The South Africa – Viet Nam Rhino Horn Trade Nexus (PDF ... - WWF

SiTuATion AT THE SouRCE: SouTH AfRiCA
Number of horns
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
1981
1980
1983
1982
1986
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1984
1988
1987
1990
1989
1992
1991
1994
1993
1997
1996
1995
2000
1999
1998
2002
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2004
2003
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2008
2007
Figure 12 Number of White Rhino horns exported from trophy hunts in South Africa based on CITES export
permit data, 1980-2010 (where “trophy” is assumed to represent two horns)
2010
2009
has been reported, South Africa’s White Rhino population has continued to experience an unbroken
record of population increase every time a national level assessment has been undertaken. True to
form, the 2010 country population estimate reported to the IUCN/SSC African Rhino Specialist Group
meeting was the highest to date for White Rhino in South Africa (Knight, 2011).
Provincial patterns in sport hunting
Data presented at Parliamentary Hearings in Cape Town in January 2011 about South Africa’s rhino
poaching crisis provide interesting insight into provincial patterns for the sport hunting of White Rhinos.
In all provinces, more rhino hunting permits were issued in 2011 than 2010, with the exception of the
Free State. North West and Limpopo provinces issued the greatest number of hunting permits in both
years (Figure 13). Concerns have been raised in a number of forums regarding the standards of implementation
of national legislation relating to rhino activities in North West province. It has also been alleged
that North West province has issued permits to hunt individual rhinos that would not normally be
regarded as “trophy bulls”, including females and younger animals, possibly as a consequence of excessive
off-take of trophy bulls.
Incentives for rhino ownership
From 2008 through October 2011, turnover from sales of White Rhinos by the three biggest selling organizations
in the country (two conservation authorities, EKZNW and SANParks, and one private company,
Vleissentraal) totalled just over ZAR236.3 million (approximately USD35.5 million) (R. Emslie, in litt. to
TRAFFIC, 2012). In theory, the rise in the price of rhino hunts since 2008 has allowed the hunting industry
to make unprecedented profits as rhino sale values at the country’s auctions have not increased commensurably.
In practice, however, the impact of rhino poaching on the number of rhinos available for
sale, as well as an emerging public outcry against rhino hunting in general, has had a negative impact on
the actual potential for State conservation authorities to generate financial resources from rhino sales. On
14 July 2009, SANParks Chief Executive Dr David Mabunda said, “We need to dispel the confusion created in
recent media reports between the sale of rhinos and hunting in and outside national parks” (Mabunda, 2009).
SANParks is guided in its decision to sell or distribute White Rhinos and other wildlife by Clause 55(2)
(b) of the Protected Areas Act, 57 of 2003 (as amended) which states:
South African National Parks may, in managing national parks, sell, exchange or donate any animal,
plant, or other organism occurring in a park, or purchase, exchange or otherwise acquire any indigenous
species which it may consider desirable to reintroduce into a specific park.
The decisions by SANParks to sell White Rhinos are scientifically determined, based on population
growth, sex and age structure, spatial use, natural dispersal, resource distribution and population
dynamics. At that time the removal rate of rhinos for live sales had no detectable consequences on
population growth and, as Dr Mabunda pointed out:
SANParks, by selling or donating rhinos, is assisting in the process of re-colonisation of the range
in the country and outside. It should be noted that it would be foolhardy if South Africa were to have its
only rhino population residing in the Kruger, because we run the danger of losing it should there be a
major outbreak of disease or rampant poaching. We would be sitting ducks (Mabunda, 2009).
Since that time, the number of White Rhinos illegally killed in KNP has steadily increased year on year.
More recently, SANParks officials have stated that there will most likely be a serious reduction in, if not
an end to, sales of White Rhinos from Kruger in the future due to the impact of poaching on rhino
numbers and population structure in the park. In fact, very few, if any, White Rhinos will be sold by
SANParks in 2012 (M. Knight, pers. comm., 2012). The notion that current and future poaching levels
are impacting the population to the extent that it may no longer be able to sustain any more removals
is a growing concern. This could lead to a marked reduction in income generated from live game sales
by SANParks to undertake protected area management activities and to purchase new land for conservation
purposes. Potentially, there could be major opportunity costs to SANParks’ broad conservation
mandate if it were to lose the revenue that is presently generated by the sustainable removal of White
Rhino for wildlife sales.
Similarly, White Rhino sales have been the biggest contributor to total revenue earned by Ezemvelo KZN
Wildlife (EKZNW) at their annual live and catalogue game auctions, accounting for 75% of total turnover
from 2008 to July 2011 (Friedmann et al., 2011). In January 2011, however, the institution received much
media criticism over the sale of a trophy hunt of a White Rhino bull for ZAR960 150. This tender was
advertised at the request of the KwaMduku Community, which co-manages the Makhasa Community
Conservation Area with EKZNW.
Figure 13 Number of hunting permits issued for sport hunting of White Rhinos in the nine provinces of South
Africa in 2010 and 2011 (data from M. Knight)
50 the south africa – viet nam rhino horn trade nexus TRAFFIC 51
Number of permits issued
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
North West
Limpopo
KwaZulu-Natal
Eatsern Cape
Northern Cape
Free State
Mpumalanga
2010
2011
Gauteng
Western Cape