Rhino Dilemma

Rock Center Rhino Video
De-horning rhinos to protect from poachers

This is actually a video clip of a segment that was shown on NBC Rock Center Wednesday night about the huge White Rhino slaying problem in South Africa.  Poachers are killing, and sometimes tranquilizing, White Rhinos solely for their horns.  The rhino kill count went from 12-15 rhinos per year to one almost every other day.  The poachers that are tranquilizing the rhinos cut the horns completely off, massacring the face, leaving them to wake up and suffer or die.  On the whole segment, there was one male rhino in particular that had this done to it.  He was the first baby born from the new introduction herd and eventually had his horns taken against his will, by tranquilizer.  When he was found, he had to be put down simply because 75% of his face was gone and greatly suffering.  The South African park rangers are volunteering to be "poacher hunters" just for the sake of the rhinos by killing and hunting the poachers.  One park ranger said, "I am risking my life for the rhinos, yes. I can stand up for myself- I have a gun; they don't."  To me, that is extremely inspiring.  That statement, in a nutshell, is what my whole calling as a Conservation Biology major is all about- protecting the things that can't protect themselves.  Biologists and scientists are helping the rhinos to fight back by injecting a rhino-friendly, poisonous to humans fluid in the horns that can make humans sick if they ingest the horn.  To further help the rhinos, land/rhino owners are cutting the horns off near the base to keep them from being poached (an example is seen below).

KOREAN DMZ TEEMS WITH WILDLIFE

http://news.discovery.com/earth/korean-dmz-teems-with-wildlife-120217.html

"Along the 38th latitudinal parallel, between concrete-clad South Korea and deforested and impoverished North Korea, the demilitarized zone stands in sharp relief as a verdant refuge for rare plants and animals. The DMZ is open to no-one with heavily man and gun-guarded entrances, as well as razor wire, high fences, and landmines. What good can come out of this, you may ask? This can be seen as the, "most heavily guarded nature preserve in the world." The area is home to native, and some endemic, species such as: red-crowned cranes, black bears, musk deer, spotted seals, lynx and the rare goat-like Amur goral. Swimming in the waters is around 100 species of fish, 45 different types of amphibians and reptiles, and over 1,000 insect species. Amur tigers, said to have vanished from Korea before WWII, are rumored to be making a home of the DMZ, as well. "War between the two Koreas could destroy the unusual preserve created by the DMZ, and the world is unsure what direction Kim Jong Un will take North Korea as he inherits leadership of the nation from his late father Kim Jong Il."

War cannot only destroy societies, it can destroy wildlife. With that said, if war breaks out between North and South Korea, the DMZ wildlife home could potentially be destroyed. South Korea has created a way to get Eco-Tourism in the area to promote the wildlife area's profitability and peacefulness. Personally, I think this is a great idea. The only way to show what you want to preserve is open it to the public to let them see just how beautiful and majestic wildlife really is.

Man-Eating Leopard Stalks Village

http://news.discovery.com/animals/man-eating-leopard-120209.html

What would you do if you saw your younger sibling being dragged off by a flesh-hungry jungle cat? As for me, I don't know what I would do.  This question is floating through minds of the Baitadi district on the border with India.  Bishnu Bahadur Karki, a local deputy superinterdent of police, said "three young girls and a 35-year-old pregnant woman and been killed in the weeks leading up to Wednesday's attack of a 14-year old girl who was cutting grass and dragged off and devoured by a leopard."  The locals are scared to walk alone for fear of being attacked.  You would think someone in the police would have put a bounty on the big cat for the safety of the village.  Why hasn't anyone put a hunting party into action to take the leopard down is what I cannot understand.... Shiva Singh Saud, the headmistress of a local primary school on the border said, "more people may be attacked if the leopard is not taken under control immediately."

What would you do?