Last stand for the rhinos?

By John McCann The expression "as dead as a dodo" could soon apply to Africa's few remaining black rhinos thanks to heartless poachers. Even dedicated park rangers trying to protect this vanishing species from the highly organised gangs which infiltrate the reserves have been killed. Until the early 1960s there were still 100,000 black rhinos roaming across southern and central Africa. This changed with the easy availability of automatic weapons. By 1980, the black rhino population had been decimated to around 18,000. Even official protection couldn't stop the slaughter, and by the end of 1992 there were only 2500. Zimbabwe, with an estimated black rhino population of 2000 in 1990, seemed to be the last refuge for this ancient animal. With rhinoceros numbers dwindling elsewhere, poachers turned their eyes to the Zambezi valley in northern Zimbabwe. Under-staffed, under-paid and under-equipped park rangers are fighting a losing battle against these well-armed poachers. Today, throughout Zimbabwe, there are fewer than 300 black rhino, and only another 400-500 in the rest of the African continent. Sadly, it is the rhinos main defensive weapon — its horn — which has caused its downfall. With prices for rhino horn in Taiwan, South Korea and China fetching upwards of $20,000 a kilo, there is no shortage of poachers willing to keep this trade alive. For centuries, ground rhino horn has been used in Chinese medicine shops as a "cure all". However, studies over the past few years prove that rhino horn, which is made from compressed hair, has no curative properties, and that people are more inclined to buy it for traditional and prestigious reasons. Some African leaders fear that a number of traders are sitting on stockpiles of horn hoping its value will increase once the rhino becomes extinct. Although revenue from national parks is one of the biggest income earners for many African countries, comparatively little money gets put back to the reserves. This makes it harder to protect species in danger of becoming extinct. Park rangers are being paid the paltry sum of A$1.30 a day to confront armed gangs inside the reserves. And the poachers are not just after rhino horn and elephant tusks; lions, leopards, zebras and giraffes are all being killed for various parts. Rangers often lack basic equipment such as boots, clothing, and two-way radios with which to carry their job. Spare parts for vehicles are sometimes unavailable which means that large sections of the reserves are left unprotected. A small group of Queensland conservationists recently formed the African Wildlife Rescue Foundation to promote public awareness of wildlife conservation in Africa and to help the rangers. The funds collected will go towards buying rangers the equipment they need to carry on with their important work. The African Wildlife Rescue Foundation can be contacted at PO Box 27, Mt Nebo, Qld 4520, or call (07) 289 8155.