Rhino Poaching at Kruger - A Gruesome Act Which Must Not Go Unpunished
In shocking news that came in a few days back, the renowned Kruger National Park lost a beautiful Rhino who became another casualty of the poaching menace in Africa. Spread across a sprawling 19, 633 sq. kilometres, the Kruger National Park is a heaven for wildlife enthusiasts but has been battling poachers for quite some time now.
This latest incident is a sordid tale of a young Rhino at the park, which had a bullet dislodged in its brain, and its horn mercilessly ripped off because of sheer human greed. The animal somehow survived for a few days till the incident was reported to the authorities by some tourists who filmed this Rhino in agony. It was certainly a grim picture seeing this beautiful animal mutilated and left to bear this agony that was brought about at the hands of a poacher or a possible gang of poachers. Such was the plight of the animal that it had to be eventually put down by Park rangers in this famous wildlife park in South Africa.
The dwindling Rhino numbers in Africa are a serious cause of concern. It is time that all concerned authorities gather their wherewithal and come down really heavy on such poaching incidents before we are forced to add another beautiful animal to the list of extinct species.
When it comes to anti-poaching measures, one of the most visible yet underrated areas to address pertains to tackling the demand-supply market. There is no denying the fact that the greed for Rhino horns is fuelled by the growing demand which often goes unaddressed. While going after the poachers is one way of approaching the issue, closing the demand side is another critical area that must be looked at with urgency.
While there is no scientific evidence to back the claims, a large part of the demand comes from the use of Rhino horns in ancient Chinese medicine. This is something that international wildlife organizations must take up with the Chinese government in order to get this practice banned and regulations enforced to arrest the demand side of this poaching menace.
You are lucky if you have witnessed the beautiful black and white rhinos in the wildlife. The moot question to ask here is that: Will our children in the future be witness to this majestic sighting of the Rhino or will human greed prevail over nature? The answer to this question hinges a lot on how we react and how we fast we react to this latest Rhino poaching incident in Africa. Now is the time to act, this gruesome incident must not go unpunished.
This latest incident is a sordid tale of a young Rhino at the park, which had a bullet dislodged in its brain, and its horn mercilessly ripped off because of sheer human greed. The animal somehow survived for a few days till the incident was reported to the authorities by some tourists who filmed this Rhino in agony. It was certainly a grim picture seeing this beautiful animal mutilated and left to bear this agony that was brought about at the hands of a poacher or a possible gang of poachers. Such was the plight of the animal that it had to be eventually put down by Park rangers in this famous wildlife park in South Africa.
The dwindling Rhino numbers in Africa are a serious cause of concern. It is time that all concerned authorities gather their wherewithal and come down really heavy on such poaching incidents before we are forced to add another beautiful animal to the list of extinct species.
When it comes to anti-poaching measures, one of the most visible yet underrated areas to address pertains to tackling the demand-supply market. There is no denying the fact that the greed for Rhino horns is fuelled by the growing demand which often goes unaddressed. While going after the poachers is one way of approaching the issue, closing the demand side is another critical area that must be looked at with urgency.
While there is no scientific evidence to back the claims, a large part of the demand comes from the use of Rhino horns in ancient Chinese medicine. This is something that international wildlife organizations must take up with the Chinese government in order to get this practice banned and regulations enforced to arrest the demand side of this poaching menace.
You are lucky if you have witnessed the beautiful black and white rhinos in the wildlife. The moot question to ask here is that: Will our children in the future be witness to this majestic sighting of the Rhino or will human greed prevail over nature? The answer to this question hinges a lot on how we react and how we fast we react to this latest Rhino poaching incident in Africa. Now is the time to act, this gruesome incident must not go unpunished.
Source...