AlJazeera reporting is absolutely amazing, covering all the news i want to hear about. Thank you for THE MOST EXCELLENT journalism ever! The Rhino, an issue i care deeply about, but most media are too busy telling lies for big corporates and dictators to think about our ecosystem, or their own grandchild's food-chain for that matter.
I looked up Thembi, her face was well underway in healing, she was even growing a bit of horn back, but she died in late 2016, likely from an internal parasite.
Devastatingly sad! This is a horrific situation. Tragically, there is too much of a profitable black market for their horns. The Asians thinking the horn contains 'magical' properties that increase libido and sexual drive is ridiculous & pathetic!!! That plus trophy hunting is deadly for any species. When we were at Tshukudu Bush Camp next to Kruger Park in September, one of the rangers said, interestingly, that the trade should be legalised. Shock, horror. But he had a point. He said they have storehouses full of horns and elephant tusks (ivory) from animals that have deceased from either natural causes or being hunted by animal predators, but they cannot do anything with them and they go to waste. He explained that if the ivory / horn trade was legalised, they (and other establishments that have similar hoards) could sell those to the Chinese etc, saving the lives of rhino and elephant all over the continent because the need (as stupid as it is) would be met. He himself has been fighting illegal poachers on the ground, literally, in gun battles against them in the bush (shoot the hunters before they shoot the animals like they do in Zambia and Botswana too). The problem there is A. they don't want to shoot people, and B. there will always be another guy paid thousands and more to kill a rhino or elephant. What person (poor or not) would be able to resist an offer for a LOT of money from illegal traders, to kill a rhino or elephant? And it goes beyond just having families to feed and not being able to find work etc. If it were traded legally from the aforementioned stores of horns and tusks, the money could actually go directly in to establishments like Tshukudu which rehabilitate and breed the animals (the King Cheetah too of which there are just 60 left in the world). Sadly, this seems like a never ending battle and a war that is just going to leave millions of animals lives wasted - with species vanishing in front of our eyes thanks to human greed and insatiable self worship. We were blessed to see Rhino at Tshukudu Reserve so they still are in existence, but really it can only go downhill from here unless the world realises what is really going on and takes serious action - and a miracle happens!
If more people realized that there is vast amounts of land out there in Africa and other continents too - it would reduce oil and water prices, so the oil and water companies would lose control over their workers.
I am a representative of the charity 'Helping Rhinos' who are working with Albion in the Community. I am a part of a group of thirteen 16 to 19 year olds - each of us have given up our summers to help our selected charity. Please help us to help the rhinos, by visiting their website - where you can not only buy rhino cuddly toys, but you can also adopt a rhino! Please help us to make a difference in our community, Team Badger of Albion in the Community and NCS.
Very insightful documentary! People comment about killing poachers. But, that alone is not the solution to the problem. Kill the MYTH about the medicinal value of rhino horns - EDUCATE people, and capture the organized crime syndicates fueling this trade. Each element of this pipeline has to be dealt with an iron hand. Kill the Demand!!! Any ordinary individual can participate in this effort.
Divya Rathor Yes, all if this. That's why I don't buy the rhino farm concept. We don't NEED rhino horn. They do. There is absolutely no medicinal properties in rhino horn, at least none that aren't in human fingernails and hair. And farming "legal" horn is dangerous, because then you can kill rhinos and just change the label. Same with mammoth ivory, that trade is ironically dangerous to living elephants.
Because a cow is very delicious to eat, you can turn it into hamburgers, hot dogs, steaks, roast it, grill it, etc,etc...and 90% of the world raise and eat cows. So it's waaaay different from a Rhino, so please don't compare the two. It's like comparing a cheetah with a goat!
I agree, it's time to for actions, not words. It is to stop waiting and start protesting. It is time... to wage war. And this time, just like before in the Pacific War, Take. No. Prisoners.
Sure, I agree with that pragmatic reason. But it is not a moral reason though, and will not change minds if they do not see the value of keeping the rhino around. (which is why I got the feeling the original commenter was looking for.)
The Chinese go to the ends of the earth to protect their beloved panda yet think it's ok to hunt other critically endangered species to the brink of extinction.
+Jungle Joe ..The governments of Africa are corrupt...that's the problem.. why the hell these Asians just don't go buy Viagra instead of partaking in the slaughter of Rhinos is something I cant fathom..
I agree it still goes on today, you can literally still pay game reserves or official's to kill precious African wildlife and sadly I don't see it stopping anytime soon.
we must advertise to these countries where the demand for horn is, and let them know suffering that these poor animals are going through and that it is all a massive con to say horn has medical use and that they are being ripped off big time,and this is fact.If this truth is understood then the horn value will deminish sensibly to be of no value,and let all this crazy suffering end.
All these 'asian' reference is just riduculus, they are mainly vietnam, chinese, thailand people that are doing these hidious acts. I'm asian and i don't go around killing animals for profit! AND i'm not from the mentioned countries!!! Be more specific when you say 'asians'. Asian what? Chinese, veitnamese, etc.
shango thomas No, simply breeding them in safety won't change their genes. The only way to domesticate an animal is to selectively breed it for certain traits, thus altering its genome, and turning it into a different animals. If cavemen had just bred wolves randomly, not selecting more tame ones or anything else, dogs would never have existed, and they would remain wild wolves. There is nothing magical that happens when an animal is bred in captivity for generations. Either they are selectively bred for certain genes, or they're not, in which case they won't change. These rhinos are tame, not domesticated.
Protesting... HA. protesting doesn't do shit. here is a question. If you could only give one book to help change the mind of a politician, what book would that be? answer: one that explodes because that is the only way you're going to change his mind
