Rhinos At Risk

rhinos at risk Reflections on Rhino Poaching

Story, illustration, and design by Loftis Graphics: www.loftis.graphics

rhinos at risk Part 1: A Deadly Trend

In South Africa, poachers have slaughtered an alarming number of rhinos annually. According to the Department of Environmental Affairs for the Republic of South Africa, the number of rhinos killed each year has increased dramatically since 2010.

Black Rhino

In 2010, 333 rhinos were killed; in 2011, 448; in 2012, 668; in 2013, 1004; in 2014, 1215 and; in 2015 49 were killed in January, and judging by this trend, the total number may exceed 1300 by the end of 2015. This data–when compared each year with a steady increase in rhino poaching arrests–underscores a serious environmental problem in South Africa.

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White Rhino

Black and White Rhinos are native to Africa.

Black Rhinos are critically endangered, with a population slightly larger than 5,000. White Rhinos–while still in danger–fare better, with a population of over 20,000. Both species have two horns located near the front of their heads.

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Black and white rhino habitat range South Africa

2010

Even with the best efforts of the South African government to curb poaching, the number of rhinos killed increases annually.

But what is driving this deadly trend?

An insatiable desire for rhino horn.

Story, illustration, and design by Loftis Graphics: www.loftis.graphics

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

Statistics: Department of Environmental Affairs Republic South Africa.

Rhino poaching deaths Rhino poaching arrests

rhinos at risk Part 2: Perceived Value Rhino horn has been used for many different purposes throughout history. It is prized for its translucent color when carved, but it has also been used in numerous medicinal applications.

In Yemen, rhino horn is used to fashion handles for Jambiya: ornate bejeweled daggers worn

by Yemeni men and boys as status symbols. But, rhino horn imports were banned in 1982.

In China, rhino horn has been carved into ornate cups, buttons, belt buckles, hairpins paper weights and other items for centuries.

Today rhino poaching is driven by high demand from Vietnamese and other Asian consumers. There has been a resurgence in the belief that crushed rhino horn has medicinal properties and now people are also using it as a cure for hangovers, an aphrodisiac, and even as a cure for cancer. The horns application in traditional medicine systems is the most pervasive cause for rhino poaching. And the increased demand since 2010 has seen rhino horns fetching prices on the black market as high as $30,000/lb.

...rhino horn fetching prices on the black market as high as $30,000/lb.

Traditional Chinese Medicine systems have prescribed ground rhino horn dissolved in boiling water to treat fevers, headaches, strokes, food poisoning, and more.

Story, illustration, and design by Loftis Graphics: www.loftis.graphics

This terrible environmental crisis is made worse by the lack of evidence that rhino horn actually has any medicinal properties. The horn is composed mostly of keratin, which is found in animal hooves and human fingernails. Despite these findings, consumers and poachers alike are determined to procure more regardless of the cost.

rhinos at risk Part 3: The Poachers

Very few rhinos survive an encounter with poachers, in part because when surprised or frightened, the animals are dangerous; therefore, poachers use brutal tactics to quickly secure the horns.

In most cases, rhinos are shot with either an assault rifle, like an AK-47, or a hunting rifle, then a poacher will use a large knife to hack off the horns, and the rhino is left to bleed to death. For an experienced poaching team, this entire process could take only a couple of minutes.

Who are these poachers? And what drives them into such dangerous criminal activity?

Many poachers are young, Black, African men recruited from villages around the wildlife parks. These young men are poor, and poaching just one rhino horn can often yield more money than they are able to earn in an entire year working for minimum wage. Some poachers even resent the parks, claiming the tourism economy only benefits the White park owners. In addition, many of the men have military backgrounds, which make them deadly adversaries for park rangers and guards.

Photo courtesy Digital Crossing Productions

But the problem doesn’t end with these “trigger men.�

Park rangers have been implicated in rhino poaching cases as well: receiving bribes from poachers to guide them to the rhinos they are supposed to protect.

Story, illustration, and design by Loftis Graphics: www.loftis.graphics

Couriers flying between South Africa and Southeastern Asia receive help from corrupt officials in many different countries to pass through customs unmolested.

Photo courtesy Black Mamba APU

But the most important factor is the lack of political will from Vietnam and other Southeastern Asian governments to curb demand. As long as people are willing to pay high prices for rhino horns, the poachers will find a means to deliver the product.

rhinos at risk Part 4: Militarized Response

The response to rhino poaching has become increasingly more militarized in Africa. Millions of dollars are being spent to acquire new technologies that can aid in the fight against poachers:

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helicopters detection dogs long range cameras thermal and satellite tracking unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV)

Training photos courtesy Cpl. Lucas Hopkins

Alongside this advanced technology are new boots on the ground. Private game reserve owners are spending millions of dollars for armed guards. And wildlife parks are retraining and better arming rangers for firefights because some poachers do not hesitate to shoot anyone who stands between them and a rhino. However, the increase in poachers arrested and killed since 2010 has not slowed the rate of rhino killed during that time.

Arresting and killing poachers only addresses the symptoms of a larger problem as long as there is a great demand

Story, illustration, and design by Loftis Graphics: www.loftis.graphics

for rhino horn in Vietnam. New poachers will take the place of the older ones and risk their lives for the opportunity make large sums of money. Millions of dollars are being spent on military grade equipment and training to combat rhino poaching, but the most enduring solutions to the problem will likely be nonviolent.

rhinos at risk Part 5: The Black Mambas " I want to fight for the rhinos because our future children will not see them if we adults are busy killing them.

In contrast to the militarized efforts to combat rhino poaching, different groups have developed alternative, nonviolent methods to protect the rhinos.

Foremost among these efforts is the formation of the Black Mambas Anti Poaching Unit.

Founded in 2013 by Craig Spencer, the managing director of the non-profit conservation and research organization, Transfrontier Africa, the Black Mambas are a team of 26 Black women from villages surrounding Balule and the Greater Kruger National Park who have been hired to take a stand against poachers.

The World's First All-Female Anti-Poaching Unit #StopKillingRhinos social media campaign.

But if we work together as a community‌we can work this out."

Collete Ngobeni Black Mamba APU

The women receive special training in tracking, and they learn how to remove rhino traps. The women conduct their patrols mostly unarmed, which decreases their risk of being killed by poachers, but they call for armed backup when they have found evidence that poachers have breached the park’s security.

The Black Mamba experiment has proved beneficial because fewer rhinos have been lost from their area of operation since their introduction in 2013. But there are greater social implications for hiring the young women as well. Many people in the surrounding villages are unemployed, so the parks are making an effort to increase the number of employment opportunities for young women, strengthening the local economy.

Some Black Africans see the parks as a tourist attraction that only benefits White park owners, so hiring from the Black community may foster better relationships and an increased appreciation for wildlife.

For more information, or to donate to this project visit: www.blackmambas.org

Story, illustration, and design by Loftis Graphics: www.loftis.graphics

Black Mamba APU logo

Two Black Mambas on patrol.

rhinos at risk Part 6: #StopKillingRhinos

The recent killing of Zimbabwe’s Cecil the Lion by American dentist Walter Palmer has sparked outrage around the world and has brought more attention to the cruel treatment of animals. Like the rhino poaching cases, Cecil was ultimately killed because Palmer was able to bribe a professional hunter guide and the landowner to lead him to the lion.

Moneyed upper and middle class consumers are responsible for the deaths of countless wildlife: this instance of trophy hunting, and rhino poaching in general, demonstrate the persistent problem of animal cruelty.

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Education campaigns are necessary to combat the growing demand for rhino horns in Vietnam. The animal product has grown so popular in the last half decade that it has become a status symbol for rich Vietnamese people. Rhino horn powder is often given as gifts to loved ones, to a boss in hopes of promotion, or even traded to government officials to curry favor.

Story, illustration, and design by Loftis Graphics: www.loftis.graphics

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Rhino horn is a placebo, rumored to cure hangovers, lower fevers, and resolve a wide variety of ailments. Medicinal misinformation has even resulted in people using rhino horn powder to cure cancer. Composed primarily of keratin–a protein found in human fingernails and hair–ingesting rhino horn would be just as effective for curing cancer as biting your fingernails.

However, demand for this popular animal product is not slowing down. Consequently rhino poaching is increasing yearly and is on track to outpace rhino births. If we are unable to reconcile our appetites for the latest trends with the safety of endangered rhinos, we will soon lose an important contributor to the African ecosystem.