President of Vietnam, Trương Tấn Sang: please ask your Vietnamese citizens to stop using rhinohorn

Record numbers of rhinos are being poached and killed in South Africa for their horn. Those horns end up being sold illegally for their supposed medicinal properties and Vietnam is playimg a major role in this. We are reaching the tipping point for rhinos,and, by the end of 2014, we're starting to be in the negative in terms of deaths and poaching outstripping birth and the population will start to decline very quickly. The Vietnamese press has raised awareness of the poaching crisis in Africa, but demand for horn remains higher than ever. You can make the difference Mr. President, by telling your people to stop using horn as it has no medicinale power what so ever.

Rhino poaching is being carried out by criminal gangs, potentially linked to extremist groups with sophisticated multi-national networks. The trafficking gangs are pocketing billions of dollars each year, while leaving a trail of devastation behind, impacting not only wildlife and local communities, but also global security.