Poachers chopper into S. African game reserve, kill last female rhino

[icarus]

The gang used tranquilliser guns and a helicopter to bring down the nine-year-old rhino cow. Her distraught calf was moved to a nearby estate where it was introduced to two other orphaned white rhinos[...]

"The exercise takes them very little time," Mostert said. "They first fly over the park in the late afternoon to locate where the rhino is grazing. Then they return at night and dart the animal from the air. The tranquilliser takes less than seven minutes to act.

"They saw off the horns with a chainsaw. They do not even need to switch off the rotors of the helicopter. We do not hear anything because our houses are too far away. The animal dies either from an overdose of tranquilliser or bleeds to death."

The committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) warned last year that rhino poaching had reached an all-time high. The Cites conference in Geneva in July 2009 heard that Asia's economic expansion had fuelled the market in rhino horns.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environmen...t-female-rhino [warning, saddening image]

Stuff like this makes me sick. It seems like poaching should be decreasing, not increasing. You just want to make these guys pay.

[RT14]

Absolutely disgusting and despicable act. So sad that if this kind of thing is going on, there's really no way to stop them and enforce the laws. If these "people" will go to those lengths to take down ONE animal, it's really only a matter of time before another truly remarkable species becomes extinct. What can possibly be done to stop them?

Thanks for the warning on the link, I can't even bring myself to look.

[pylon]

This:

Rhino horn consists of compressed keratin fibre – similar to hair – and in many Asian cultures it is a fundamental ingredient in traditional medicines.

is the problem.

I know this statement isn't going to make me popular..... but until Chinese people accept that chopping phallic shaped parts off of animals isn't going to give them super libidos, give them bigger westernized penors, or provide miracle cures, most exotic animals will be extinct by 2050. They are the primary market these poachers cater to. Tigers are all but doomed because the Chinese want their penors, as are countless other exotic creatures. Chinese culture, from what I have seen, has little regard for animal life, and definitely zero regard for conservation. One of the most sickening things I have ever seen is a documentary on how they harvest shark fins.The finners in this video look south Asian, however this is all this is driven by $150 dollar a bowl soup prices in china. Some species of shark have now been depleted by 90% because of this one food item. And the saddest part, is the animal is thrown back in the water finless to basically bleed to death as an amputee on the ocean floor. 90% of the fish goes to waste.

I wont embed this, as it is sad and brutal, but it is pretty informative. It is definitely watch at your own risk:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfxvf...eature=related

I understand all cultures differ, but the brutality and disregard for humane treatment of animals in traditional Chinese culture is utterly appalling. They get joy out of deep frying the body of a fish and eating it while its head is still grasping for breath, and apparantly torturing a dog before killing it and skinning it alive makes the meat taste better.

North Americans aren't angels in many areas, and sometimes PETA has some valid points. But at least our main food supply of beef, chicken and pork is sustainable, and typically (as there have been isolated incidents) for the better part, our animals are killed humanely. Until these barbaric practices are stopped, and until someone educates these people that what they are doing is unsustainable, all we will have left is cows and chickens.

[dissentowner]

The problem is the laws are not tough enough and there are not enough Rangers employed to deal with this. The only way to deter poaching is to hire more Rangers and give them the authorization to shoot anyone caught in the act of poaching.

[icarus]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

The problem is the laws are not tough enough and there are not enough Rangers employed to deal with this. The only way to deter poaching is to hire more Rangers and give them the authorization to shoot anyone caught in the act of poaching.

The thing is these poachers act quickly and are armed with AK-47s. It is almost as though the military is required to help police this, just as some militaries help police against the drugs trade in Latin America. South Africa can help justify such expenditure because so much of its tourist dollars are dependent upon the variety of wildlife on display.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by icarus

The thing is these poachers act quickly and are armed with AK-47s. It is almost as though the military is required to help police this, just as some militaries help police against the drugs trade in Latin America. South Africa can help justify such expenditure because so much of its tourist dollars are dependent upon the variety of wildlife on display.

Thats just it though, rather then tax the military with it spend the money to hire more Rangers, train them better, and authorize lethal force. Obviously it would be a dangerous job but so is being in the military. I watched a show on Animal Planet where they showed these park rangers looking for poachers, they have a rifle but are not really well trained and even when they catch somebody and arrest them most of the time they are placed on a promise to appear and then fined and they are right back out there again. These parks should be regulated so that the only way you are in there is on an authorized tour or with permission. Any men suspected of being there for the purposes of poaching should be shot.

[killer_carlson]

the other issue is that there is rampant and huge unemployment in SA and neighbouring countries.

Poachers option for work does not exist. When someone offers them a chunk of money to shoot an animal, they do it. These are desperate people and I don't think that the threat of lethal force would be all that much of a deterrant. Plus, even if you did kill them, there are hundreds of thousands of more people without work readily available and at risk from the same influences. Not all will turn to poaching, but some will.

I don't know the solution to this because the demand end is rooted in hundreds of years of traditional medicine and the supply route is rooted in areas of high unemployment and animals within game reserves where the poachers can monitor the tourist information to know where they are.

Lethal force by rangers? I don't think that would work all that well.

[dustyanddaflames]

You are bang on Killer, there is so much of a class diversity in S.A. that you are fighting an endless cause. I, like you, am not sure on what actions could be taken, but for the people who are poaching, there is no sentence that could sway them from the potential money garnered in a deal such as this.

EDIT: We went to Bufflesdrift(SP?) this past December, and I must say, that the game reserves over there are something else. Very well run, clean, and all the animals are taken care of extremely well. The reserve must have been well over 2000 acres itself, and by the owners admission, was one of the smaller reserves in the area. It would take extreme amounts of money to have an area like that under full patrol. We were there for two days, and had heard we seen 2/3 of their property.

[Pinner]

Originally Posted by pylon

They get joy out of deep frying the body of a fish and eating it while its head is still grasping for breath, and apparantly torturing a dog before killing it and skinning it alive makes the meat taste better.

Nice




If we could stop the demand, the supply would stop.

How many Africans could we employ to protect the animals with a BILLION dollars ?

Oh ya, we already spent that money on the G8 weekend.

[GreenLantern]

This is what I propose; we arm every person in the world with a loaded hand gun. Anyone seen wearing or in the posession of anything ivory is instantly shot down.

Now, innocents will most likely die, but eventually we will get the bad guys as well, probably like 10% of the time. Eventually the demand will falter, and they will stop killing animals for the ivory.

Next we move on to Dolphin and Whale meat..

[VladtheImpaler]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern

This is what I propose; we arm every person in the world with a loaded hand gun. Anyone seen wearing or in the posession of anything ivory is instantly shot down.

Now, innocents will most likely die, but eventually we will get the bad guys as well, probably like 10% of the time. Eventually the demand will falter, and they will stop killing animals for the ivory.

Next we move on to Dolphin and Whale meat..

This approach worked very well for Lenin in 1917-20, and Stalin in the 1930's. There was no sign of resistance. I am on board. Start a charity, and I will send you a cheque.

[Pinner]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern

Next we move on to Dolphin and Whale meat..

Asians seem to be responsible for alot of this needless carnage and the growth in the Chinese economy is only going to make poaching more profitable.

[peter12]

Yeah, WE ALL HATE ASIANS. Good work, CP.

[Huntingwhale]

Originally Posted by Pinner

Asians seem to be responsible for alot of this needless carnage and the growth in the Chinese economy is only going to make poaching more profitable.

The proper term is "China-men".

[Ford Prefect]

Humans suck.

[peter12]

Property rights is the only solution to this problem.

http://www.perc.org/articles/article808.php

[VladtheImpaler]

Originally Posted by Ford Prefect

Humans suck.

Just make me world dictator. I will only mention 2 things that will come to pass:

1) Gladiators
2) Human-free Africa as an animal park

[Ford Prefect]

Originally Posted by VladtheImpaler

Just make me world dictator. I will only mention 2 things that will come to pass:

1) Gladiators
2) Human-free Africa as an animal park

Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.
-Douglas Adams

[CaptainCrunch]

As an example to other humans we need to harvest the face horn from several humans.

[Ford Prefect]

I think I maybe heard a story somewhere once that feeding human penises to barren women helps make them fertile. People should try this.