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).