14 DAY TRIAL // A new statistic provided by the WWF reveals that, during the last 10 months, poachers succeeded in killing more rhinos than they did last year, across South Africa.
After they announced that the ecosystem from Vietnam has no more rhinos, officials from South Africa National Parks have now indicated that this year 341 creatures have been murdered so far, compared to 333 animals that faced their last days in 2010.
It seems that the large number of animals that have been sacrificed is correlated with the enormous demand of horns on the black market.
When compared to the financial benefits, animal cruelty starts being considered nothing but a trifle.
This was the conclusion drawn by the authorities who joined efforts at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to establish why the fate of this endangered creature is threatened by human beings.
Rhino horns have been used throughout time in the pharmaceutical industry, in the process of manufacturing medication which was believed to help cure cancer.
“It's hardly surprising the horn was missing from the last rhino as Vietnam is the preeminent market destination for illegally sourced rhino horns,” says Tom Milliken, TRAFFIC rhino programme coordinator.
Apparently not only rhinos are exposed to threats. Officials say that people try to sell or purchase tiger parts to satisfy their eccentric needs.
Representatives from CITES stated that if this alarming trend continues, some wild animals will eventually go extinct, just like the Vietnamese Javan rhino.
One of their most powerful enemies is the fashion industry that is putting in danger the lives of millions of endangered species while launching entire haute-couture collections which are based on fur or wool.
Such activities are illegal but it seems that the present legal framework isn't doing much justice to the African ecosystem. Even though authorities have failed to protect the endangered creatures, those who break the law and murder animals are sentenced to lengthy prison terms.
In order to put an end to this disturbing situation, organizations and government must scale up their efforts to come up with more effective measures.
“Vietnam should follow South Africa’s example and start sending poachers, traders, smugglers and sellers to jail. In order to save rhinos from extinction, the criminal syndicates operating between South Africa and Vietnam must be uncovered and shut down for good,” affirmed Dr. Joseph Okori, WWF’s African rhino programme coordinator.