A year ago you could get White Rhino for around a $1,000 per inch trophy fee. I was however shocked when I recently got an inquiry for a Rhino hunt and upon making some inquiries about available bulls in the area discovered that the average trophy fee for trophy bulls are now anything from $3,000 per inch upwards!

It appears that an increase in demand to hunt rhino (notably "clients" from the East and more specifically Vietnam) has led to this ridiculous increase in rhino prices...

While the game breeders (and some outfitters) are smiling; it leaves me cold to think what this trend will do to the legitimate trophy hunting market and I am convinced that if this trend continues; White Rhino hunting will end up being closed in SA.

I find it unbelievable that in this day and age there are still people in this world who believe that rhino horn will increase potence and are prepared to pay up to $20K per kg for it...

But what I find even more disconcerting is that there are Outfitters out there who are prepared to jump at the opportunity to make a quick buck and entertain these so-called "trophy hunters" who have never fired a rifle in their lives! Some of them even go as far as shooting the animals on their clients' behalves and sending trophies back with the clients illegally without following the proper exportation procedures.

Thank God I am not one of them...

I got an inquiry from an outfitter four months ago to hunt 5 Rhino bulls in 2 weeks with Vietnamese clients.

I roped him in a bit, and then gave all his details to Riaan de Lange at Mpumalanga Parks Board.

We cannot afford to get involved with these money chasers.

Chris, I can still get Rhino for $1600.00 an inch......but there was an increase in demand from our American friends this year as well, contributing to the increase.

The bigger they are, the bigger the price tag....

Hope to see you soon.............

Cheers

Charl

Eventualy white and black rhino will have the same price if it goes on like this with animals being paid per inch. The eastern guy will not give a sh$t if it was from a black or white rhino.

I heard from a friend of mine that there was a big demand for Rhino from Vietnamese hunters earlier on in the year. He has had a few of these "hunters" and after a few hunts he realised what was going on and also reported it to the authorities. Unfortunately as long as they do everything by the book there is nothing any one can do to stop them. The prices charged boil down to supply and demand and with the economic boom going on in the east there are a lot more wealthy people than before, who ,it would seem are more than happy to pay ridiculous prices for certain species. Similar to a pattern that emerged from the west a couple of decades ago? Same story different continent! Thankfully so far it only seems to be Rhino that they are after.

Just before I left South Africa to come and work in Dubai I experienced some of these hunts(Shoots).

Firstly it left a bad taste in my mouth.

Second I will not do it again.

Thirdly I will not work for that outfitter again.

But money talks and I heard about a Rhino cow that was sold on a Warmbad auction for close to R450 000.00

Hopefully the parks board will stop it before they do more damage.

Gerhard

quote:

Originally posted by ChrisTroskie:
A year ago you could get White Rhino for around a $1,000 per inch trophy fee. I was however shocked when I recently got an inquiry for a Rhino hunt and upon making some inquiries about available bulls in the area discovered that the average trophy fee for trophy bulls are now anything from $3,000 per inch upwards!

It appears that an increase in demand to hunt rhino (notably "clients" from the East and more specifically Vietnam) has led to this ridiculous increase in rhino prices...

While the game breeders (and some outfitters) are smiling; it leaves me cold to think what this trend will do to the legitimate trophy hunting market and I am convinced that if this trend continues; White Rhino hunting will end up being closed in SA.

I find it unbelievable that in this day and age there are still people in this world who believe that rhino horn will increase potence and are prepared to pay up to $20K per kg for it...

But what I find even more disconcerting is that there are Outfitters out there who are prepared to jump at the opportunity to make a quick buck and entertain these so-called "trophy hunters" who have never fired a rifle in their lives! Some of them even go as far as shooting the animals on their clients' behalves and sending trophies back with the clients illegally without following the proper exportation procedures.

Thank God I am not one of them...

Chris, I respect your view but I have to say that I think that you are being terribly naive and perhaps a little hypocritical. What is it thst you are really upset about? Is it that the other guy is willing to pay more than you to shoot a rhino? Hey, welcome to the world of supply and demand. Is is that the other guy wants to grind up his rhino horn and put it in his tea. Heck, you want to put it on your wall. Is you choice somehow morally superior to his?

Here is what worries me. The human population is exploding and humanity is continually encroaching on all the world's wild places. In our lifetime, we are going to see most of the world's wild habitat disappear. Right now, there are only about 5,000 wild tigers left in the world. Go into a good restaurant in China and you will find tiger penis on the menu for around $1500. If there were only sport hunting, the tiger would probably survive because hunters would ensure their survival. However, as tiger numbers dwindle, they become more exotic and more and more profitable to poach. I would be willing to bet you will the wild tiger eradicated within the next 30 years. We are our own worst enemy.

Dave

What is the suposed mystical power of the tiger penis?

JPK

quote:

Originally posted by Dave Bush:

Chris, I respect your view but I have to say that I think that you are being terribly naive and perhaps a little hypocritical. What is it thst you are really upset about? Is it that the other guy is willing to pay more than you to shoot a rhino? Hey, welcome to the world of supply and demand. Is is that the other guy wants to grind up his rhino horn and put it in his tea. Heck, you want to put it on your wall. Is you choice somehow morally superior to his?

Here is what worries me. The human population is exploding and humanity is continually encroaching on all the world's wild places. In our lifetime, we are going to see most of the world's wild habitat disappear. Right now, there are only about 5,000 wild tigers left in the world. Go into a good restaurant in China and you will find tiger penis on the menu for around $1500. If there were only sport hunting, the tiger would probably survive because hunters would ensure their survival. However, as tiger numbers dwindle, they become more exotic and more and more profitable to poach. I would be willing to bet you will the wild tiger eradicated within the next 30 years. We are our own worst enemy.

Dave

Dave, thanks for your reply but I think you may have misunderstood me...

I do not care two hoots whether someone wants to put a rhino horn on his wall or in his tea. But I do care about the effect that this latest trend of "hunting" will have on sport hunting as a whole and by implication on my business and livelihood.

Some Rhinos are being hunted legitimately by these so-called "hunters" and some are not. Some of the trophies are being exported with the necessary paperwork and some not. Needless to say I have a problem with the latter…

The issue for me here is not one of money but is one of principle and the continued sustainable use of our natural wildlife resources…

Even if these “hunts†are legal according to the letter of the law; the current demand for Rhino seems to have reached proportions that IMHO we cannot sustain for a prolonged period of time. For the most part Rhinos are hunted on fenced private game ranches that have exemption and landowners at their sole discretion may give the go-ahead to have their animals hunted. So what will happen? …a landowner will sell one rhino to a client and buy another at a game auction to have it hunted at a later point in time which is fine – after all we’re living in a free market system – but rhinos at game auctions have to come from somewhere and what if this “supply†dries up?

No my friend, I am not upset about the fact that one client is willing to pay more for an animal than another and fully understand the principle of supply and demand. But I have a MAJOR problem with ANYONE who threatens something that I love… HUNTING.

You are right though… we ARE our own worst enemy…

Hmmmm ...while we are certainly Homo economicus, i have to diagree that we can relativise everything as supply and demand...

The latest Tanzanian prices hikes...there will still be demand despite cutting out a large portion of people who could just afford it...they want to make the same money from fewer clients. 'Too bad, make more money' is not what many feel is fair business practice

The US has a demand for cocaine...the Columbians have a supply...simple.

Tourists demand girls and Thai's have a supply...

Chinese elite demand tiger dicks...poachers have a supply

the list is endless but at what point to we toss out ethics and normative morality to bow to the 'god of supply and demand'? And no, I am not a some socialist.....

Funny, I thought Viagra was going to be the savior of many endanged species, especially rhino. I guess I was wrong..... It's weird though, we know Viagra works, why bother with ground up rhino horn or tiger penis that costs hundreds of times more and some think might work?

Chris,
with the TOPS regulations coming into effect as of Feb next year, how do you think this is going to affect the issue?
I have a nasty suspicion that it is going to create an underground Rhino hunting activity, as well as lions, because as you so rightly say, somebody who is willing to pay high $$ for something will always find an unscrupulous supplier.

dont order tiger penis and rhino horn tea in the same restuarant you might get screwed in more ways than you expect

quote:

Originally posted by kayaker:

the list is endless but at what point to we toss out ethics and normative morality to bow to the 'god of supply and demand'? And no, I am not a some socialist.....

Kayaker, I agree with you but I am not sure that in this day and age there is any morality or ethics in the market. Over here in the US we have a saying that "money talks and bullshit walks." I don't know what a rhino horn fetches on the open market but I would be willing to bet that it quite a bit of money. That is why YOU will always have poachers and WE will always have drug dealers. However, there is a much larger problem that I think will eventually doom sport hunting and perhaps humanity as a whole and that is our inability to control our own numbers. Human population is exploding, especially in the third world. I am sure that you see this in your country. For years we in the industrialized nations have consumed the planets resources as if they were infinite. Now, a billion Chinese and even more Indians are getting into the same game. It's almost as if a plague of locusts has descended on the planet devouring eveything in its' path. I used to scoff at the notion of global warming but now I am a believer. Easter Island was a lesson and I just don't think we are going to act to stem the tide until there is a real disaster and I hope it is not to late for the last few wild places and the world's wildlife.

Dave

Rhino at $1600 per inch = salvation of the species..It all boils down to money, welcome to the real world..At those prices we will always have Rhino and everyone will jump into the raising Rhino business...

While hunting Africa about a couple months ago, I was witness to a black Rhino hunt, for a reputed $275,000.00 While not being at all judgemental toward this event, I do have to wonder how in the world a species can truly be protected when the market can dictate prices (value) such as this.Perhaps my reaction is just being naive; this was my second trip to Africa, and I had a wonderful time-got what I went after-and am thankful for the opportunity. I hope to do it again, and I pray that the Zim situation improves so that I can get there next time.

Dave Bush - I agree...as sad as that is!

Atkinson, absolutley, $1600/in is salvation...until the $1600 disappears. I am a vry much a recourcist BUT feel that we must maintain some intrinsic value for wildlife (yes tough when you are hungry) otherwise all out eggs are in one basket and when the bottom of taht drops out....it may not happen but its shouldn't be our only safety net - I am sure people here aggree, thats why we hunt, for the love of the wildlife.

I recently attended a talk on the effectivity of CAMPFIRE in the current Zim (Nenyunga ward case study). The presenters (all Zimbos and experienced in CAMPFIRE) were commenting on that exactly. The hunting revenue is till coming in on communal land but almost nothing is reaching the ground right now, its being creamed of by officials and adminstrators, yet many people in the rural communities are still trying to conserve despite the loss of money - a good sign. Obviously poaching is up too, as can be expected.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
Rhino at $1600 per inch = salvation of the species..It all boils down to money, welcome to the real world..At those prices we will always have Rhino and everyone will jump into the raising Rhino business...

Ray, no disrepect but I just don't agree. As the poaching gets more profitable, we will see more and more poaching. Think about it. The average African lives on so little. Now, tell him that if he takes a chance and kills a rhino, he could earn what amounts to ten years salary to feed his family. He is going to take the chance and if he gets taken into custody or killed, there will always be someone to take his place. The white rhino will become like the black rhino, nearly extinct and no longer huntable.

Dave