The rhino horn bonfire was the first of its kind in the United States, but similar bonfires have already been held in other countries.
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In this photo provided by the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, Assistant Chief Mark Jeter of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife places a confiscated rhinoceros horn into a fire pit at the Park in Escondido, Calif., Thursday, Sept. 8, 2016.
“The poaching of rhinos in Africa is an worldwide tragedy that is pushing these magnificent creatures to the brink of extinction”, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe said. The transience of the smoke we see today from the burning rhino horn reminds us of the fragility of the planets most imperilled species.
“Tomorrow we are going to have a burn for all these items as a statement that we do not tolerate the poaching of rhino, and want to educate the public and completely obliterate the market for rhinosaurous harm” Wildlife Repository Specialist Cole Schaefer said. At this rate, it is a very real possibility that rhinos could go extinct in the next 15 years.
Poaching is the number one threat facing wild rhino populations. It’s more valuable by weight than gold, diamonds or cocaine.
“With passage of a new state law prohibiting the sale or purchase of rhino horn and ivory products, CDFW’s wildlife officers stand ready to do their part to combat wildlife trafficking in California and overseas”, said David Bess, CDFW deputy director and chief of the Law Enforcement Division. Yet supposed remedies, which range from cancer treatments to hangover cures, are driving unprecedented poaching. Scientists have found no evidence that rhino horn has any effective medicinal properties.
“With the increasing value of rhino horn, stockpiles present a high-value target for theft”, Susie Ellis, executive director of the International Rhino Foundation, said in a press release.
To quell the illegal rhino horn trade, conservationists have long urged governments to burn their stockpiles of horn products.
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Its objective is to send a message to poachers and those who buy the illicit items that trafficking in wildlife products must come to an end, and to show those who participate in the activities that authorities are banding together to stop them. Supporters said California is a major market for ivory, and the ban would help dry up demand.
