Depts. of Environment, South Africa & Namibia AND John Scanlon: REVOKE PERMISSION TO TROPHY HUNT RHINOS

WE NEED EVERY SINGLE RHINO TO BE PROTECTED AND CANNOT AFFORD TO LOSE ANY TO TROPHY HUNTING.


PLEASE RECONSIDER GIVING PERMISSION TO TROPHY HUNT BOTH BLACK AND WHITE RHINOS IN SOUTH AFRICA AND NAMIBIA.
IT IS UNCONSCIONABLE TO ALLOW THE KILLING FOR FUN OF SUCH RARE AND ICONIC ANIMALS THAT ARE TIPPING TOWARDS EXTINCTION.

NEW CAMPAIGN BY WILD AND FREE SA
TO&colon The Ministers of Environment for South Africa and Namibia
TO&colon John Scanlon, Secretary‐General of CITES
TO&colon All Parties to CITES

Wild and Free SA thanks the international community for voting against Swaziland’s proposal to trade rhino horn at CITES CoP 17 in October 2016. But our major concern now is the TROPHY HUNTING of the rhinoceros species, both BLACK and WHITE rhinos which is authorised by CITES.

TROPHY HUNTING OF AN ENDANGERED SPECIES IS A CONTRADICTION IN TERMS AND SHOULD NEVER BE ALLOWED.
The very reason why an animal is endangered is usually because of indiscriminate and illegal hunting.
At the beginning of the 20th century there were 500,000 rhinos across Africa and Asia. This fell to 70,000 by 1970.
1. THE CRITICALLY ENDANGERED BLACK RHINO OF SOUTH AFRICA AND NAMIBIA
At “Critically Endangered,” the Black Rhino has been listed by the IUCN at the highest level before Extinct in the Wild, and yet CITES is allowing trophy hunting of this species.
Over 5,000 rhinos (of all species) were poached in South Africa since 2008 and dozens are being poached in Namibia every year. In Africa the black rhino population overall has seen a dramatic 96&percnt decline from 65,000 individuals in 1970 to just 2,300 in 1993. Currently, the total “official” population figure for South Africa and Namibia is less than 4,000. Tragically, trophy hunting has also been used as a means to export horn from illegal hunts. The excuse that these hunts contribute to local communities and conservation is a delusion. Instead, all they have done is stimulate interest in poaching and trade, of this species and others.
2. THE SOUTHERN WHITE RHINO ‐ ERRONEOUSLY LISTED AS “NEAR THREATENED” WHEN IT SHOULD BE “ENDANGERED”.
As the last viable population, the Southern White Rhino is the new target of poachers and those that seek to exploit them. Officially, the population figures are given as approximately 20,000 but we believe the actual figure to be about half that. This is because of heavy poaching in the Kruger National Park which is estimated to have in the region of 8,000 to 10,000 rhinos. However recently a respected wildlife veterinarian Dr. Kobus du Toit stated that there are in fact only between 1 500 and 3 000 white rhinos left in the park, and he challenges any ecologist to refute his figures. Another factor is that included in the population figures are the 5,000 plus privately owned rhinos on breeding and horn harvesting farms. It is our assertion that these should not be included in the population figures when decisions as to their conservation status are made. Of the 5,000 plus rhinos poached in South Africa these past few years the majority are Southern Whites.
CONCLUSION&colon
WE NEED EVERY SINGLE RHINO TO BE PROTECTED AND CANNOT AFFORD TO LOSE ANY TO TROPHY HUNTING. PLEASE RECONSIDER THE PERMISSION TO TROPHY HUNT BOTH BLACK AND WHITE RHINOS IN SOUTH AFRICA AND NAMIBIA. IT IS UNCONSCIONABLE TO ALLOW THE KILLING OF SUCH RARE AND ICONIC ANIMALS THAT ARE TIPPING TOWARDS EXTINCTION FOR FUN.

WILD AND FREE SA
https&colon//www.facebook.com/groups/WILDANDFREESA/