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TEARS OF RHINO IN SOUTH AFRICA
By: Phung My Trung (Vncreatures.net) and Dang Linh Huong (Traffic)
Part I: Greetings, beautiful South Africa !
Part II: Live capturing rhino for … protection
Part III: Rhino releasing…
Part IV: Tears of rhino or human crime
Part IV: A shameful misleading belief
TEARS OF RHINO OR HUMAN CRIME
Right after the escaped stubborn black rhino was captured, put into special vehicle, and released into Boma, we received news broadcasted from patrol helicopter that they just discovered four rhino individuals that were poached in the Weenen game reserve, located hundreds of kilometers away from the game reserve that we are staying in… We quickly moved to that location.
Through data that transmitted live from the camera on the helicopter to the mobile devices of conservation workers, we learnt that two rhino individuals were killed for horns by poachers several days ago, two others were still alive since they were discovered on time and only one of their horn were sawn off. It was so terrible to see the images from camera showing the blood was still bleeding on the faces of those poor animals.
Our car ran with incredible high speed toward Weenen game reserve. We had our quick breakfast on the car. After two hour driving, we arrived at Weenen to see the veterinarians urgently giving treatment for those two rhinos that were shot by tranquilizer guns and sawn off the horns by poachers. Since we were not allowed to approach those two rhino individuals, we travelled to the location where two other individuals were killed.
Poaching – A pressing issue
According to the regulations of Rhino Conservation Program, we were not allowed to use camera or recording equipment… when accessing the area where the analysts were conducting forensic on rhino carcasses. However, we were in South Africa on the Rhino Conservation Program, they made exception for us to take pictures and recording but with one condition – no single forensic analysts will be in the frame for security reason.
For policemen who investigate the poaching crime, not only them have to face with life threaten but also their families do. If their pictures were taken during their duty performance and published on mass media, their relatives could be threatened by organized wildlife crime syndicates.
After traveling about 4km in the bush, we eye witnessed a terrible scene: the carcasses of two white rhinos whose horns were sawn off were decomposing. There was a high chance that their horns were on the way to Viet Nam or China where there have been a high demand on rhino horn trade and consumption. It was so cruel to hunt rhino by using tranquilizer gun to drug the rhino, then poachers saw off the horn and leave them bleeding to death.
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Deputy Chief of the Hawks, also Hawks’s investigator on wildlife poaching crime, shared with us: “As of this year, in KwaZulu-Natal only, there have been 135 rhino individuals that have been killed. This is the 6th rhino that was killed this week and most of the rhinos were killed in the government managed game reserves. Hired poachers are mainly indigenous people who know very well about the local areas. They are well trained about how to use heavy hunting guns. All the shots are normally right at the skulls (headshots) and hearts. Other hired poachers are coming from neighbouring countries, such as Mozambique, Zimbabwe. They are brutal and ready to return fire at rangers if they clash. Most of the poaching activities occur at 5-6 p.m when rhinos are full and looking for places to sleep since it is easy for poachers to have enough time to cut off two horns by axe then escape into the darkness.
Today, African rhino poachers are establishing large organized crime syndicates. The government of South Africa considers it as a national issue and allows the involvement of military force in the rhino protection activities. Rangers are permitted to shoot to dead on sign the rhino poachers if they return fire and threat the life of law enforcement officers.
The Deputy Chief of the Hawkssaid: “We have tried our best to protect rhino species in our country land but these efforts will be useless if the situation of illegal trade and consumption of our rhino horns which as being considered as a component of traditional medicine prescriptions in Asian countries continue. Even though, scientifically, there have been proof to indicate that rhino horn does not have any medical effect to cure the cancer”.
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Painful indicators
We continued our journey by visiting the Zululand Anti-Poaching Wing Unit. Mr. Lawrence Munro – a ranger and the Rhino Operations Unit Coordinator met us. Munro started the conversation by giving not-so-optimistic information relating to the rhino horn trafficking situation in here: “Nowadays, poachers have shifted to smuggle rhino horn to neighbouring countries such as Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Kenya… before transporting to Asia for trade and consumption. On average, in South Africa, there are three rhinos that are killed per day. Only in 2013, as of October 12, over 700 rhinos have been killed. The numbers of rhino have been killed are increasing despite the fact that we have applied various technical and professional methods assisted by state-of-the-art equipment to prevent it from happening.”
During my visit trip to South Africa, typical questions raised by reporters to me were: “Has Viet Nam been interested in the conservation of South African rhino? How does your country mitigate the trade of rhino horn while South Africa has made endless efforts to preserve this species?” These are questions that always make me feel embarrassed.
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On the last day before the long journey with South African rhino ended, we made a visit to the Kempton County Magistrate’s Court. Receiving us was a lawyer and magistrate, Mr. Prince Manyathi – who rules the court on criminal and wildlife poaching and trade in the jurisdiction of Johannesburg, the hub for South Africa’s largest international airport. This is the place where the most cases of smuggling rhino horns have been detected and seized.
Magistrate Prince Manyathi said: “Since 2008, there have been more than 30 rhino horn smuggling cases have been seized in Johannesburg. During the period of 2010 - 2012, there were 132 people from various countries participating in and smuggling rhino horns were under arrest in South Africa, of which Vietnamese nationals accounted for most of the detainees. On average, every 10 detected cases, there would be 9 cases conducted by Vietnamese people, and the other one has the involvement of Vietnamese nationals. Most of the detainees admit in the court that they can receive USD8,000 for a pair of rhino horn, smugglers can have USD15,000 to take them out the South Africa, but there is no specific amount for the payment by the final consumer”.
Magistrate Prince Manyathi also added: “4 months ago, we detained 2 Vietnamese students smuggling rhino horns, each of them carried 10 horns. In the court, they admitted that they were hired to transport a sealed package that they did not know what was inside. The court found they guilty and sentenced them with an monetary punishment of 1 million Ran (about USD90,000) for each of them. They paid the amount right away. This is to confirm that there is surely a very strong organization backing them up, willing to pay in cash for the transporters if they are under arrest. Most of the hired transporters of rhino horns are poor or are having financial difficulty”.
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The conversation with Magistrate Priwce Manyathi left me with a heavy and false feeling. Out there, it was sunset with glorious view. This was also the time for South Africa rhino population to prepare a place to rest after a long day walk. This was also the time for the worst thing may happen to them. Their enemy is not only natural predators but also and far more dangerous as well as brutal ones – human, who are waiting for a chance to kill them with cold gun shots.
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