The Future
So as spring brings about a plethora of new life back to bushveld and everything is transformed almost overnight into an almost unrecognizable green vista, this year’s spring day was one to be remembered not as colorful celebration of the changing season and warming of our bones but rather as a day to recognize the plight of the Rhinos of the World. An awareness campaign termed as Black Spring day was launched on the 1st of Spetember when people would instead of wearing normal colorful spring clothing, either don black clothing or tie a black ribbon to their car mirrors to create awareness for these prehistoric pachyderms. I was not in the cities but as far as the networking of the campaign went I can only imagine it was well received. Now as awesome as these displays are and trust me they are, I think there is a lot of confusion about all the uses and trade in Rhino horn, so in an attempt to dispel any myths and just let you know a little bit more so you know exactly what it is are are fighting for. Below is a little shpeel on everything rhino related.
As it stands at the moment rhino populations in SA are currently in the region of 20 000 white rhino and 1600 black rhino and still increasing at about 5 to 6% every year, not bad considering where the population has come from the brink of extinction in the 70’s and 80’s but now we have these chops from the middle and far east who poached 333 of the population last year and are about to out-do themselves this year with estimates at about 400.
There is hope!! Now this is always going to a very touchy subject, with people having different views on the matter, I have mine and you have yours. This year the Kruger National Park employed the services of the defense force to counteract the efforts poachers and have killed over 22 poachers in fire fights in and around the park unfortunately causing poachers to seek there prizes elsewhere, in February Pete and myslef found the first poached rhino on our property – not cool. Now the word on the gravel street is that there are also rumors of farmers poisoning the horn and as it has no blood supply there is no risk to the rhinos themselves but a great deal of trouble to the consumers,. As I say these are RUMORS!!!!!!!! dont take my word.
Alright, back to the uses, firstly rhino horn IS NOT USED AS AN APHRODISIAC. There are a myriad of different uses from all over Asia but an aphrodisiac aint one of them. Closer to home in the middle eastern country of Yemen horns are used in traditional dagger handles called Jambiya which are given to boys of the Muslim faith at the age of 12 as a sign of manhood.
Countries in Asia like South Korea, Malaysia, India, China, rhino horn is said to cure a ton of ailments including fever, gout, rheumatism, snakebites, hallucinations, typhoid, carbuncles (WHAT?????), vomiting and get this devil possessions – obviously doesn’t do anything for ignorance. So overall there isn’t much evidence to support the huge amount of claims about the healing properties of the horns however In 1990, researchers at Chinese University in Hong Kong found that large doses of rhino horn extract slightly lowered fever in rats but did nothing for their sex drive, but the concentration of horn given by a traditional Chinese medicines are many many times lower than used in those experiments.
You’d do just as well chewing on your fingernails
Some Rhino fun
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