Crisis or Tragedy?
THE MANY FACES OF RHINO POACHING
SUBSISTENCE POACHING
This type of poaching, when it comes to rhinos, is a thing of the past. Subsistence poachers - usually from poor communities surrounding a reserve - snare or hunt wildlife for food and/or use in local traditional medicine. Rhino poaching encountered pre 2007/2008 was conducted on a much smaller scale and most probably involved subsistence poachers. Nowadays rhino poaching is far more organised, although there have still been instances of rhino caught in snares and killed with spears, or chased off cliffs using dogs.
STRUCTURED POACHING / COMMERCIAL POACHING
Responsible for the majority of incidents, these groups are far more organised and usually have an ex-military background. It has been noted that armed robbers are now also becoming involved in rhino poaching. They will infiltrate the local community and ask for information on the whereabouts of rhino in an area, stake out rhino farms and plan their kills. In the case of experienced shooters shot placement will be accurate, otherwise shots include random fire to the head and chest region, and an anchoring shot in the knee is often fired to keep the animal from being able to run away. Sometimes an Achilles tendon is severed or the spine is chopped. These poachers take high risk for comparatively little reward and will usually pass the horns to a pick up after the job is done. Horns are usually removed very roughly with an axe or panga.
SKILLED HUNTERS
There have been incidents where rhino have fallen from a single shot – or well-placed kill shots – indicating that the poacher is a highly skilled or professional hunter. These poachers operate in a more structured manner, have logistical support in the form of a vehicle and horns are sometimes removed with surgical precision.
PROFESSIONAL POACHING
CHOPPER POACHING
The use of helicopters by pilots (linked in with syndicates) to kill rhino has been a shock to our society. Rhino are either shot or darted – though mostly darted – using a lethal overdose of immobilizing drugs. The “benefit” to the poachers is that the animal goes down very quickly and no gunfire draws attention. A few rhino have survived this ordeal but only for a few days, the drug dose administered not being strong enough to kill them. Contrary to reports, chopper poaching has not been responsible for anywhere near as many rhino deaths as the other types of poaching encountered, although aircraft are used by poachers to scout for animals.
DARTING FROM THE GROUND
A highly organised form of poaching involving professional people. Their involvement is considered low risk on the ground as they will have scouted the entire area beforehand and know exactly how many rhino are on a farm. Although highly organised, this type of poaching is not often encountered.
OTHER MEANS OF OBTAINING HORN
ILLEGAL DEHORNING
This is where a rhino is immobilized and the horns are removed, but WITHOUT a permit. LEGAL dehorning has been recognised by some reserves and farmers as a potential deterrent to poachers. Once immobilized by a wildlife vet, the horns are removed humanely above the rootline, which enables the horn to grow back naturally at a rate of approximately 1kg per year. This procedure and its requirements are regulated by the Biodiversity Act and a permit must be obtained to conduct the procedure. Unfortunately the system has been abused by a few bad elements within the wildlife industry, with rhino being dehorned illegally for the purpose of selling horn into the illegal market. It is ILLEGAL to trade in rhino horn in South Africa as well as internationally.
ILLEGAL HUNTING
Trophy hunting of rhino is legal in South Africa on the condition that a permit for the hunt has been issued the Department of Environmental Affairs. Single horns may not be exported, but a hunting trophy may. Only one rhino per hunter is allowed per year. Illegal hunting is when rhino are hunted without a permit.
A NOTE ON ORGANISED CRIME
Called by names such as cartel, mafia, syndicate, and triad, these establishments are structured like a business into a pyramid shaped hierarchy (see below) on a regional, national, and transnational scale of operations. They also incorporate extremely sophisticated methods and “credible” front-organizations, as can clearly be seen by the alleged involvement of well-known members of the wildlife industry.
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