ELEPHANTS PROTECTING RHINO.

I have forgotten in which country they use elephants for helping apprehend and I wish kill, poachers.

To date in South Africa 746 have been slaughtered.

400 of those were in the Kruger National Park. 

http://www.krugerpark.co.za/krugerpark-times-6-1-shoking-rise-in-rhino-poaching-25183.html

PLEASE

WELL DONE RHINO PROTECTORS

Well done for catching and charging  Thai national, The most senior figure in a rhino horn smuggling ring ever convicted in South Africa, has ben sentenced for 40 year in JAIL.
Manyathi the Magistrate refered to rhinos as the pride of Africa  (Pumpys opion the world)
I don't want a situation where my grandchildren will only see rhinos in newspapers" he said.
"It's a (loud warning) to the community and the Asian block that these actions will not be tolerated," he said.
When Manyathi handed down the heavy sentence - Animal activists in court were pleased and surprised and hugged each other.
Lemtongthai (the National) remained pokerfaced throughout sentencing, and left quickly down the stairs to the cells once the case was concluded.


The Lawyer said Lemtongthai  was having hard times adjusting to prison because he couldn't  speak any of the local languages, and couldn't stomach the food.   (SHAME  POOR  BASTARD)

WELL DONE  SOUTH AFRICA. 
The Star November 9 2012.
Written by Shaun Smillie

Copied and  bits added by Pumpy.


Kruger Park - Byamiti Bush Camp 

RHINO

PLEASE DO NOT HURT MY MUMMY.

Suspected rhino poacher killed

March 6 2012 at 09:02pm


SA National Parks rangers shot dead a suspected rhino poacher and wounded two others at the Kruger National Park on Tuesday.
SA National Parks rangers shot dead a suspected rhino poacher and wounded two others at the Kruger National Park on Tuesday, the Hawks said.
“Park rangers noticed four men crossing a river at the Kruger Park and ordered them to stop. The men allegedly shot at the rangers who then returned fire,” Colonel McIntosh Polela said in a statement.
One of the poachers died on the scene and two were taken to hospital.
The fourth man was arrested and it was hoped he would lead authorities to another person involved in poaching.
A rifle and several knives, apparently for hacking off rhino horns, were confiscated.
“The arrested man has already admitted to the killing of three rhinos that were killed in the park last week,” Polela said.
He was expected to appear in court soon. - Sapa

Link  http://uniteagainstpoaching.co.za/?gclid=CLCR5YX1264CFUcRfAodqk9Kag

RECORD RHINO HORN

Taken from the Citizen Wed. 16 Nov. 2011.

HONG KONG custom officers have seized a record haul of 33 rhino horns along with ivory chopsticks and bracelets hidden inside a container shipped from South Africa, officials said.
Officders found the horns and 758 ivory chopsticks and 127 Ivory bracelets in a haul worth a total of about R18 million (HK$17,4 million) when searching a container declared to contain "scrap Plastic" on Monday.
SeniorCustoms officials Lam Takfai told RTHK radio the horns were carefully wrapped in multiple layers of materials and hidden in the rear of a container.
Lam said rhino horns have been siezed in Hong Kong in the past but never in such a large quantities.
Conservation group and World Wildlife Fund said that this month that rhino poaching in SA had hit a record high, with 341 of the animals lost to poachers so far this year as black-market demand for their horns soars.
Officials blame the poaching surge on organized crime syndicates selling rhino horn for use in Asian medicinal treatments, especially in Vietnam.  The United Nations wildlife trade regulator has called for stiffer penalties for poacher, with the price of a horn per kilo fetching around R187 8855.00.
Under Hong Kong law, anyone found guilty of importing endangered species for commercial purposes is liable to a fine of HK$ 5 million, and two years in prison

RHINO DAY

All five of the world’s rhino species are on the brink of extinction because of their distinctive horns. Though rhino horns are used to fashion dagger handles and are prized possessions in Yemen, the problem today is not with their ornamental use, but in the demand fuelled by the belief that shaved or powered horn can cure anything from fever to cancer. (It is not, as commonly believed, prescribed as an aphrodisiac.)

The majority of African rhino horns are now headed for southeast and east Asia, especially Vietnam and China for use in traditional medicine. In China rhino horn has been used for traditional Chinese medicine since 2000 BC thus belief in its traditional medicinal properties is firmly entrenched. Though the Chinese government banned the use of rhino horn or any other parts from endangered species in traditional Chinese medicine in 1993 current rhino poaching levels suggest that the use of rhino horn continues unabated in traditional medicine markets.
Several scientific studies have been commissioned and each confirmed that rhino horn does not contain medical properties. Using computerized tomography (CT scans) researchers at the University of Ohio have revealed that horns are comprised of calcium, melanin and keratin and are similar in structure to horse hooves, turtle beaks and cockatoo bills. Thus those who use rhino horn may just as well chew their own nails!
In South Africa the slaughter continues. 13 rhino were butchered in 2007, 83 in 2009, 122 in 2009, 333 in 2010 and at present the figure for 2011 is 290. The focus of syndicates seems to have moved from rhino in national parks to privately owned populations on reserves and farms - a softer target since the South African National Defence Force was deployed in the Kruger National Park to try to curb poaching. Unfortunately I do not have figures for Kenya, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Tanzania, but it’s unlikely these countries are faring better.
Criminal syndicates which deploy helicopters, GPS devices, night vision equipment and foot soldiers who track rhinos are operating with impunity. Armed with specialised veterinary drugs, darting guns, chainsaws and automatic weapons they butcher rhino. In some instances the horns are sawed off while the animal is still alive and it dies a slow and painful death. Rhino calves too are killed because they hinder the butchers in their operations and the tiniest stub of a horn is also deemed useable. Where a calf is rescued at the carcass of its mother it is usually severely traumatised and unlikely to survive despite dedicated efforts by vets and caretakers.
At $60 000 per kilogram, the horns – weighing on average 7 kilograms each – are now worth more than their weight in gold, and there is no shortage of foot soldiers willing to work for a share of the profits. And that’s only part of the story. Unscrupulous professional hunters and their clients use legal trophy hunting as way of accessing horns for trading, exploiting loopholes in legislation. Since the beginning of 2010 for every two rhino lost to poachers another has been shot by trophy hunters. In addition there are unconfirmed reports of live rhino sales to China to breed them so that horns can be harvested for use in traditional medicine.
This article was taken from Flickr by Gerda van Schalkwyk