South Africa’s Kruger National Park has now lost at least four rhinos to poachers during the last two weeks.
Since the World Cup opening, South Africa’s famous Kruger National Park has become a killing field: The discovery of two more mutilated rhino corpses brings the death toll to four.
The reported total this year now stands at 115 rhinos killed in South Africa by poachers – just five fewer than the total of 120 in 2009.
‘Extensive’ poaching syndicate
Anti-poaching authorities are currently investigating what is believed to be an “extensive” rhino poaching syndicate operating from a farm in Limpopo, with suspected ties to a South African business baron.
Operating from a farm in Limpopo, the syndicate has been linked to recent poaching incidents at the Rietvlei Dam in Pretoria, as well as a spate of rhino killings over the past two months in reserves outside Krugersdorp.
According to The Sunday Independent, this syndicate could be responsible for 70% of South Africa’s current rhino poaching epidemic.
Horns removed while rhinos still alive to appease ‘far East’ buyers
The network reportedly includes two prominent game veterinarians, who supply dart guns and tranquilizers to the killers.
Tranquilizers are used to immobilize the rhinos so the horns can be sawed off while the rhinos are alive; “far East” buyers prefer horns removed from a live rhino.
… the dart guns are used in order to incapacitate the animals before the horn is removed, since horn taken from a live rhino fetches a higher price on far Eastern markets.
Once the horns are taken, the rhinos are left to die of an overdose or finished off with rifle at close range.
Syndicate kingpins known as ‘local conservationists’
Investigators further revealed via The Sunday Independent that the syndicate kingpins are known locally as conservationists.
… it was particularly disturbing that the majority of identified South African kingpins in the international smuggling rings were respected local figures with conservationist profiles.
It was also noted that the current rhino poaching situation is “worse than it was in the late 1990s” and that “extreme measures” were being taken to combat the crisis.
Shift to Vietnamese smuggling syndicates
Although the commercial manufacturing of rhino horn “medicines” is done by Chinese pharmaceutical companies, officials have identified a shift from Chinese to Vietnamese syndicates regarding rhino horn smuggling and distribution operations.
… patterns in the illicit trade in rhino horn had shifted in recent years with Vietnamese end-user syndicates supplanting Chinese in the smuggling and distribution of rhino horn in the Far East.
Just before the World Cup opening ceremonies, two Vietnamese nationals were arrested at the OR Tambo International Airport with 18 rhino horns.
The major end-use markets for rhino horn are China and Vietnam, where rhino horn is believed to be a “remedy” for a wide variety of common ailments from fever to acne – despite the fact rhino horn has been extensively analyzed and found to have no medicinal properties.
Source: The Sunday Independent
Image: istock.com
See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.