ENVIRONMENT-SOUTHERN AFRICA: BATTLING TO SAVE THE WHITE RHINO

By Moyiga Nduru Reprint | | Print |

MOYIGA NDURU AND LINCHWE KGASWE

HARARE, Jul 5 1995 (IPS) - WHEN SOUTH AFRICA DONATED FIVE WHITE RHINOS TO BOTSWANA LATE LAST MONTH, ENVIRONMENTALISTS APPLAUDED THE GESTURE AS THE BEST THING TO HAVE HAPPENED TO THE LANDLOCKED SOUTHERN AFRICAN COUNTRY IN RECENT YEARS.

THE ANIMALS, ONE MALE CALF AND FOUR FEMALES, INCLUDING ONE THOUGHT TO BE PREGNANT, BROUGHT TO EIGHT THE NUMBER OF WHITE RHINOCEROS IN BOTSWANA, WHICH HAS LOST ALMOST ALL ITS RHINOS TO ILLEGAL HUNTERS.

“IT IS SADDENING THAT BOTSWANA’S STOCKS HAVE BEEN ALL BUT DECIMATED BY POACHERS,” SAID ARMY COMMANDER LT-GEN. IAN KHAMA WHO RECEIVED THE ANIMALS.

THE LARGE THICK-SKINNED MAMMALS HAVE FOUND A HOME AT THE KHAMA RHINO SANCTUARY, LOCATED AT SEROWE, SOME 400 KILOMETRES NORTH OF THE CAPITAL GABORONE, AND NAMED AFTER THE ARMY COMMANDER, WHO IS ITS PATRON.

THE ANIMALS WERE ESCORTED FROM RAMATLABAMA, A BORDER TOWN INSIDE SOUTH AFRICA, TO THEIR NEW HOME BY A GROUP OF HEAVILY ARMED TSWANA SOLDIERS SINCE, ACCORDING TO THE HARARE-BASED SOUTHERN AFRICAN RESEARCH AND DOCUMENTATION CENTRE (SARDC), THE RHINO IS THE ANIMAL MOST SOUGHT AFTER BY POACHERS IN THE REGION.

IN THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN REGION, ITS NUMBERS DWINDLED FROM SOME 65,000 IN 1970 TO ABOUT 15,000 IN 1980 AND TO AROUND 3,000 IN 1990.

ACCORDING TO THE SARDC, ZIMBABWE MAY HAVE LOST AS MUCH AS 80 PERCENT OF ITS RHINOS IN 1992 ALONE. THEIR NUMBERS DROPPED FROM 2,000 IN JANUARY TO ABOUT 400 IN DECEMBER, INCLUDING 135 WHITE RHINOS, ALTHOUGH THE JANUARY ESTIMATES ARE NOW BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN OPTIMISTIC.

RHINO HORN IS SOLD TO COUNTRIES LIKE YEMEN, KOREA, TAIWAN AND CHINA DESPITE A BAN IMPOSED BY THE CONVENTION ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN ENDANGERED SPECIES OF WILD FLORA AND FAUNA (CITES). IN THE 1980S, MIDDLEMEN WHO BOUGHT IT FROM POACHERS RESOLD IT TO ILLEGAL EXPORTERS AT ABOUT 1,000 US DOLLARS PER KILOGRAMME.

IN THE MIDDLE EAST, RHINO HORN IS USED FOR DAGGER HANDLES AND IN CHINA, TAIWAN AND JAPAN THE POWDERED HORN IS USED IN A WIDE RANGE OF MEDICINES, INCLUDING DRUGS FOR TREATING FEVER, AND AS AN APHRODISIAC.

ZIMBABWE, NAMIBIA AND SOUTH AFRICA HAVE BETWEEN THEM OVER 90 PERCENT OF SOUTHERN AFRICA’S REMAINING RHINOS.

IN ZIMBABWE, THE LAST RHINO KILLED BY POACHERS DIED IN FEBRUARY 1994. THAT WAS BEFORE THE AUTHORITIES THERE CAME UP WITH THE IDEA OF DEHORNING THE REMAINING ANIMALS AND FITTING THEM WITH RADIO CALLERS TO TRACK THEIR MOVEMENTS.

GLEN TATHAM, CHIEF WARDEN OF THE NATIONAL PARKS AND WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT, SAYS THAT SINCE THE INSTALLATION OF THE DEVICE, THERE HAS BEEN NO HUNTING OF THE RHINOS, WHICH ARE BEING KEPT IN FOUR INTENSIVE PROTECTION ZONES.

“AN IMMEDIATE RESPONSE CAN BE LAUNCHED WHEN A THREAT IS IDENTIFIED,” SAID TATHAM.

HE SAID, HOWEVER, THE CRIME SYNDICATE WAS STILL VERY MUCH ALIVE AND THERE HAVE BEEN RECENT REPORTS OF INCURSIONS BY WOULD- BE POACHERS FROM NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES.

IN BOTH ZIMBABWE AND BOTSWANA, WARDENS BLAME ILLEGAL HUNTERS FROM ZAMBIA FOR DEPLETING THE COUNTRY’S RHINO POPULATION.

HECTOR MAGOME, DIRECTOR OF SOUTH AFRICA’S NORTHWEST PROVINCE PARK, WHICH DONATED THE WHITE RHINO TO BOTSWANA, URGED THE KHAMA RHINO SANCTUARY TRUST TO INVOLVE THE LOCALS TO HELP FIGHT THE SCOURGE OF POACHING.

“WE HAVE NOT LOST A SINGLE RHINO IN OUR PROVINCE AND WE HAVE NO BIG ARMY GUARDING OUR PARKS,” HE SAID.

THE NORTHWEST’S RHINO POPULATION IS ESTIMATED AT OVER 400 ANIMALS AND MAGOME SAID THAT, OVER THE YEARS, THE PROVINCE HAS OBTAINED PERMISSION FROM CITES TO CULL THE ANIMALS.

THE PROVINCE, WHICH USED TO BE THE BOPUTHATSWANA BANTUSTAN DURING THE APARTHEID ERA, RECEIVED A DONATION OF OVER 200 WHITE RHINO FROM THE NATAL PARKS BOARD IN THE EARLY 1980S, WHEN NATAL WAS FACING A SEVERE DROUGHT.

“WE MADE A PROMISE TO NATAL THAT WE WOULD IN TURN DONATE ANY EXCESS STOCK TO OTHER NEEDY PARKS. WE ARE DOING EXACTLY THAT,” SAID THE NORTHWEST’S MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS, REVEREND JOHANNES TSELAPEDI, REFERRING TO THE FIVE ANIMALS DONATED TO BOTSWANA.