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Project update
- April 2005
Save the Rhino trust fiercely
opposes trophy hunting of black rhino
The Save the Rhino Trust (SRT) in Namibia
vehemently opposes the request by the Namibian government to hunt
five black rhino a year and the subsequent decision by CITES to
lift the ban prohibiting hunting of these endangered animals.
For twenty years a great deal of money, effort and love has been
poured into the Kunene Region to ensure that the marginal population
of black rhino would survive and increase. Their numbers have
more than doubled in this time but that does not mean that they
are out of danger.
At present Namibia is home to approximately
1000 black rhino. Of these, just over 300 live outside protected
areas. The National Plan for rhino states clearly aims to increase
this figure to 2000 by the year 2010. The SRT feels strongly that
the conservation and management of black rhino can only be enhanced
if surplus animals are used to recolonise former habitats, as
recommended by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in a recent
statement. Breeding groups should be made available to buyers
for conservation in wildlife parks or private game farms.
The black rhino of the Kunene have become
a symbol of strength to the communities living in the area. Their
support has contributed greatly to the success of the project.
The rhinos have attracted large numbers of tourists and brought
employment and revenue opportunities into the region and tourists
are thrilled to be able to view any black rhino in the desert,
geriatric or not! At present there is no firm monetary value placed
on a live black rhino in Namibia and it is essential that one
should be established. If the value of a dead black rhino should
exceed this, it would be a sad indictment of everyone involved
in the so-called management of these animals.
It has been stated that only geriatric bulls
would be available to be hunted. The questions arise:
- Who would
establish the geriatric state of the rhino and how?
- Who would control that only these rhino
are hunted?
- Has it been established beyond doubt
that geriatric bulls cannot mate successfully?
- How, when drugs, weapons and other goods
continue to be smuggled across borders successfully, can the
transport of the "trophies" be monitored and controlled?
In addition, geriatric rhino can be used
in areas that need to be recolonised to establish middens and
pave the way for the later introduction of breeding groups.
SRT's constitution very clearly states that
the Trust will not contribute to hunting of any kind, a clause
that has been strongly supported by its donors during the past
two decades. The SRT has been supplying in depth data on the Kunene
Region's rhino population free of charge to the Ministry of Environment
and Tourism on a regular basis. This cannot continue if the plan
to hunt black rhino goes ahead.
It took less than a century to decimate
the population of black rhino from an estimated 62,000 to less
than 3000 in Africa. How can Namibia, as one of the success stories
of rhino conservation on the continent, take five steps backwards
a year in the conservation of these prehistoric animals?
DSWF fully supports the fight against trophy
hunting of black rhino.
Every little contribution helps wildlife
and remember 100% of your donation will go in full to the project - thank you!
You can also help by becoming a member
of DSWF. Click here for more information
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