, it seems to be clear that consumer education must play a major role. Hence the governments of China and Viet Nam face a major challenge to their credibility in an increasingly conservation-minded world. Apart from consumer education, syndicated commercial poaching, illegal wildlife trading and smuggling should be dealt with harshly within each country's judicial system. The Chinese government and many of the Far Eastern countries do so successfully (and sometimes against the pleadings of western governments) in case of drug smuggling. Their judicial systems have the clout to deliver the crippling blow to those who are profiteering from steering the rhino poaching pandemic. In Africa we can only stop the killings – we cannot eliminate the sinister forces guiding the African poachers. In the depressed rural economic environment there will always be willing (and poorly paid in relation to overall profits) accomplices. Our governments need to stress this in their political talks.

In June 2010 the South African Department of Environmental Affairs published a “National Strategy for the Safety and Security of Rhinoceros Populations in South Africa” The strategy focuses on strategic planning and critical intervention strategies:

• Implementing an immediate action plan aimed at mitigating the current escalation in the poaching of rhino and the illegal trade in rhino horns;
• Securing the shared commitment of government (at national and provincial level), private land owners, local communities and international stakeholders, as well as the necessary financial and manpower resources and political will to implement this policy;
• Supporting the establishment of a national coordination structure for information management, law-enforcement response, investigation and prosecution;
• Developing an integrated and coordinated national information management system for all information related to rhino species in order to adequately inform security related decisions;
• Investigating proactive security measures aimed at facilitating regulated and controlled international trade in the species, and any associated by-products.

The recent spate of attacks on the country’s rhino now prompted various bodies to unite in the fight against rhino poaching at the LeadSA Rhino Summit held at Primedia Place on Monday 23 August 2010 (on this day two rhinos were brazenly killed – see introduction). LeadSA initiated by South Africa's Independent Newspapers company and Radio 702 aims at inspiring positive actions and so keeping alive the constructive spirit created by hosting the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

Sam Ferreira – SANParks representative and chairman of the newly formed committee to tackle rhino poaching stated after the meeting that a coordinated effort between all stakeholders will address the problem of rhino poaching in South Africa. The partners will look at what can be done to tackle the demand for rhino horn. The intention of the committee is to improve communication and coordination among the anti-poaching initiatives by SANParks, government, police and security agencies, private game reserves and rhino owners as well as other conservation and wildlife organizations. The initial priorities of the committee are:

• agree on a national anti-rhino poaching reporting number to allow the public to blow the whistle on poachers;
• coordinate the provision of intelligence from all groups to the National Wildlife Crime Reaction Unit;
• coordinate a national fund raising campaign for specific anti-poaching initiatives and
• run an information campaign about rhino poaching and the use of rhino horn.

Plans are going ahead for the establishment of a combined Wildlife Crime Reaction Unit within the next few weeks. The unit would include SANParks environmental protection services, the police, state intelligence services, SA Revenue Services, SA Customs, rhino owners and wildlife organizations.

The resolution was endorsed by South African National Parks; The Hawks; South African Police Service; Identipet/ID Africa; Space for Elephants Foundation; 50:50; NSPCA Wildlife Unit; Spots; Wildlife ID; Professional Hunters Association of South Africa; African Outfitter; WESSA/Taylor Environmental; Entabeni LGSR; Legend Lodges; Wildlife and Environmental Society of South Africa; Game Rangers Association of South Africa; Private Rhino Owners Association; Vaalkop NR; Endangered Wildlife Trust; SANParks Honorary Rangers; Mission Rhino; Mango Groove; Crimeline; Shout; EBlockwatch; Maquba Ntombela Found; CAA; StopRhinoPoaching.com; Yellowwood; Grey SA; Wildlife Ranching SA; Wildlife Group/SAVA; South African Veterinary Association; Department of Environmental Affairs; ConservSecurity; Aquavision; Working Wild.

A trophy fee on poachers would seem to be a good answer to the problem.

I was in South Africa in August I was told that a chap had two Rhino on his fenced property west of J'Burg. A helicopter flew over, darted the Rhino, landed, cut the horns off, than flew away. The Rhino's died because the dose was too high and of course no after care.

A terrible terrible waste.Have a look at this link

Illegal Rhino Horn from Southern Africa Destined for China and Vietnam ? Not Yemen >> Rhino Conservation: Rhino Horn is NOT Medicine

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Double D

A trophy fee on poachers would seem to be a good answer to the problem.

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Should be free!

Another sad update ... and so it goes on ...

R1m breeding rhinos poached

Johannesburg - Two rhinos were poached and another two wounded at a game park near Klerksdorp, North West police said on Sunday.

The first carcass was discovered on Saturday morning, said police spokesperson Adele Myburgh.

"The owner of the game park... went to inspect the camp. He stumbled upon the (carcass) of a white rhino bull with an estimated value of R1m.

"The horn was removed, and the carcass was still quite fresh."

Myburgh said the bull was worth so much because it had been used for breeding.

A helicopter combing the area spotted another rhino carcass, she said on Sunday. This white rhino bull was worth about R350 000 and had also had its horn removed.

Another two wounded rhino cows were spotted from the helicopter.

Badly injured

"Their horns had not been removed, but they had been shot and wounded. They will have to shoot (one of the cows) because it's very badly injured."

The other cow was proving difficult to track down because she was frightened.

No arrests had been made.

In Limpopo on Saturday, one man was arrested after a rhino was shot and killed on a farm in Naboomspruit. Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Ronel Otto said a farmer and his workers were patrolling the farm when they heard gunshots just after 05:00.

"They went to investigate and found a dead rhino that had been shot."

More than 20 people have been arrested countrywide in separate cases involving rhino poaching since September.

At least 210 rhinos have been killed for their horns since the beginning of this year - up from a total of 122 poached last year.

Black-market demand for rhino horns has risen sharply as economic growth has spread through east and south-east Asia, where the horn is falsely believed by some to have medicinal properties.


Source: News24

Double D,

Very precisely said , 5 free with one & minimum recommended caliber should be .577 . These wretched poachers ............ very heartrending ....

Monish

It always happens to somebody else this time it did happen to a very good friend of mine two dead and two wounded. When will this end, it is not just the rhino anymore but also human. Nothing is going to stand in the way of these poachers. Landowners now also fear for being on there own properties and even more so if they do have rhino.
It looks like it is spreading like a veld fire. Almost daily you hear about rhino poaching.

These are sad day’s Johan!

Maybe we should ensure that the farmers can act against this with any force necessary in other words shoot on sight.

It is just a crying shame that despite all the good efforts of South African game farmers with the breeding of rhino we are now more than ever sitting with the same problem we had nearly 3 decades ago.

For some more than others it has to be like two steps forward and tree steps back!

I feel very sorry for the poor guy’s who invested a great deal of time and money in to the breeding of rhino’s and now they are left fighting a seemingly endless battle with poachers.

Examples have to be made of those that get caught and farmers should be allowed to defend what is rightfully theirs or this battle will never end.

Best Regards
Louis van Bergen

Mozambican War Rifles Used in Rhino Poaching
by Zani Magagula13

Mbombela - Mpumalanga military officials have revealed that some of the rifles used to poach rhino in the Kruger National Park date back to the Mozambican civil war.

Spokesperson for the provincial South African National Defence Force's (SANDF) joint tactical head office, Captain Albert Mathonsi, said that a .458 rifle recovered following a shoot-out with a group of suspected rhino poachers in the Kruger at the weekend was used as a defence weapon during the war between Frelimo and Renamo.


"These guns were supposed to have been surrendered to the government after the war ended, but some people decided to keep them. Some former soldiers are believed to be selling the weapons to make a quick buck," said Mathonsi.

He said while many poachers were Mozambican, the .303 man-made rifles from Swaziland were also commonly used for rhino poaching in South Africa. "Guns are circulated on a very fast pace as there is huge demand for the weapons," he said.

Ballistic tests would have to be conducted to determine whether the guns confiscated on Saturday were previously used for rhino poaching.


Chief executive for the South African National Parks (SANParks), David Mabunda, described 2010 as the worst year of rhino poaching in South Africa.

"South Africa has lost 333 rhinos, with 162 suspected poachers being arrested in relation to the crime last year," he said.

Mabunda said that in the Kruger, which falls under SANParks, 68 suspected poachers were arrested in 2010 alone. This is compared to 29 suspected poachers arrested in 2009.

Rangers were also at risk as they were often "greeted with fire power" without being warned. "Luckily, our rangers have been highly trained to handle such situations," he added.


Altogether, five suspected poachers were killed near the Crocodile Bridge and Pretoriuskop on 8 January when rangers returned fire in self-defence. Two surviving poachers escaped into Mozambique.

"As much as the death of the poachers is regrettable, it is also an indication of how serious SANParks and the entire conservation fraternity view the looting of the nation's natural assets," said Mabunda.

As of 1 April, SANDF soldiers will be deployed to patrol the whole of the Kruger, with assistance from the South African Police Service, who have been scaled down in the park.

"The SANDF does not make arrests, but hands over culprits to the SAPS," said Mathonsi.

The people arrested in the past year include actual poachers to couriers and kingpins in rhino poaching circles.


Source: AllAfrica