Rhinos In The Wild

That WWF is doing to save the rhino


That WWF is doing to save the rhino


In April 1991, WWF launched a global campaign to close down the world's major markets in rhino horn: South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and China. WWF also stepped up its activities in rhino range states in a last ditch attempt to save the world's five extant rhino species from extinction. In Africa, the black rhinoceros was disappearing at an accelerating rate. Its numbers were dropping faster than any other large land mammal in recent history, from an estimated 65,000 in the 1970s to less than 4,000 in 1991.

In spite of major investment in protection in African rhino range states, that number has nearly halved to around 2,500 today. In Indonesia, 1993 estimates reveal that in the last decade the numbers of Sumatran rhinos may have also nearly halved from around 950 to around 450. Last year, as many as 22 greater one-horned rhinos were poached in the Manas Tiger Reserve in northeast India, which borders the Bhutan Manas National Park. WWF's activities in the tiger reserve have been suspended because insurgents have occupied the park. Elsewhere in India, rhino numbers are stable and in Nepal, rhino numbers have increased, but poaching is still a serious problem. In Kenya, South Africa, and Namibia black and white rhino numbers are all increasing, thanks to good management in these countries and in part to WWF support.

The shocking drop in numbers in the majority of rhino range states in Africa has prompted WWF to launch several emergency and long-term projects, including an assessment of whether its approach and that of other NGOs to rhino conservation have been effective. The project on cost/benefit analysis of rhino conservation, co-funded by the Wildlife Conservation Society, is presently underway and should be completed soon.

WWF's multi-pronged approach includes investigating and monitoring the illegal trade in rhino horn and other rhino parts, enhancing habitat protection, assisting with programmes aimed at reducing conflicts between protected areas managers and people living in and around reserves, stepping up anti-poaching efforts and informant schemes, initiating through regional bodies, education and training activities for field staff, park guards and villagers. In addition, WWF has supported translocation as well as dehorning. Because most of the rhinos that were dehorned in Zimbabwe were poached when their horns started growing back, WWF is evaluating the consequences of dehorning. WWF has also supported development of rhino conservation plans in several range states and in 1994 appointed a Nairobi-based Senior Conservation Adviser for Species and Protected Areas for Africa.



MAKING CITES WORK

In 1993-94, WWF greatly increased support for TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network of WWF and IUCN. TRAFFIC is exploring culturally sensitive ways to discourage consumption of rhino horn and other rhino parts for medicinal purposes and to encourage the use of effective substitutes. WWF is assisting law enforcement agencies in improving implementation of CITES and is placing political pressure on governments of countries and territories of key concern to stop the illegal trade.

WWF has budgeted US$200,000 for a series of TRAFFIC projects (1993-94) to investigate and monitor the illegal trade in rhino and tiger products in consumer countries and territories including China, South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, with the ultimate aim of shutting down the illegal trade.

In 1993-94, WWF also funded undercover investigations of the illegal rhino horn trade in Yemen, Oman, India, Nepal, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam through regional TRAFFIC offices. Results of all of these studies and projects have helped WWF, IUCN, and TRAFFIC advise governments on how they can better implement CITES or become member nations of the Convention.

Undercover work in Taiwan led to the unprecedented decision by the US Government to impose, under the Pelly Amendment in August 1994, limited trade sanctions on Taiwan because of its failure to stop its illegal tiger bone and rhino horn trade. TRAFFIC Taipei is working closely with the Taiwan government to help it change and strengthen domestic wildlife legislation and to help the government enforce CITES.



TRAFFIC NETWORK

In December 1991, WWF financed the establishment of a regional TRAFFIC office for East and Southern Africa in Malawi with branches in Tanzania and South Africa set up in early 1992. The TRAFFIC Network offices were created for the purpose of monitoring the trade in plants, live animals, animal products, notably rhino horn and ivory, throughout East and Southern Africa. One of the first studies undertaken by the Network was a report on the decline of the black rhino in Zimbabwe, published in 1993. In Zambia, TRAFFIC is assisting the Species Protection Department of the Anti-corruption Commission in setting up a computerized database with the aim of detecting and uncovering smuggling networks. TRAFFIC is also involved in registering rhino horn and elephant tusks in government storerooms in several African countries. WWF provides annual support of over US$200,000 to the East/Southern Africa TRAFFIC Network.

In 1992, WWF funded the creation of a regional TRAFFIC office in Malaysia for field investigations and general trade monitoring throughout Southeast Asia and set up a TRAFFIC office in New Delhi at WWF-India. TRAFFIC-India is currently investigating the illegal trade in the products of the greater one-horned rhino. An earlier probe exposed an Indian national park official who was dealing in rhino horn. Annual assistance to the TRAFFIC India office is US$45,000 and US$130,000 for the regional Southeast Asia office.

WWF also supports TRAFFIC offices in Taipei, re-opened in 1993, and in Hong Kong, opened at WWF-Hong Kong in 1994, to monitor the East Asia region. The main focus of TRAFFIC Taipei's work has been to monitor the market for rhino horn and tiger bone. Investigators in Taipei recorded large stockpiles of rhino horn. Annual support to the Taipei office is US$80,000.

Specific TRAFFIC projects planned for east Asia include bringing together members of the Korean traditional medicine community, law enforcement officials and conservationists. Another activity will explore ways to dissuade the use of endangered wildlife as medicine, drawing on the expertise of Chinese and Korean sociologists, traditional medicine doctors, and advertising, media and marketing specialists. WWF has budgeted US$180,000 for 1994-95 to support the TRAFFIC East Asia office.



IUCN RHINO SPECIALIST GROUPS

WWF funds activities of IUCN's African and Asian Rhino Specialist Groups. IUCN's Species Survival Commis-sion's Specialist Groups have provided the primary source of technical information on rhino and other species conservation in Africa and Asia. The rhino population estimates published in this report are provided by these groups. This year WWF is providing US$77,000 to the African group.

India

Indonesia and Vietnam

Indonesia - Sumatran Rhino

Malaysia

Nepal - Chitwan

Nepal - Bardia

Africa - General

Cameroon

Kenya

Namibia

South Africa

Zaire

Tanzania

Zambia

Zimbabwe




RHINO HORN IS NOT AN APHRODISIAC

Western conservationists have often attributed the Chinese demand for rhino horn to supposed aphrodisiacal properties. The penis of the rhino still has limited use as an aphrodisiac in Laos, Thailand, and India, and genital tonic pills are still on the market in China, but the horn is generally used as a fever-reducing remedy.

Scientists of the Swiss pharmaceutical firm, Hoffmann-La Roche, have declared that they found that rhino horn has no effect on the human body, good or bad. Some Chinese scientists in Hong Kong published in medical journals that they found that the horn did have some cooling effect on fever, but only in massive doses served to laboratory rats.

Unfortunately, the erroneous publicity about the supposed aphrodisiacal properties of rhino horn may have increased use by Asians, and also people in other regions. In 1976, Swiss customs officers seized 52 African rhino horns being imported by a Geneva "health club".

                                                              Black rhino

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Copyright 1996, The World Wide Fund For Nature