Our Wildlife Veterinary course for June 2016 just came to an end. What an exciting and unforgettable experience it was. We had Veterinary students from the UK and Scotland and what a wonderful bunch of upcoming Veterinarians they are going to be.
The highlight of the course was the Rhino de-horning for their own protection from poachers as the trade in Rhino horn is escalating into a snowball effect. We are uncertain of the future of our beautiful animals but let us all hope and pray there is an upcoming solution that everybody will be satisfied with. When this will ever happen is unsure. We have gotten so accustomed to Rhinos not having any horns, seeing them with horn is a sight for sore eyes. A Rhino bull horn can grow as much as a kilogram per year and a rhino cow up to 800 grams per year.
For more than 30 years the central debate about Rhino Conservation has resolved around banning the trade in Rhino horn. All five species of Rhinoceros where put on the CITIES Appendix 1 in 1977 and international trade in their products where declared illegal. Despite the efforts of by mostly Western Governments and NGO's the trade has continued.
The threat facing the Rhinoceros population is a major concern to all who are serious about conservation and sustainable development. The prospect of the Rhinoceros facing extinction twice in a lifetime is hard to grasp. Despite the efforts of the conservation authorities and private game farmers, the situation seems to be increasingly worse for the Rhino.
Save the Rhino.
