In another significant development in South Africa, this week, the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria dismissed the South African Government’s application for leave to appeal a ruling to lift the domestic ban on rhino horn trade.
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The ministry official was not authorized to speak to the media and confirmed the ruling on condition of anonymity.
The push to lift the ban on selling rhino horn came from game breeders, John Hume and Johan Kruger, who claim that legalising the trade within the country will reduce rhino deaths – rhino horn is similar to our fingernails, and can actually be harvested without harming the animal.
“As governments like South Africa continue to ramp up efforts to stop wildlife poaching, these numbers remind us of the urgency to swiftly address this crisis across all fronts”, said World Wildlife Fund’s Ginette Hemley in a press release.
More than 1,000 rhinos were poached in South Africa in 2014, up from 333 in 2010.
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“Reopening South Africa’s national rhino horn trade would go against CITES which urges all Parties to adopt and implement comprehensive legislation and enforcement controls, including internal trade restrictions and penalties, aimed at reducing illegal trade in rhino horn”, said Drews.
The announcement that South African rhino poaching deaths fell slightly in 2015 adds a misleading gloss to another devastating year in which criminal gangs expanded their operations into new, even more delicate rhinoceros populations.
Wildlife advocates, while praising South Africa’s renewed efforts to combat poachers, were quick to point out that stable numbers did not equate to a stable situation. A domestic trade would also allow for the sale of rhino horn stockpiles-similar to the seized elephant ivory stockpiles sold legally in Hong Kong-and open a market for “sustainably” harvested horns from live rhinos.
Molewa stressed that the ban on the worldwide trade in rhino horn was still in place and the moratorium only applied to domestic trade. The appeal was lodged with the High Court on 9 December 2015.
“We can only assume that investors wish to buy up rhino horn in the event that CITES will eventually-whether this year or at a future meeting-legalize the global trade in rhino horn”, Dean said.
The recent carnage has been fuelled by demand for rhino horn in countries such as China and Vietnam, where they are prized for their purported medicinal properties.
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The horn is composed mainly of keratin, the same component as in human nails, but it is sold in powdered form as a supposed cure for cancer and other diseases.
