The controversy of poisoning rhino horns

African rhino poaching crisis. WWF Global, Gland, C.H. Available from:
http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/rhinoceros/african_rhinos/poaching_crisis_african_rhinos/
Emslie, R. 2012. Ceratotherium simum. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, Cambridge, U.K. Available from:
http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/4185/0
Dean, C. 2010. Poisoning rhino horns. Save the Rhino International, London, U.K. Available from: http://www.savetherhino.org/latest_news/news/326_poisoning_rhino_horns
Platt, J.R. 2012. Spiked. Conservation Magazine, Washington, D.C. Available from:
http://www.conservationmagazine.org/2012/09/spiked/
Rhishja C.L. 2010. Poisoning rhino horn to thwart poaching syndicates in South Africa. Rhino Conservation, Petaluma, C.A. Available from:
http://www.rhinoconservation.org/2010/07/30/poisoning-rhino-horn-to-thwart-poaching-syndicates-in-south-africa/

White rhinos in Southern Africa are listed by the IUCN as near threatened (Emslie 2012). This is due to rhinos being poached for the value of their horn. The value of a rhino's horn is twice that of gold (Platt 2012). This is because rhino horns are used in Asian medicine and are thought to cure fevers, boils, anxiety and have also been thought to cure cancer (Dean 2010). The horn is made out of keratin, the same type of protein found in human nails and hair (Dean 2010). The keratin found in rhino's horns has been tested in several scientific studies and none of them have found it to have any curing effects (Rhishja 2010). The horns are smuggled into Asian markets and sold after the horn has been ground into a fine powder and manufactured into tablets (WWF Global).

Ed Hern is the owner of the Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve near Johannesburg, South Africa (Platt 2012). In previous years Ed Hern has taken in orphaned baby rhinos due to their mothers being killed by poachers (Rhishja 2010). Ed Hern has tried almost everything to prevent poaching on his reserve, he even hired armed guards to protect the rhinos (Platt 2012). In 2010 Ed Hern and his staff proposed putting an anti-tick parasiticide in the horns of the rhinos on his reserve; this will not harm the rhinos because there is no blood flow in their horns (Platt 2012). The anti-tick parasiticide is not lethal to humans, but it causes nausea, convulsions and nervous disorders (Platt 2012). He also proposed adding an indelible dye into the horns that is detected with airport scanners, and putting GPS microchips in the horns of the rhinos to track them (Platt 2012).

South Africa contains more than 80% of the rhino population (WWF Global). What is disturbing is that in 2009 a hundred and twenty-two rhinos were poached, in 2010 three-hundred and thirty-three rhinos were poached, and in 2012 the numbers had reached to three-hundred and eighty-eight rhinos thus far (WWF Global).

The large controversy over the poisoning of rhino horns is that the actual poacher is not receiving the poison, it is the customer that purchases the horns or the tablets in the Asian markets. Even if the poacher were to be the one poisoned; would it still make it okay? It is concerning that Ed Hern has guards protecting his reserve and he is still having poachers killing the rhinos he is trying to protect. Do drastic measures need to be taken when protecting the poaching of rhinos?

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