Legalize Rhino Horn Trade To Save Them?

H'mmm. I seem to remember that some twenty years ago Zimbabwe spent a fortune on catching up Black Rhino and de-horning them - and then found to their horror that de-horned animals were still being poached. The rationale being that if rhinos become extinct, then the value of the remaining rhino horn will increase still further.

I can't help thinking that education in Eastern Asia -hammering home the message that you really would get as much out of biting your fingernails - is a better way of spending scarce money.
 
The problem there is that it will just provide cover for illegal trade. At best it might devalue the product a little... and then the poachers will have to kill more to make the same amount of money.
 
IanRRobinson said:
I can't help thinking that education in Eastern Asia -hammering home the message that you really would get as much out of biting your fingernails - is a better way of spending scarce money.
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The problem is that many years of "education" has yet to save the life of one Rhino. Those Eastern Asians just do not believe you.

Unfortunately education has proven to be a spectacular failure so, in my view, we really need to think outside the square.

Giving wildlife a dollar value has demonstrably helped to conserve some other species - why not Rhino [or Tigers for that matter]?

So, if not some form of farming, what do you suggest?
 
Maybe someone can correct me here, but.....

What I've never understood is why someone doesn't try to make a killing by passing off powdered fingernails as powdered rhino horn. Do they generally do a DNA test?
 
If you were successful and then got caught, there would literally be a billion people out for your blood.

:p

Hix
 
Hix said:
If you were successful and then got caught, there would literally be a billion people out for your blood.

:p

Hix
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Rather mine than the rhino's!

But given the 'illegal' nature of the whole business and the type of individuals involved in trafficking rhino horn, I wouldn't be surprised if they mixed a little in here and there.........a bit like mixing drugs with other cheap white powder to increase street value.
 
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