Poisoning Rhino Horn Works....Apparently
I wish it would work....but it won't go well with those nasty individuals who are stockpiling Rhino Horn waiting for trade to be legalised. Let the poisoning crew have access to the stockpiles. Do you think they would allow it? In your dreams. These people have a lot to do with the problem.
See the article:
Poisoning rhino horns works - expert
Durban - Plans to
inject poison into the horns of rhino in the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Wildlife Park
are under way as a similar project in the Tembe Elephant Park last year has
meant “not one” rhino has died since.
But poaching has
increased in the rest of the province in the last two weeks as syndicates have
upped the price for “shooters” from R80 000-a-hit to R200 000.
Poachers have killed
150 rhino in the Kruger National Park since January and 19 in KZN.
Bandile Mkhize, the
chief executive of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, told a visiting US delegation at the
park on Tuesday that since “highly toxic” poison was infused into the horns of
rhinos in Tembe in September last year “not one” had been poached.
However, he warned
that, despite the success, poachers were now moving further south into the
iSimangaliso Wetland Park. As a result rhino in the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park were
under threat.
“All our efforts now
are focused on devaluing the horn as much as possible.”
The head of the
Ezemvelo anti-poaching unit, Cedric Coetzee, said a cocktail including “nuclear
and chemical poisons” for infusion into the horns were in the final stages of
research.
Coetzee said the
number of rhino poached in the province was down on last year until two weeks
ago. “Suddenly the whole thing has blownn up. The syndicates have just thrown
more money at it.”
Mkhize, who hosted
the US Ambassador to South Africa, Patrick Gaspard, also announced that
Ezemvelo would benefit from the R224-million donated by philanthropist Warren
Buffett for anti-poaching technology development in the Kruger National Park.
“We are going to be
able to piggyback on the technology development, particularly the drones. They
are used to detect any poacher activity on the borders of the park,” he said.
Gaspard witnessed
conservation officials airlifting rhino from the wilderness area ahead of the
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife game auction on May 14. About 40 rhino will be sold as
part of the biodiversity conservation programme.
Jeff Cooke, who
heads up the game capture unit, said: “This is part of our management strategy.
We allow three rhino a square kilometre.”
Cooke said anyone
who bought the rhinos, which could fetch about R550 000 each, had to apply for
permits from the national Department of Environmental Affairs.
He said game lodges
and reserves knew they were more valuable alive.
“The big game
hunting of rhino has changed dramatically over the last five years.
“Now it is all about
making sure rhino are breeding successfully, wherever they are,” he said.
The airlift
operation costs up to R15 000 for each rhino.
Mkhize said he was
expecting at least R15m from the auction.
He said that
Ezemvelo needed at least R500m before the “war could be won. We don’t only need
hi-tech equipment, but to train and deploy young rangers who know how to use
that equipment,” he said.
Efforts to educate
and support communities who lived alongside national parks also received a
boost this week.
“Previously the
national budget for community education and engagement was R5m. It has been
increased to R27m.
“Our communities are
the first line of defence in this rhino war,” he said. - The Mercury
