20/11/2013
RHINO FRIDAY
848 poached in SA, so far this year - 2297 rhino poached since 2010 – of which 1343 have been poached out of our Kruger National Park.
Clearly, whatever we are doing is not enough to stem the tide never mind actually put a stop to this.
As the year goes by, and as the poaching numbers climb, we become increasingly outraged.
Each year, to our horror, the number passes the previous year’s record high leaving us who can do very little if anything to stop this, feeling ever more helpless and hopeless.
848 rhino with November & December historically being the biggest months of the year regarding poaching, is upon us, which means that the end figure for the year will leave us reeling like never before.
And then, conveniently, 1 January rolls around and we start with a lovely clean slate… 0 rhino poached…1 rhino poached… and the whole process starts all over again with seemingly no real action plan to stop the poaching of our rhino in its tracks.
MOU’s are signed with consumer and trading countries, well – some are still in the draft stage, as yet unsigned….
Diplomatic, behind the scenes meetings are held between SA and these countries…..
Experts are brought in, reemployed/consulted….
Etc etc…the focus and attention and awareness is there, but the stopping of it all is not…..
What are we not doing, what could we be doing better or more of, what are we missing or not seeing here…… ?
I believe, that there is ONE thing that South Africa can do to put the brakes on…. And it won’t cost ONE CENT…with all the monies being donated to the cause, all the monies being spent by NGO’s/NPO’s, all the monies raised for rhino but never actually seeing the rhino, all the monies being spent to protect rhino by both SANParks and private rhino owners, the ONE thing than be done that will not costs a cent, is the very thing not being done…..
Our rhino need to be declared a protected species by Number One, nothing less will do the trick. A strong, clear and vocal message must go out that our rhino have the Presidents Protection, that anyone who harms our rhino can be expected to feel the full might and weight of the law. That a ZERO TOLERENCE stance has been taken, mark the day, sign, frame and hang an official decree up for the world to see….
Why not, nothing else is doing the trick, just do it, it won’t cost a cent, and it may just turn the tide !
You may consider dropping Albi Modise – Chief Director: Communications/Spokesperson at National Department of Environmental Affairs
[email protected]
a mail, respectfully requesting the departments consideration of such a decree.....
Thank you to Morkel Morkel Erasmus Photography for the use of this adorable black rhino calf
