Private rhino horn owner John Hume recently held South Africa’s <a href="https://rhinohornauction.com/web/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first online rhino horn auction</a>, a major event in the ongoing fight by private rhino owners to be able to sell legal horn stocks. But in a statement <a href="http://mailchi.mp/240f2571befd/john-hume-online-rhino-horn-auction-results-835477?e=ba2124a66c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released on Hume’s behalf</a> it was admitted that there were very few bidders for the 264 horns.
The auctions result is a setback to achieve a legal, commercial trade in horn to replace poached horn in supplying demand in the main markets. Hume’s official statement tried to put a brave face on it, saying he had triumphed and that a legal and sustainable supply <a href="http://mailchi.mp/240f2571befd/john-hume-online-rhino-horn-auction-results-835477?e=ba2124a66c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has been established</a>. He stills hopes to attract more buyers – horn will still be available for private sales as long as permits are available.
The auction website had been translated into Vietnamese and Chinese in a bid to attract more bidders. Vietnam and China are the main markets for rhino horn – supplied currently by the <a href="https://theconversation.com/wave-of-rhino-killings-points-to-shifting-poaching-patterns-in-south-africa-77806" target="_blank" rel="noopener">huge level of poaching of rhinos</a> in South and southern Africa.
But with very few bidders taking part and one presumes little horn sold, it has done little to decisively advance the cause of establishing a legal, regulated market that both John Hume and Pelham Jones, chair of the Rhino Owners Association (PROA) believe can replace poaching, and provide funds to promote the breeding, protection and ultimate survival of rhinos.
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/focus/2016/07/01/sea-snail-business-thats-worth-35-million/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Sea Snail Business That&#8217;s Worth $35 Million</a>
There’s confusion over what comes next, made worse by the inconclusive result of the online auction, which has neither put a nail firmly in the coffin of legal trade nor shown a massive domestic demand that would put pressure on the government or provide economic incentives for more auctions or private sales.
This is the worst of both worlds and will only encourage further poaching, as demand shows no sign of lessening.
<h2>Controversy remains</h2>
The situation does not help clear the mess of a three way fight between private owners who favour trade, the government which seems not to know or want to say what it wants to do, and the strong and vocal lobby totally opposed to trade. Groups such as the <a href="https://www.ewt.org.za/RHINO/rhino.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Endangered Wildlife Trust</a>, for example, are against trade mainly on ethical grounds.
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/focus/2015/10/01/bullets-killing-animals/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Bullets Killing More Than Animals</a>
The biggest block to the success of the auction was that horns legally purchased cannot be exported legally for sale. <a href="https://cites.org/eng/disc/what.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species</a>, or CITES, <a href="https://cites.org/sites/default/files/eng/cop/17/WorkingDocs/E-CoP17-68-A5.pdf">bans</a> this. Without lifting the ban or changing their regulations, CITES members like South Africa, China and Vietnam cannot trade any horn. Vietnamese or Chinese buyers can buy horn in South Africa but cannot take it <a href="https://beta.safarious.com/article/1902-saving-private-rhino-owners" target="_blank" rel="noopener">out of the country</a>.
Earlier this year, South Africa’s Constitutional Court <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-wildlife-rhinos-safrica-idUSKBN1771VP" target="_blank" rel="noopener">definitively overturned</a> the 2009 government ban on the domestic trade in rhino horn. The decision caused confusion over how horn would be sold, what permits were needed and whether the department would provide the permits. The ability of the government to develop a viable regulatory system for horn is also in question.
The <a href="https://www.mahohboh.org/2017/08/21/rhino-horn-online-auction-postponed/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">department set conditions</a> on issuing permits for Hume’s sale, which he agreed to comply with fully. Only permit holders can sell to other permit holders. The permit does not allow international trade. Part of the conditions was that the department must have access to the auction to do the necessary monitoring.
This would appear to be a first step in providing some sort of regulatory framework for domestic sales. It meets South Africa’s need to be seen to be complying with the 40-year-old <a href="https://voices.nationalgeographic.org/2016/10/13/cites-upholds-rhino-horn-trade-ban-but-will-this-reduce-rhino-poaching/">CITES ban</a> on the international commercial trade in rhino horn, but at the same time obeying the court order that domestic sales be permitted.
<h2>Confusion over what happens next</h2>
Earlier this year the South African government <a href="http://allafrica.com/stories/201703110005.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">published draft legislation</a> on horn sales that would allow owners of horn (South African or foreign) to take two horns out of the country as personal property but not for commercial sale and as long as the owners had the proper permits. The department then held consultations with interested parties, including private rhino owners, but the proposed legislation has not been released for consideration by parliament.
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/woman/2015/08/01/beware-black-mambas-are-coming-to-get-you/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Beware Black Mambas Are Coming To Get You</a>
Molewa and the department haven’t said anything about next steps. They have however released <a href="https://beta.safarious.com/article/1902-saving-private-rhino-owners" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a statement</a> affirming South Africa’s commitment to CITES regulations. This puts emphasis on the fact that commercial international trade on rhino horn remains prohibited. The department denied that the new draft regulations were meant to circumvent CITES but they did confirm that it would allow limited horn exports.
This has set alarm bells ringing that a pseudo trade could develop, with foreign buyers coming to South Africa, buying horn legally, then taking it out of the country after. Monitoring what happens then would be impossible.
There is no single solution or silver bullet to put an end to poaching, but the present impasse will only make things worse. &#8211; Written by <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/keith-somerville-275605" target="_blank" rel="author noopener">Keith Somerville</a>, Visiting Professor, University of Kent
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South Africa’s first online rhino horn auction ends in risky impasse

Africa is the last true wild frontier in the world; its wildlife racks up more than $30 billion annually.
But, in countries such as Zimbabwe, less money is reaching the government and animal extinction is becoming a reality.
The ruthless killing of Cecil the Lion in Zimbabwe sent shockwaves around the world. It raises the question of whether Africa is getting a raw deal for its wildlife.
In 2012, the tourism sector contributed 10% to Zimbabwe’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the projection was that by this year it should have reached 15%. Statistics for this year are only available in 2016 but there has been a surge in tourists, particularly from the United States.
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Some American tourists, though, have been caught on the wrong side of the law by participating in unsanctioned lion hunts.
Johnny Rodrigues, a wildlife conservationist, believes the biggest problem standing in the way of animal conservation in Zimbabwe is corruption.
“In the case of Cecil, an American tourist bribed guides for $55,000 to kill a lion that was at the center of major international research. There are many such cases that go unreported,” he says.
In the past 20 years, the lion population in Africa has been depleted by 30%. As of 2014, it is estimated that there are only 30,000 left on the continent.
Zimbabwe has a population of around 1,600 lions, most of which are kept in protected areas away from hunters. Between 1999 and 2009, it was recorded that 800 lions were killed in legal hunts but it is understood that many more were killed in illegal hunts.
Lions, rhino, elephant, giraffe and buffalo are the most popular targets for hunters, but some lesser known animals are also caught up in the illicit trade.
Langton Masunda, a tour operator in Zimbabwe, says poachers and illegal hunters are more equipped and better funded than government rangers. This gives them an obvious advantage over those trying to save the country’s wild animals.
“They have more sophisticated weaponry, are usually better trained and they have communication equipment that the government does not have,” says Masunda.
Not so long ago, more effort was put into protecting the rhinoceros, but poachers shifted their focus to elephants. Zimbabwe has an elephant population of 85,000, with around 30,000 of those being calves. Because of the demand in the Asian market, poachers targeted the elephant at an industrial scale.
“Water sources were contaminated with cyanide. Hundreds would drop dead and in the process other animals, which the poachers had no use for, died too. Even people in rural communities surviving on the same water sources were affected. What makes it bad is that in many cases locals in poverty stricken communities would assist poachers,” says Masunda.
Although they have a harsh penal system for poaching, countries such as South Africa are havens for illegal hunts.
“Each year, more than 20,000 elephants – possibly up to 35,000 – are killed by poachers for their tusks, which are shipped to ivory markets, predominantly in countries such as China and Thailand. In 2014, 1,215 rhinos were killed in South Africa alone, which, when compared with the 13 killed by poachers in 2007, represents a more than 9,000 percent increase in rhino poaching,” says a World Economic Forum report.
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The spiraling poaching figures are driven by the Asian market. In countries such as China and Vietnam, it is believed the rhino horn has medicinal properties that can cure everything from headaches to cancer. Elephant tusks are crushed into a powder and used to make aphrodisiacs, among other things.
The development of rural communities is also a factor that opens trade links with the rest of the world. It makes smuggling easier.
But, in Southern Africa, there is hope that some of the targeted animals can be saved, especially at the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA) that brings together Zambia, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Angola and Botswana.
KAZA is the world’s largest wildlife park, slightly bigger than Italy.
In 2014, on the Botswana side of the park, President Ian Khama banned hunting to preserve the animals. As an alternative, the country is investing in luxurious camps. Last year alone, it was estimated that tourism brought in $337.5 million. A few greedy tourists with rifles should not be allowed to decimate this important source of income.

The Bullets Killing More Than Animals

It’s just before sunrise. All is still in the remote bushland, as the eight trainees line up. It’s cold this morning, you can see steam from their mouths as they yell “Yes sergeant” in unison. They are raw and it’s not quite the early morning they are used to.
This is the Black Mamba anti-poaching squad made up of five women and three men. They’ve been transferred from a private game farm in Hoedspruit, South Africa, to learn how to track down poachers as keenly as poachers hunt rhino.
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One of the problems that has marred anti-poaching is the lack of professionalism and bite. Now private companies like Protrack are being brought in to sharpen up the thin line that stands between rhinos and extinction. Leading the stage is Vincent Barkas, a former soldier in the South African army, who spent years fighting border wars near the Zimbabwean border.
“Everything is intelligence driven and crime prevention now. Your tracking is still very important but you don’t need the world’s greatest tracker to catch these people. It’s all about area coverage. We lost more rhino in 2011 than we did in the past 25 years. Of those 16 that were poached, 12 were on unprotected farms. They were targeting the softer animals. In 2012, we got it down to 11,” says Barkas.
According to Barkas, he thinks it has been too easy to become a guard. All you have to do is a weapons and self-defense course. He believes it’s time to up the ante as the game gains momentum. It’s no longer a case of tracking a poacher in the bush, you have to stop them before they can get the rhino horn out.
“With the rhino poachers now, whether they have shot the rhino or not, they are normally in a vehicle within an hour on a government road. Within five hours they are in Jo’burg,” he says.
In the beginning, all Barkas’ group needed was a single-shot shotgun to protect their farms. Poaching began to escalate in 1997 and the company forked out half a million rand on semi-automatic rifles and began training.
“In 1992, in the private sector of anti-poaching, your average anti-rhino poaching guy was a black man, that was paid R250 ($25) a month, given primitive accommodation and a bag of mielie meal,” he says.
Now things are different. It costs R20,000 ($2,000) a month to have one unit, working as a two-man team, on the ground. Most people who try, can’t cut it.
“For every hundred people you train, if twenty of them can become game guards then you are doing good,” he says.
It’s a dangerous job. The number one rule in the bush is that you are never safe. Last year, a lion killed a sleeping anti-poacher by dragging him out of a makeshift boma.
Full moons are the worst. Twenty people, armed and organized, can jump the fence of the Kruger National Park on these nights, says Barkas.
“As the Kruger starts sorting themselves out, the real men are going to come around and we are not ready for that. There is still a huge amount of farms in the private sector that have no guards or properly trained guards,” he says.
The anti-poaching movement is trying to stamp out rhino poaching but it’s difficult in a land of very rich and very poor.
“If you drive down certain roads that border the former homelands you’ve got game farms on this side, which are just wealth green trees and wildlife lodges, and then you have got poverty,” he says.
Most of the communities in the surrounding areas of big game farms live in poverty. For them it is hunting. Many consider the farms as rich white-owned locations to be used to feed families.
People living here know who the poachers are but fear retribution. When poachers are caught many walk because police are slow to follow up.
Although rhino-based cases have seen conviction, a key prevention is catching poachers before they kill. Secrecy is as important as guns. Anti-poachers will spend 10 days in the bush on patrol. The spread of patrols is so wide, most never see another unit.
The foot soldiers in the war against rhino poaching have to risk their lives every night, especially when the moon shines. Often all they have is blisters to show for it. It’s an unsung job but without the rhino crusader, the rhino could be wiped off the face of
Africa.

The Rhino Crusaders  Who Fight By Moonlight

Diplomatic channels between South Africa and Mozambique have come alive with activity over the vexed question of rhino poaching. The poachers use Mozambique as a springboard for their deadly sorties across the border into the Kruger National Park. South Africa’s flagship reserve, with an estimated 12,000 rhinos, is one of the world’s great sanctuaries for the endangered species.
High-level meetings are scheduled between the conservation authorities of the two countries, to inspect conditions along the boundary where the incursions happen. This is a marked difference from the arms-length exchanges, since the outbreak of poaching three years ago.
Mozambique and Vietnam—the biggest suppliers, to Asia, of the highly prized rhino-horn powder—received stern criticism at the March meeting of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), in Bangkok, Thailand. The South African delegation pleaded for international assistance, in a motion adopted by the global assembly of conservationists. CITES asked Mozambique to explain its efforts to curb the poaching. It instructed the country to tighten its anti-poaching laws and to step up its enforcement against the poachers and smugglers.
The urgent need for closer cooperation between the countries was noted in a report by Mavuso Msimang, the rhinoceros conservation issue manager of South Africa’s Department of Environmental Affairs. The brief is to solicit the widest possible range of views on how to conserve and manage the endangered species.
In 1996, Msimang, a notable anti-apartheid campaigner, became the first black chief executive of South African National Parks (SANParks), which is a custodian of the country’s national reserves. He became known as ‘Mr Fix-it’ for the roles he played in diverse areas of government after he left SANParks.
Msimang canvassed opinions of everybody connected to rhinos and their conservation. The report he handed over, late last year, to the department’s minister, Edna Molewa, had,  inexplicably, not been made public by the time of the CITES meeting, though parts of it had been disclosed in increments.
He proposes the need for tougher and better coordinated security action between government agencies, ranging from more highly trained and well-equipped game rangers to the armed forces and even SARS (South African Revenue Service). His most contentious recommendation was that legal trade in rhino be allowed on a well-regulated basis, as a way of undercutting the lucrative black market.
He says that there is no silver bullet. The antidote to poaching needs to consist of a wide-ranging set of measures. One of these would have to be engagement with Mozambique over poaching incursions by way of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, which the two countries and Zimbabwe established by treaty in 2003. The transfrontier agreements also need to be upgraded to provide for anti-poaching operations.
The crisis has shattered the dream, which was born in the era of South Africa’s Nelson Mandela and Mozambique’s Joaquim Chissano. It was a pact of supreme trust in which their two countries agreed to open their adjoining national parks, across national boundaries, to allow the animals wider roaming areas and to promote tourism. The arrangement was talked of as the world’s biggest animal kingdom and a jewel for global tourism.
Then the rhino poachers struck. In 2008, they killed what was then considered a worrisome 36 animals in the Kruger. Last year, the tally for the park stood at 425 of the 668 killed throughout the country. Within the first four months of this year, the national toll had exceeded 220.
Kruger’s rangers have received combat training and the police and army have been called in. Spotter planes have come into use, as have helicopters for rapid response. More and more, the fire-fights leave corpses behind. Within a short few years, this peace park, as transfrontier parks are called, has turned into a war zone.
David Mabunda, SANParks CEO, noted that 90% of the poachers come from Mozambique and that they were well-armed, with apparent military training.
“Many go back in body bags. Others get arrested. But they just keep coming,” he says.
South African public sentiment has started turning against the transfrontier scheme, especially as it involved dropping the old high-security fence that, during the border-war years, shielded the Kruger from Mozambique.
“There will be no other way [than putting up the fence] if the relentless incursions of poachers from Mozambique continue,” says Mabunda.
The fears for the scheme were evident from Werner Myburgh—CEO of the Peace Parks Foundation, that Afrikaner industrialist and conservationist Anton Rupert set up in 1997, with Mandela and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands as its patrons.
“It would spell the end of the scheme,” he says.
Big donors, among them the German and French governments, would lose faith and funding, for the Mozambican part of the project in particular, would dry up. Around 6,000 people from Mozambique’s adjacent Limpopo Park, a million hectare tract of land that the Chissano government turned into a reserve for the specific purpose of the transfrontier project, would have to be relocated. Last year, these villagers agreed, after years of excruciating negotiations, to move to host villages outside the park. This would serve anti-poaching operations by making it impossible for the poachers to use the villages as hiding places.
The fear is that reconstruction of the fence would create the impression that the reserve scheme is collapsing and that this would not only jeopardize the translocation, but cause more people to move into the park. This could worsen the poaching problem rather than resolve it.
Myburgh insists that it is, therefore, for the sake of the rhinos that the fence should stay down and that the transfrontier scheme should be pursued with greater vigor. The treaty provides for a joint security committee which, if functioning properly, should serve as a perfect agency for sharing information and running joint anti-poaching operations.

A Deadly War Shatters The Peace Park

For three aspiring engineers, our wheels of choice were 150cc Big Boy Scooters. At the start line, in the city of gold, we joined 60 other like-minded crews on a journey labeled as Africa’s greatest social rally—the Put Foot Rally.
The expedition, onboard our three stallions, would take us 7,000 kilometers, through seven countries and six border checkpoints, in 21 days, all in support of Project Rhino KwaZulu-Natal. The rally’s intention is simple: to catapult adventurous spirits into their backyard and in the footsteps of David Livingstone. We set out to prove that Southern Africa can be explored on any wheels you choose.
<div id="attachment_1394" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1394" class="size-medium wp-image-1394" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/P7030297-300x219.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="219" />Our Scooters parked on the beach at Senga Bay Lake Malawi</div>
With frozen fingers, James, Matt and I waved at encouraging hoots, as we cleared Jo’burg on a chilly winter’s morning. Finally, we hit the open road, full steam ahead at 70km an hour, and made our way to the first border post into Botswana. Our first taste of open road biking included: dodging suicidal flamingos and angry ostriches as well as the odd elephant—something extraordinary when on two wheels. For the first couple of days, as we rode towards Etosha National Park, our morning sessions were split into 30km stints interspersed with star-jumps on the open road and warming our hands on the exhaust pipe.
Traveling up to 700km a day, meant we arose early; behind the fog and cold came daybreak, which brought new surprises perched on the horizon.
Out in the wild, we had to constantly monitor our fuel situation. Fuel is gold and with a range of 200km we were bound to run out, somewhere along our adventure. This happened in Namibia en route to Windhoek. With two scooters curb-bound, James slipstreamed a 18-wheeler truck for 40km and returned with a couple of liters.
We learnt that poor navigation in the middle of the night is all part of the experience. The excited faces, accompanied with cold beers, at the checkpoints were moments of accomplishment. These checkpoint parties consisted of a 300-strong group dressed in anything from animal print to luminous polyester, where many a story were shared from the days’ travels.
Desert evolved into mountains, which turned into grasslands and we had made the first leg of the journey to Etosha Park. There are some roads that make your heart beat fast and others that take your breath away. Perhaps the greatest part of riding across Africa is that you see every rolling hill, every river crossing and every bustling village. We learnt to have conversations, while riding, without saying a word and there were many humorous moments while shepherding Matt—who before this trip had never ridden a scooter.
Riding through the Caprivi Strip towards Livingstone was quite an experience. With only a couple of shirts and a Leatherman, we were often invited to dine with hospitable locals. Here the spirit of Ubuntu is real. After breaking down 80 kilometers out of Grootfontein, we hitched a ride back to town in a copper truck, negotiated accommodation in exchange for three beers and had our scooters serviced by a resident mechanic for free. Within one day we were back on the road in Livingstone, Zambia.
Not only does the Put Foot Rally give travellers the opportunity to explore some of Southern Africa’s most beautiful spots but it also facilitates fundraising for a great cause. The crews raised R560,000 ($65,000), which was used to buy 450 new pairs of school shoes for schoolchildren in Livingstone. It also created awareness and raised funds to help fight rhino poaching through Project Rhino.
We had cruised the Kavango, traveled the entire interior of Namibia and enjoyed the crisp taste of a Mosi on the banks of the Zambezi River. On entering Zimbabwe the beaten track led us towards Kariba Dam. We hopped onto a ferry and had a full day of downtime, much of which was spent sipping on Lion Lager and snacking on Kapenta (Tanganyika sardines). Well refreshed, we made our way to colorful Malawi and rode hugging the ‘Lake of Stars’.
Exploring the fleamarket-style villages by scooter was an experience. Traffic was always a breeze and the interest we received from people gave us an opportunity to learn hidden secrets about the country.
A conversation was bound to be fired up at every pit stop, especially with police officials, who asked how we managed to pack everything including a golf club. Officials let us through every roadblock or border post, laughing ‘Hah, silly Mlungus’, a reminder that when traveling Africa always remember to pack a sense of humor.
Next, we rode southwards into Mozambique, which presented us with unique landscapes. The bright lights of Teté; long, white beaches of Vilanculos; the historical architecture and the waving coconut trees of Inhambane made for an atmosphere like no other. As we cruised to Barra lodge, the idyllic finish line of our scooter odyssey, the realization hit that while not everything had gone our way—breakdowns led to nights on the side of the road and a couple of tumbles had depleted spirits—Africa and her people always seem to provide. Traveling across Southern Africa by scooter gave us the chance to take it slow and travel uninhibited. The rally gave us the chance to bond and give back to communities and conservation.
Go ride, Africa is more accessible than you think.

Tag: Rhino

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

South Africa’s first online rhino horn auction ends in risky impasse

The Bullets Killing More Than Animals

The Rhino Crusaders Who Fight By Moonlight

A Deadly War Shatters The Peace Park

7 Thousand Kilometers, 6 Borders, Ride For Rhinos: No Regrets