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.
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.
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.
Conservationists are increasingly looking to translocating rhinos. This not only ensures their safety but also enables improvements to their genetic health.
A company plans to flood the market with synthetic rhinoceros horn in an effort to slow poaching but these types of commercially driven conservation efforts are fraught with problems.
As the electric saw cuts into the base of the horn of the live rhino lying at my feet, I feel an uncomfortable guilt. The rhino shakes and judders and there is an unpleasant smell reminiscent of burning…