Two rhinos a day are being killed in South Africa, researchers say better to legalize trade of rhinocerous horn

2/28/13, "Rhino horn - time to legalise the trade say researchers," BBC, McGrath

"A group of environmental researchers says that legalising the trade in rhinoceros horn is necessary to save the animals.

Writing in Science journal, they argue that a global ban has failed to stem an "insatiable international demand". 

The authors say the market could be met by humanely shaving the horns of live rhinos.

At present in South Africa, poachers are on average killing around two rhinos every day.

According to the lead author of the research Dr Duan Biggs from the University of Queensland, poaching is now out of control. "The current situation is failing, the longer we wait to put in place a legal trade the more rhinos we lose," he told BBC News. 

"It is an urgent issue, we must start the process of getting a legal trade evaluated and put in place soon."

At present it is estimated that there are around 20,000 white rhinos left with the majority in South Africa and Namibia. There are also an estimated 5,000 black rhinos still alive, but the western black rhino was declared extinct in 2011....

But many wildlife campaigners fundamentally disagree. 

"We don't support the idea of legalised trade at this time because we just don't think it is enforceable," says Dr Colman O'Criodain, a wildlife trade policy analyst with WWF.

"The markets where the trade would be directed, particularly Vietnam, we aren't satisfied that they have the enforcement regime in place that would prevent the laundering of wild rhino through this route."

"We don't think it would stop the poaching crisis, we think the legal trade could make it worse," he added."...

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3/1/13, "Legal Trade of Africa's Rhino Horns," ScienceMag.org








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