Posted on 28 November
2012 | Poaching of rhinos and elephants
has risen so sharply in Africa that the
fate of the species are now at risk. Tens
of thousands of elephants and at least 588
rhinos have lost their lives in 2012.
“The rhino faces extinction
within 10 years if we do not reverse this
trend,” says Dr Joseph Okori, WWF's African
Rhino Programme leader.
In South Africa several
rhinos are killed every day for their horns.
“Villagers are at the
bottom of the chain and can earn several
months income through two or three days
of poaching. Huge amounts of money is in
circulation,” says wildlife vet Okori, who
has worked on the protection of endangered
species all his life.
Behind the rhino poaching
boom is an increasing demand from Asia,
primarily Viet Nam. Ivory consumption has
risen in step with economic growth in Asia.
Large amounts of illegal ivory is reaching
markets in Thailand and China.
Demand for rhino horn
has become so strong that criminal syndicates
have plundered antique shops and museums
in Europe for old horns.
“In Vietnam appliances
that grind rhinoceros horns are sold for
around $450,”said Joseph Okori.
To reverse the escalating
poaching and to stop the illegal trade,
a range of measures are required, Okori
says. The demand in consumer countries must
decrease sharply, and world leaders must
acknowledge that wildlife trafficking as
a serious crime.
Establishing trust and
engaging in dialogue between authorities
and village residents is also necessary
to encourage locals to raise the alarm when
poaching occurs.
In Namibia, for example,
there is a effective information system
which is reliant on cooperation with local
populations, as well as a well-developed
local management scheme which results in
the lowest poaching in Africa. Similar ideas
have begun to spread to Botswana, South
Africa and Zambia, said Okori.
WWF now supports the
creation of a compulsory DNA registery for
rhinos. There are currently 5,600 rhinos
in the database. DNA evidence is invaluable
when poachers are arrested and cases are
tried in court.
“We welcome the fact
that the Swedish government has provided
increased support for stricter border control,
as well as other measures to combat smuggling
and poaching. Both governments and tourists
need to take more responsibility. People
should absolutely not buy souvenirs from
endangered species or carved ivory souvenirs
while on holiday,” said Hakan Wirtén,
Secretary General of WWF Sweden.
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Major rhino horn trader
sentenced to 40 years behind bars
Posted on 09 November
2012 | A Thai national, Chumlong Lemtongthai,
has been sentenced to 40 years imprisonment
for his involvement in the illegal trade
of rhino horns from South Africa.
This is the harshest
sentence given for a wildlife crime in the
country to-date. Lemongthai pleaded guilty
to charges relating to the illegal export
of rhino horns in Johannesburg’s Kempton
Park Magistrate’s Court earlier this week.
WWF-South Africa (WWF-SA) applauds the efforts
of the South African Revenue Services and
other law enforcement agencies for the successful
arrest, prosecution and sentencing of the
highest-ranking rhino syndicate member to
be brought to book in South Africa.
“It is so important
that all those involved in rhino crimes
receive sentences which match the severity
of their actions to form an effective deterrent
to others”, says Dr Jo Shaw, Rhino Co-ordinator
for WWF-SA. “These higher-level arrests
and convictions are critical to disrupting
the illegal trade chains used to move rhino
horns into illicit markets in Asia”.
Lemtongthai played a
principal role in a syndicate which used
white rhino trophy hunts in South Africa
to obtain horns to trade in the Asian black
markets, a practice known as “pseudo-hunting”.
During court proceedings, Lemtongthai confessed
that the hunters were a front for exporting
rhino horn for commercial trade and not
for trophies. His syndicate enlisted people
from Asia to pose as hunters and participate
in white rhino trophy hunts on game farms
in the North West province. In response,
the South African government updated legislation
to clamp down on such loopholes, including
a ban on rhino hunting by Vietnamese Nationals
since April 2012.
In a statement to the
court, Lemtongthai said, "I humbly
apologise to the court and to the people
of South Africa for my role in this matter.
I appreciate that the emotions of all animal
lovers in South Africa are running very
high and that I was part of the problem.”
However, it is of concern
that all charges against Lemtongthai’s co-accused
(three South African and two other Asian
nationals) were withdrawn without explanation.
Sadly, this does not send a similarly strong
message regarding South Africa’s attitude
to the ongoing involvement of its own citizens
in rhino crimes.
This case and recent
rhino poaching incidents in the North West
Province highlight the ways in which criminal
elements are abusing the permit system in
their quest for rhino horn. There remains
an urgent need for the South African government
to implement a national electronic permit
system to centralise and better monitor
this information. WWF also calls for greater
collaboration between South Africa and Asia
in monitoring rhino horn trophy exports
to prevent them being drawn into illegal
trade.
A record 528 rhinos have been killed in
South Africa so far this year.
