FOR ALL THE ANIMALS
connect with us!
  • PHOTOGRAPHY
    • Contact
    • Private Investigator
    • My Beloved Dog
  • PHOTO BLOG
    • LADYBUG PHOTOS
    • My Mother's Obituary
    • GettingInTouchWithNature BLOG
    • Vietnam on Motorcycle
    • Plant Life
    • Swan Specialist
  • BIO
  • LEARN
    • CLAY ORGAN-PIPE NEST
    • SETTING BULLS ON FIRE??!
    • MOOSE FACTS
    • THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SQUIRRELS & CHIPMUNKS
    • WISE ABOUT BEARS
    • ARE COWS SENTIENT
    • YOU BUY, ELEPHANTS DIE
    • GROW YOUNG WITH YOUR DOG - Best Selling Book
    • ALL ABOUT YAKS IN NEPAL
    • ABOUT CHICKENS
    • THE ART OF DECEPTION
  • MY BOOKS
  • BEE INSPIRED
    • TINY LIFE
    • BEE BLOG
  • Beach Wood
  • Getting In Touch With Nature
  • TIPPI DEGRE - GROWING UP AROUND EXOTIC ANIMALS
  • FIGHTING AGAINST FUR
  • ARCHIVES
    • ABOUT
    • WRITE FOR US
    • OUR STAFF
    • BLOGS >
      • BLOG by Porter
      • BLOG BY NORA
      • BLOG BY VARUN
      • BLOG BY BENDIK
      • BLOG BY KAILYN
      • Blog by SARAH H.
      • LIERRA'S BLOG
      • BLOG BY KABIR
      • BLOG by ZACH
      • ANNA'S BLOG
      • Thoughts by Helen Hu
      • BRAYLIN'S BLOG
      • SARA'S BLOG
      • Blog by Sara Jane
      • BLOG BY JASPER
    • BLOG by ANNE
    • LIZZY'S BLOG
    • Blog by Abu
    • BLOG by Z.K.
    • NEWEST STORIES
    • PETITIONS
  • Blog

RHINOS ARE RACING AGAINST EXTINCTION 

2/2/2015

0 Comments

 

A Discussion About Dehorning

PictureBlack Rhinos - Stromayer, Karl 2003 of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
All five rhino species are threatened with extinction: Africa’s black rhinos are critically endangered, with a population under 5,000. The 3,000 one-horned rhinos of India and Nepal are endangered, while Southeast Asia’s Sumatran and Javan rhinos number only in the hundreds and tens, respectively and are also critically endangered. At around 20,000, the southern white rhino is most numerous, with the vast majority living in South Africa. They are considerably easy to hunt because of their very poor eyesight and cannot see stationery objects even just a few meters away from them. Their hearing, however, is very acute and they also rely mainly on their well-developed senses of smell to warn them of approaching danger.

Over the past few years there has been a shocking increase in rhino poaching. In 2011, in South Africa alone, 448 rhino were poached for their horns and as of mid-2012 over 300 have been poached. At a first glance, it would appear that by simply removing the horn the problem is solved; rhinos should be worthless to poachers. However, the issue is a lot more complicated than it first appears.

Namibia was the first country to use dehorning to protect rhinos from poaching. Between 1989 and the early 1990s, dehorning coupled with rapid improvements in security and funding for anti-poaching was perceived by stakeholders to have contributed significantly to reducing poaching losses. In Namibia, not a single dehorned rhino was poached.

Picture
However, there are numerous cases where dehorning has proved insufficient to prevent rhinos from falling victim to poachers. For example, in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe during the early 1990s, the majority of dehorned rhinos were killed just 12-18 months after being dehorned. In Zimbabwe’s Save Valley Conservancy, six newly dehorned rhinos were poached during January-August. For dehorning to be effective, it must be coupled with extensive anti-poaching security and monitoring efforts. With an absence of security, rhinos may continue to be poached regardless of whether they have been dehorned.

So why do poachers continue to target hornless rhinos? This is often attributed to the stub of horn that is left after removal. If the horn is cut too close to the germinal layer, this could damage the horn base and lead to deformed horn re-growth. Current dehorning is estimated to remove 90% and 93% of horn mass in male and female white rhinos respectively. So during any dehorning exercise a stub of horn will remain: although poaching is made less profitable, the sad reality is that poachers will still kill for a horn stub due to its high value. There have been reports that rhino horn has been fetching prices as high as $50,000 per kg.

Poachers may also kill dehorned rhinos out of vengeance. In Hwange NP, it was thought that poachers killed dehorned rhinos to avoid tracking them again. Furthermore, if there is thick bush or hilly terrain poachers may not see if the rhino has an intact horn prior to shooting.


Picture
Horns grow back over time, with recent studies claiming that the re-growth of dehorned rhino horn appears faster than growth in non-dehorned rhinos. With the current severe poaching threat, experts recommend that rhinos should ideally be dehorned every 12-24 months in order to be an effective deterrent.

Dehorning is an intrusive procedure and, like any immobilization, there is a risk to the rhino during the operation. While all efforts are taken to reduce the risk, there are sometimes veterinary complications while the animal is under anesthetic that may result in death. The more frequently the rhinos are immobilized, the greater the risk.

In addition, dehorning is incredibly costly, due the effort of finding the animals and the costs associated with the immobilization process, especially if needed on a recurrent basis. The actual cost depends on several factors, but current published estimates for dehorning range from $620 per animal to $1,000. It is estimated that it would cost around US$5.8-8.8 million for a one-off dehorning of all the rhinos in Kruger National Park. 


PictureIndian rhino image courtesy of Wikipedia user Krish Dulal
An important consideration in the dehorning debate is whether rhinos actually need their horns. The evolutionary significance of horns in rhinos is not entirely clear, and may include mate choice or anti-predator defense. It is known that rhinos use their horns for several behavioral functions, including defending territories, defending calves from other rhinos and predators, maternal care, and foraging behavior, such as digging for water and breaking branches. Male rhinos use their horns during disputes over territory or dominance, so removal of the horn may undermine the ability of a particular bull to retain territory or status. On a positive note, dehorning has shown to reduce fighting-related mortalities among black rhinos in Zimbabwe.

Dehorning has its place in rhino conservation and, although not a stand-alone solution, recent successes demonstrate that, used alongside other methods, dehorning can be used to protect rhinos. Due to the invasive nature of dehorning, it should only be considered as a last resort under conditions of severe poaching threat. For example, although dehorning is not routinely practiced in Kenya, its small population of Northern White Rhino is routinely dehorned due to the exceptional conservation value of being the last remaining individuals of the subspecies.

If the poaching continues as it does now, these African animals will be poached into extinction as soon as the year 2025.


Picture
Sources:
http://www.africa-wildlife-detective.com/rhino-poaching.html
http://www.savetherhino.org/rhino_info/issues_for_debate/de-horning
http://www.hsi.org/issues/rhinoceros_poaching/
http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/rhinoceros/african_rhinos/white_rhinoceros/


Watch Video – Thandi’s Calf: Story of The Rhino that should never have been Born - 
The birth of Thandi’s , baby provides this glimmer of hope amidst the exponential growth in rhino killings. Close to 1200 rhinos were killed by poachers in South Africa in 2014 – the highest yearly total to date. (The name Thandi means 'courage or one who is to be loved' in the isiXhosi language.) - See more 
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    RSS Feed

    SARA'S BLOG

    Sara Chamberlin 18 and in her first year of college. Her dream is to become a psychologist or a writer. She enjoys reading and being with her pets at home, which includes two dogs, two rats, and a beta fish. Sara is very passionate about animal rights and humane treatment towards every animal species. Her hobbies include visiting her local horse stable, volunteering for an animal rescue center, as well as American Cancer Society, and spending time with her family.

    Picture
    Sara
    Subscribe to SARA'S BLOG by Email

    Archives

    May 2015
    February 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014

    Categories

    All
    AYE-AYE
    Dehorning Rhinos
    Greyhounds Killed After Hunting Season
    MADAGASCAR'S NOCTURNAL PRIMATE
    RHINOS ARE RACING AGAINST EXTINCTION
    Spain's Cruel Treatment Of Greyhounds
    Thandi Video - The Rhino That Should Never Have Been Born
    Wolf Superstitions

    RSS Feed

If you love bees, check out my other website.
Picture