Thursday, April 3, 2014

Poisoning Rhino Horn Works....Apparently





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





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