Warning Horn In an effort to make them useless to poachers, researchers are implanting radioactive isotopes into the horns of rhinos in South Africa. The unusual material would “render the horn useless… essentially poisonous for human consumption,” James Larkin, professor and dean of science at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, told Agence France-Presse. […]
Tag: rhino horn
Javan rhino poacher gets 12 years in record sentence for wildlife crime in Indonesia
A court in Indonesia has sentenced a man to 12 years in prison for poaching six critically endangered Javan rhinos, in what’s been hailed as the harshest punishment handed down for wildlife crime to date. Poaching carries a maximum sentence of five years under Indonesian law, and prosecutors had sought this figure in the case […]
US national arrested in South Africa on wildlife trafficking, weapons charges
A U.S. national has been arrested in South Africa on wildlife trafficking and firearms charges, South African authorities have announced. Derek Lewitton, a Texan, was arrested Dec. 22 following a raid on his Harmony Gate Estate ranch in Limpopo Province by the South African Police Services’ Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) units. Limpopo Police […]
Petition: Demand Australia Enact a Ban on the Domestic Trade of Elephant Ivory and Rhino Horn
Canada’s recent landmark ban on the domestic trade of elephant ivory and rhino horn is a breakthrough for wildlife conservation. This bold move throws the spotlight on Australia, where despite strict compliance with international agreements, there’s a glaring inconsistency within the country’s borders. Australia’s states and territories each have their own set of rules regarding […]
The Crash of the Rhinos
A group of rhino is called a “Crash”. But this title is about more than that. Rhino numbers are crashing. And crashing terribly fast. Rhino poaching is on a seemingly unstoppable rise on the back of increased demand for their horns in the East (China, Vietnam, etc), where it’s (falsely) believed to have medicinal and […]