Zimbabwe: Let's Demystify the Rhino Horn - Nhema

ZIMBABWE is stuck with five tonnes of rhino horns in its stockpiles, and being a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, the rhino horn cannot be sold.

While the horn has zero value on the legal market because of the Cites ban, the same horn, which weighs on average 10kg, fetches up to US$60 000 per kg on the illegal market in Asia and beyond. Continued poaching of rhino for the illegal market has hit all countries that still have the animal that is now facing extinction, Zimbabwe included. With Sadc remaining with less than 4 000 there is need for new strategies and thinking. Our Features Editor Isdore Guvamombe talks to Environment and Natural Resources Management Minister Francis Nhema about this and other issues.

In brief what is the natural resources management situation in the country?

Well, we are among the few countries in the world with a credible and sustainable natural resource conservation strategy.

I am glad that there has been a serious uptake on tree planting, ranging from schools to individuals and traditional leaders.

Take Chief Makoni for instance, he came personally from Rusape to collect trees for planting. That shows the level of uptake at grassroots level.

We have been under siege from rhino poachers, especially this January.

Yes, that was very shocking and very sad. We lost seven rhinos in Matopos and another two in Chiredzi. It made us rethink. We are very worried.

What have you thought about?

The issue of rhino poaching has to be looked at from a regional co-operation point.

I mean from a SADC point of view.

South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique and Namibia must all be involved. The nature of poaching has changed.

Poachers have moved from unsophisticated weapons to sophisticated weaponry. They are well-provided for by international syndicates. Poachers have become sophisticated. We now encounter experts in poaching.

So what is the solution?

With our colleagues in Sadc, we are calling for two proposals. The first one is asking Cite to allow us to trade in rhino horn, the stakes we have. Maybe that will help demystify the horn.

This mean Botswana and South Africa will also be selling their stockpiles. That way we might be able to curb poaching.

What is the second option?

The second option is to pool our resources as two, three or four affected countries and go measure-for- measure with the poachers.

That is in terms of weaponry and training.

We will be meting the same against the poachers. But I prefer the first option. The second will take long because the poachers will fight back and change tactics. It might prove too costly for us.

The poachers also have ex-military personnel, like the Circuit in South Africa.

When was the ban imposed?

It was in the 1980s but so far, the result has not been good.

We are approaching Cites to allow us to sell the rhino horn and diminish the value and purpose of poaching because everyone could just come and buy.

People might be surprised of the low value. We must demystify the horn by making it accessible on the market.

How about growing the rhino in captivity?

That is too expensive. The rhino is a territorial animal. It needs its space.

At some point we thought we could domesticate the rhino in terms of reproduction, but the animal is very sensitive.

They do not mate in public, they are not like lions. They are very shy to mate in public. We have not given up but the results are not good.

Poaching in Zimbabwe has mainly been centred on ex-service men, police, army and national parks, how do you deal with that?

Yes, that is the unfortunate truth. We have had one or two service persons from police and army. We are working on that.

We are going to have some strategic planning soon. We will not surrender.

Let us go to the green and brown issues, so to say.

I am actually very much interested in the debate of the ban of plastic papers as career bags. It is healthy debate.

What I have read in the newspapers is quite interesting. To me that is very important because I am looking for solutions in waste management and we call in e-west management of both the brown and green issues.

Where do you dispose of your cellphone after use, like you do with your undergarment? Our computer hardware, where do we dispose of it?

Minister year-in-year out, this time of the year, your ministry makes a lot of noise about wetlands. World Wetlands Day and so on. What are wetlands and what is their significance to the ordinary Zimbabwean's life?

World Wetlands Day to us means recognition of the importance of preserving world's wet places.

It means to us, the natural habitat that drains the water and keeps it. It is the natural drainage as exemplified by the living organism, the plant and the ecosystem, sustained year in and year out.

Wetlands assist in purification of water and as you know water is life to the people, wildlife and plants. Wet lands act as sponges for floods.

This is where the water gathers. They absorb most of the water that would otherwise cause flooding. They assist in absorbing access water and consequently, flooding.

Wetlands keep human and wildlife cycles alive. Let us not destroy wetlands because they are useful. Wetlands will assist in absorbing that water, like this year when we have more rains than expected. This is why we make noise about it.

You have been championing re-greening throughout the country including farming areas, how successful is that project?

We are fortunate that the issue of re-greening has been taken seriously on the farms by tobacco farmers and livestock producers.

They now know the economic value of re-greening. We are re-afforesting together with new farmers, beef producers included.

How as been the participation of other communities?

We have seen increasing demand from communities. They have been rehabilitating nurseries in 60 districts spearheaded by the Forestry Company. We have decentralised to chiefs, villages and kraal heads, through rural district councils.

We have seen traditional leaders punish offenders, those who cut down trees and that is not new because the Traditional Leaders Act, provides for that. All there has been in the past is laxity to implement. We are happy with the response.

What about youths?

Youths are the future leaders of this country and will be central to the green economy. We see the green economy taking over Zimbabwe. We have engaged schools.

There are school debates and tree planting projects. We have even gone further to the corporate world and the industrialists in hard and soft products.

I am happy about how we are dealing with both green and brown issues. We now have youth organisations on environmental issues. That is good and the future looks too good.

Well since Parks had six tonnes in store in 1997 and there has been considerable inflows from de-horning the Hon Minister is admitting that a considerable ammount of horn has been siphoned out of the parks store...be intersting to see if parks Let CITES/TRAFIC do a verification...and how many wooden horns are in the bootom of the sacks in the parks store...becuase you can bet your bottom dollar that if the 'chefs' are pillaging the grossly underpaid junior officers and rangers than look after the stock are not going home empty handed either.

If I did my math right and they still have 5 tons of rhino horn at 60,000 per ton that is $272,727,273. Even half that amount could go a long way to improving peoples lives and anti-poaching efforts. As well as lining peoples pockets.

With 5 tons in inventory, the really disruptive strategy would be to dump it all on the market at no cost...
Supply and demand works,this might eliminate the poaching problem until the Asians wise up about the desirability of the little blue pill.

It'll just be an excuse for a shitload of dodgy horn to get offloaded onto the world markets without having to be smuggled and the only place the money will be going to will be a verw few, very select private bank accounts.

quote:

Originally posted by bobgrow:
this might eliminate the poaching problem until the Asians wise up about the desirability of the little blue pill.

I was under the impression that the demand for rhino horn is actually for 2 purposes:

1) traditional/ceremonial knife handles in Yemen; and
2) ground up as a cold/flu remedy.

Although generally cited, I thought that research had shown that the market is not actually for use as an aphrodisiac...

Anybody know?

JabaliHunter,

Below are the traditional Chinese uses for rhino horn, however the media has consistently misstated that it was an aphrodisiac, probably because that gets more attention than "fever reducer".

Then, some idiot politician in Vietnam claimed he was cured of cancer by rhino horn. The people who are selling these horns are happy to latch on to either of these uses to gain new customers.


The Ancient Uses of Rhinoceros Horn

Since ancient times in China, the most important use of rhinoceros horn has been as an antipyretic medicine to reduce fever.

Modern experiments ”have shown that injection of aqueous extract of rhinoceros horn (species not stated) in laboratory rats does, in fact, produce a short-lived, anti-pyretic effect; but horns of cattle and buffalo produce a similar, if less marked, action, and horns of Saiga tatarica (Bovidae) give a reaction equal to that of rhinoceros” (Hillman-Smith and Groves, 1994, 5). As was discussed earlier, rhino horn is not true horn, but is composed of bundles of keratin which grow in an asymmetrical fashion. Chemically, it contains keratin, amino acids, guanidine derivatives, sterols, amine (ethanolamine), acidic peptide and sugar‑ and phosphorus‑containing substances (But, et al., 1990, 165).

In books on traditional Chinese medicine, beginning with the herbal classic Shennong Bencaojing (The Divine Husbandman’s Cannon of Materia Medica) parts of which may date to the late Warring States and Western Han periods, powdered rhinoceros horn is classified as a cold drug, indicated for hot diseases and thus suitable for cooling the blood and counteracting toxins (Xie and Huang, 1984, 161‑62). It is believed to be effective in reducing persistent high fevers, aiding in blood clotting, and as a tranquillizer.

In light of the current situation a shoot on sight order should be issued. Survivors, hopefully there are not any, should be publicly hung. Anyone anywhere in the supply chain should be subject to the same "justice". This should include any and all people regardless of race or socio-economic status. It really isnt justice but is sure as hell a deterrent. I normally would not subscribe to a blanket statement like this ut this is an extreme situation with the future of the species at risk. We may have more sympathy for some poor uneducated villager trying to feed his family rather than a crooked vet, ph, smuggler or politician trying to get richer. The truth is there are no innocents here.

Mike...in phase 1 of the Rhino war zimbabwes black rhino population fell from over 5000 to about 450 in five years. Some 1200 poachers were killed and many more died in jail. 9 parks personell died (including 3 murdered by the local American CIA operative who was involved in the poaching ) and more than a dozen of us wounded.

I came to realise that the poachers were, for the most part simply desperatly poor refugees from the congo, trying to feed their families in Zambia, orrefugees from the fighting between renamo and government troops in Mozambique. Sure- we had a few high profile poachers with connections to the highest seats in government but mostly those were the middle men.

Killing half starved and desperate refugees achieves nothing...in Africa there are always more where they came from - Zimbabwe is now a good source of 'economic refugees' many of whome are ex police or army and can shoot reasonably well. They are living in the gutters of Johanesberg and will take any work going- from hijacking to poaching...and the estimate is that there are 3 million Zimbabwean refugees in South Africa.

The world and specifically the UN lacks the will to actually deal with this- which is to go after and nail the politicians and senior officals who sponsor and facilitate the poaching...Almost every rifle we recovered in the rino war in Zim came out of a Government armoury in Zambia, Mozambique or even Zim.

The urrent wave of poaching In SA is a little different in that some of the dealers have got directly involved so as to speed up supply and reduce cost- And the OOA bunch got caught. Other middle men are emplying the more traditional (and safer) approach of sending out armed refugees to do the dangerous work and hide behind diplomatic immunity or their own top possitions in Government to protect themselves.

quote:

Originally posted by Singleshot03:
If I did my math right and they still have 5 tons of rhino horn at 60,000 per ton that is $272,727,273. Even half that amount could go a long way to improving peoples lives and anti-poaching efforts. As well as lining peoples pockets.

Sorry Mate, the roses need smelling and the coffee is cold. I can almost garantee that not a single cent of that money would ever reach the right hands. I beleive that this is the biggest reason behind cites not wanting product on the open market A) the funds raised would not actually benefit the right causes and b) The volume is a drop in the ocean which would not come anywhere near satisfying world demand.

Until such time as world governments get tough on the big wigs behind the sales rings, there will always be some hungry sod willing to risk life and limb for a few dollars.

The answer is simple. I have said it before and I have heard Shakari say it as well. Farm Rhino in intensive protection Zones. Let the Chinese do it. Treat it as a tradeable commodity. The world population of Rhino would double in 5 years. For every Rhino exported from Africa, two have to come back over a 10 year period.

Reality is a bitch, but this is the ONLY reasonable solution to a war that is currently being convincingly won by the Horn traders.

Zimfrosty & Ganyana have it right..... go commercial and you'll cure it but that's the only way.

There's no way on God's earth the guys at the top will ever get nailed because they simply claim diplomatic immunity and there's no way that the flow of poor Africans willing to shoot a rhino or two if it'll feed their families for a year will ever be stopped.

I'd be interested in hearing Lane's take on the science but I'd have thought they could even increase breeding rates with something such as IVF into other species.

As for the money gained from the original suggestion..... As I said earlier, the only place that will go is straight into politicians Swiss bank accounts.

Karibu Africa!

I know you guys are right about the commercial part. I also know some of the history of the rhino wars. I agree that it was only the low level people who were objects of most of this type of frontier justice. I also know you are all correct in that it didnt solve the problem. That is why I said anyone anywhere in the chain should have the same opportunity to reap this particular reward of the risk. Diplomatic immunity used in this way is disgusting and evil. It is also no defense against a well placed bullet. Perhaps you all could do something like Israel and send out some four member families. No matter how long it takes eventually the job gets done. Quite frankly I believe we are in the midst of another rhino war but everone seems loath to be ruthless enough to solve the problem. At this rate another year and it will be a non issue anyway.