Posted on 30 September
2012 | A female greater-one horned rhino
that was relocated from an Indian wildlife
sanctuary to a national park as part of
a range expansion programme has given birth
to a calf. The mother is one of 18 rhinos
moved to India’s Manas National Park to
establish a new breeding population.
The female calf, identified
by monitors last week, is the first offspring
to be born to a translocated rhino in Manas.
The birth indicates that the new rhinos
have adapted well to the environment and
are beginning to thrive.
The mother rhino was
released into Manas in January when she
was about half way through her 15-16 month
long gestation period. Her translocation
was part of the Indian Rhino Vision 2020
project, a partnership between the Indian
government, WWF, International Rhino Foundation
and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
The programme is working
to increase the population of greater one-horned
rhinos in India’s Assam state to 3,000 by
2020 by translocating rhinos to encourage
breeding in new locations. Assam accounts
for the largest population of greater-one
horned, or Indian, rhinoceros in the world.
Although rhino numbers
in the state have grown from 2000 in 2005
to over 2700 in 2011, more than 90% of the
animals still live in just one place, Kaziranga
National Park. Founding new populations
encourages more rapid breeding, helps diversify
genetics and helps guard the species from
disease outbreaks and natural disasters.
WWF is also working
to protect rhinos from poaching for their
horns. In recent years there has been a
dramatic spike in demand for rhino horn
in Viet Nam, which has led to record rhino
poaching as far away as South Africa.
Just last week, three
of Assam’s greater one-horned rhinos were
shot and savagely mutilated for their horns.
One rhino survived the initial attack but
died days later from its painful injuries.
At least 17 rhinos have been killed for
their horns this year in Assam, and nearly
400 have been poached in South Africa.
WWF and its partner
TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network,
are campaigning for greater protection for
species like rhinos, tigers and elephants.
The organizations are calling on governments
to increase law enforcement, ensure suspected
poachers are prosecuted to the full extent
of the law and curb the demand for endangered
species products.
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Viet Nam acknowledges
severity of rhino trade
Posted on 20 September
2012 | Hanoi – WWF and TRAFFIC, in advance
of World Rhino Day Saturday, are calling
on Viet Nam to increase efforts to address
the illegal trade of rhino horn, which is
threatening rhino populations in both Africa
and Asia. Already this year, 381 South African
rhinos have been poached to meet demand
in Asian consumer markets, particularly
Viet Nam.
“Viet Nam used to be
a range country of rhinos. The extinction
of the presumably last Javan rhino in Cat
Tien National Park in 2010 was a big lesson
for protecting endangered wildlife,” said
Dr. Nguyen Ba Ngai, Deputy Director General
of Viet Nam’s Administration of Forestry,
Agriculture and Rural Development.
“The demand for rhino
horn is the main reason for the fact that
rhinos are being poached all days and nights
and illegally cross-border traded with the
involvement of international crime organizations.
To join hands with global efforts Viet Nam
has been closely working with related agencies
to strengthen the law enforcement and enhance
awareness of the whole society to combat
against illegal trade in wildlife,” he said.
WWF-Viet Nam and officials
of Viet Nam’s CITES management authority
today are bringing together government representatives
from Viet Nam, South Africa and the United
States, as well as traditional medicine
experts, to examine global efforts to conserve
rhinos.
“Rhino horns don’t belong
in a wall or in a misguided pharmacy. They
belong on a healthy rhino living in its
natural habitat,” said Laura Stone, Economic
Counsellor at the United States embassy
in Hanoi. “World Rhino Day is a great opportunity
to dispel the myths related to rhino horn.”
“We hope today’s meeting
will explore effective ways to tackle the
difficult issue of rising demand for rhino
horn in Viet Nam,” said Sabri Zain, TRAFFIC’s
Advocacy Director.
This August, WWF and
TRAFFIC launched a global campaign calling
governments worldwide to combat illegal
wildlife trade and reduce demand for rhino
horns, elephant ivory and tiger parts. In
Viet Nam, WWF and TRAFFIC are working with
government agencies on strategies to reduce
rhino horn consumption and are calling for
stronger law enforcement to tackle illegal
horn trade.
“WWF urges Viet Nam
and South Africa to formalize their joint
commitment to stopping rhino horn trade
by signing a memorandum of understanding
at the highest political level,” said Elisabeth
McLellan, Species Programme Manager for
WWF. “Words are not enough to end the killing
of rhinos and trafficking of their horns.
Both countries need to do more by putting
promises into action.”
South Africa is home
to most of the world’s rhinos, and Thursday
WWF-South Africa unveiled new plans for
tackling the biggest challenges to their
survival. The strategy will focus largely
on supporting efforts to reduce demand for
rhino horn in Asia, bolstering the ability
of investigators to gather forensic evidence
for trials, and encouraging community participation
in conservation.
“The rhino is of tremendous
value to South Africa because it is part
of what we call the Big Five, which comprise
the buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion and
rhino,” Political Counsellor Nontatu Skolo
of the South African embassy in Hanoi said
at Thursday’s meeting. “Our tourism depends
on our wildlife and in particular on the
Big Five. Rhino poaching is therefore also
doing great harm to our tourism.”
World Rhino Day was
initiated by WWF-South Africa in 2010 with
an aim to raise awareness of the plight
of the animals. Some rhino species are facing
the threat of extinction due to poaching
of their horns to meet increasing demand
in the Asian market.
