Over 1,000 rhinos poached in 2013

I saw this article in the National Geographic and it disgusted me.

1004 rhinos were killed in SA in 2013. 1.5x as many as 2012. That's the most since record keeping began.

Now, I don't believe in the concept of a "fragile" Earth as such. I think the most we can do is wipe out 99% of life, including ourselves, but Earth itself will rebuild without our help.

The only problem I see is the rate we're wiping out species. The black rhino was declared extinct last year, and if we keep going, the white will soon follow. The best estimate we have for extinction is between 10,000 and 100,000 species per year. That's a huge amount. And every species contributes something to an ecosystem. And without one part of an ecosystem the rest suffers.

I think it's time we started thinking, as a species, about our impact on animal and plant-life rather than simply climate change, and realise that unless we change we're not only going to wipe out the majority of species on the planet, some undiscovered, but also ourselves.

After all, we can't survive without the continuation of everything else.

And I really, really love rhinos. Even moreso after seeing the party they had on Africa (check it out if you haven't seen it). There's a video of the courting thing on youtube but I can't find the exact thing I'm meaning, unfortunately. This is similar though.



Let's not lose them, they're beautiful creatures. And so is everything else.

You are right, equilibrium is what makes an ecosystem stable and efficient.

When you look back at the big picture, you quickly start to realize there are so many things that are actually threatening mankind and all life on this planet nowadays.

We can't even respect nature and the species we have to get along with, no wonder we are pushing so hard to leave this planet and try to colonize Mars or any other planet.

reply to post by St0rD


A very small change in mentality could mean that we don't need to run away to destroy another planet. The problem we have is that only a very small minority of people have the mindset. And very few people care enough to put it into practice. Or wish to think about it because it's new and different and not at all selfish. And the people in charge aren't the kind of people who care to help either.

It's scary, really, how ignorant we are as a species. I'm sure, when the time comes, we'll be screaming out to God for help us fix it. And we'll end up with a new population descended from rats, cockroaches, midgeys and stinging nettles. Hahaha.

And a hunter who paid $350K to hunt a non breeding old rhino legally is receiving death threats..

reply to post by cass1dy09


Well I wouldn't agree with death threats and certainly am no friend of PETA or Greenpeace because they're morons, but I don't agree with hunting an animal to extinction for fun or herbal medicine either. I don't believe that just coz it's old and not breeding it gives you the right to take away the remainder of it's life if it isn't doing any harm.

reply to post by Ayana

The problem we have is that only a very small minority of people have the mindset. And very few people care enough to put it into practice

I have been saying lately that humane humans are a minority.
Back to the Rhino thing....if the people in Asia got Viagra,they wouldn't be hunting the rhinos for "boner" meds.
My solution....send them viagra.
idiots.

reply to post by DrumsRfun


Send them the generic sildenafil coz it costs £2 rather than the £25 that low strength branded viagra costs

Ayana
reply to post by St0rD

 

A very small change in mentality could mean that we don't need to run away to destroy another planet. The problem we have is that only a very small minority of people have the mindset. And very few people care enough to put it into practice. Or wish to think about it because it's new and different and not at all selfish. And the people in charge aren't the kind of people who care to help either.

It's scary, really, how ignorant we are as a species. I'm sure, when the time comes, we'll be screaming out to God for help us fix it. And we'll end up with a new population descended from rats, cockroaches, midgeys and stinging nettles. Hahaha.

Couldn't agree more.

It is believed that if the human race was awakaned to a percentage of 20%, we would change the world right away.
Says a lot about our current level.

There will be a time when we will look back at this precise time of history and feel empathy for the people who had to endure such insanity.

reply to post by Ayana


It's funny (odd) you brought this up. The Swiss, some bankers and a few others I won't name have allegedly set a billion Rand budget for the construction of an electrified fencing system for Kruger National Park (the size of England). Obviously because of my background in the development and deployment of the original SA perimeter killing fences, I spoke with one of the players, actually, they contacted me. The electronics/tracking/surveillance systems are less than 10% of the total cost, most is made up in the actual fence and labour for the project. Only one problem, everyone seems to be dragging their feet on this project. The last time I talked with them in July of 2013, I think the poached Rhino count was 586 since the beginning of the year.

Now we get to the stupid part, a billion Rand (about $100 million US) to erect a fence that will need constant maintenance because the perps are going to keep cutting it. Plus consider the costs of manpower in tracking the perps once they have breached the fence, with criminal intent. I mean seriously bullets are cheap but the guy pulling the trigger is not. So, I suggested lethal fencing, 8000 volts at between 1000 and 2000 joules because, I don't mean to sound callous but I have seen a lot of death, I would rather pick up the bodies and fix the fence at the same time. It saves on manpower costs as well as trial and incarceration costs. But that was no good, the fence had to be bloody well politically correct, go figure.

So I proffered up another solution.... The assclown that runs this criminal poaching enterprise is apparently a former Vietnamese General who lives in Maputo, Mozambique and controls the operation from there, he offers to buy the Rhino horn from the locals who see this as a business opportunity. Simple solution, remove the business opportunity. I mean how much would it cost to take this guy down? A mil, 2 mil, it's a lot less than a $100 million. But they say one of his lieutenants will simply fill the power vacuum and it will start all over again. OK, so you have to spend a total of 10% of that 100 million dollars to excise all of the boils on that original idiots ass, no problem. We gots' jackals and we gots' drones, let's put them to good use ;-)

All someone has to do is pay me and I will fix the problem with technology or otherwise, it's all good ;-)

ETA - Link on Rhino poaching and the idiot ANC/Zuma inability to control its own borders. Now, the ANC is mandela's group and I would strongly suspect that Zuma and/or people within the ANC government are profiting from the Rhino poaching directly. Of course, I know a bit more than many about corruption in South Africa even before mandela/the ANC took power in 1994.

Cheers - Dave

This makes me so angry. With kids, I watch a lot on animals, the planet... educational stuff, and my husband and I were just talking about this....

Why don't they chip the horns? I mean seriously? It would be like dentistry. Drill a hole, but in the chip, fill it in so it's not noticeable, and so when they're poached and their horn severed... the chip tracks right to the criminals.

I can't imagine why this is not already happening, and these people jailed.

CdT

CirqueDeTruth
This makes me so angry. With kids, I watch a lot on animals, the planet... educational stuff, and my husband and I were just talking about this....

Why don't they chip the horns? I mean seriously? It would be like dentistry. Drill a hole, but in the chip, fill it in so it's not noticeable, and so when they're poached and their horn severed... the chip tracks right to the criminals.

I can't imagine why this is not already happening, and these people jailed.

CdT

I've been within 12 feet of a Rhino with a 36 inch very spiky horn at Onder Vaal near Christiana and I'll tell you what, I'll hand you the drill and the chip and you put it in while I tell you everything is going to be OK, LOL. I was also staying at President Diedrick's cottage at Tshukudu where I photographed a baby Rhino nursing when the bull showed up and I made a bee-line for the gate.

I know, tranquilizer darts. That as well is a lot of materials, manpower and a lot of tracking. You could spend $50 million easily tracking and tagging most of the Rhino's and Elephants. But then there is the Nambia, Angola, Kalahari problem as well with poaching lions. The only way this is going to stop, is if we cut out the reasons for killing these animals, either the business opportunity or the necessity. Unfortunately, it usually falls to the animals hunting them and all of my solutions are permanent.

Cheers - Dave

reply to post by bobs_uruncle


It's hard to cut the opportunity when it's black market medicine that's the issue. I think the idea of chucking some sildenafil over the fence is a good idea, something that actually works and doesn't kill the animal involved. It makes me sad that people take out an animal for sport or to sell such a tiny part of it. Especially with animals that could easily kill us if we were lacking guns or knives or whatever. We sorta fixed the elephant problem so surely we can fix this as well with some tighter control and better education?

Unfortunately, I sound a lot more idealistic than I am. I find it difficult to believe the people doing it will listen when money is involved. Wipe out an entire species so someone will get some cash. It disgusts me.

Ayana
reply to post by bobs_uruncle

 

It's hard to cut the opportunity when it's black market medicine that's the issue. I think the idea of chucking some sildenafil over the fence is a good idea, something that actually works and doesn't kill the animal involved. It makes me sad that people take out an animal for sport or to sell such a tiny part of it. Especially with animals that could easily kill us if we were lacking guns or knives or whatever. We sorta fixed the elephant problem so surely we can fix this as well with some tighter control and better education?

Unfortunately, I sound a lot more idealistic than I am. I find it difficult to believe the people doing it will listen when money is involved. Wipe out an entire species so someone will get some cash. It disgusts me.

I had lots of opportunity to take trophy kills since I was on game farms a lot and people knew me, but I didn't. I rather shot them with my camera - Link, that tabs are on the left side. Leave them for someone else to enjoy.

Cheers - Dave

seems like a good job for those military drones, shooting the poachers who try to kill the Rhinos and Elephants. Send the ones they fly over our cities to Africa for a change.

A very good but very sad thread Ayana,
Killing animals for sport, killing animals for trophies, killing animals for "traditional medicine".
They all disgust me!
Also our corporate food processing industry is also insanely inhumane, but that is another thread topic no doubt.
Kudo's to you for raising the topic and awareness.
It sadden's me that as a species we have the potential to do so much good and instead cause so much destruction.
Of course that is a generalization and not ALL people intend such disrespect for our planet and our co-inhabitants, but the scales are seemingly far out of balance.
Karma........one can only hope.
Regards,
Aft