The first online rhino auction in South Africa wasn’t a success. This has done very little to help rhinos. It may, in fact, encourage more poaching as demand has not slowed down.
South Africa lost over 1000 rhinos to poaching last year.
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Ross Harvey, South African Institute of International Affairs
The rhino horn auction in South Africa is a serious setback in the fight against poaching and the survival of wild rhinos. The chances of the horns remaining in the country are next to zero.
Rhino poaching in South Africa’s Kruger National Park has decreased this year but it has increased in other regions.
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Rhino horn trade is a hotly contested topic. Proponents believe it can aid conservation efforts. But those in opposition believe it will cause poaching to increase.
Dehorning is practised on many South African private reserves and is seen as a way of deterring poachers.
Keith Somerville
A few national parks and reserves want to dehorn rhinos and there is a lobby for a regulated and closely monitored legal trade in rhino horn. But this is met by opposition from many.