Is there an answer? (Page 2)

Serabi:

Rhino calf healing well after axe attack
2013-02-08 22:03

Johannesburg - An injured, 2-month-old white rhino orphan has healed far beyond expectations, the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s (EWT) rhino orphan response project said on Friday.

"The calf was found in a terrible condition. She had obviously tried to return to her mother while the poachers were removing her horn and they slashed at her face with a panga and an axe repeatedly in order to chase her away," EWT said in a statement.

"The calf survived the brutal attack, but was left with 18 very deep lacerations across her face, one which cut right through her horn and sinuses and another which penetrated her skull."

The calf, named Ntombi, was rescued on 8 January, in an area which could not be disclosed for security reasons, EWT said.

Rhino rehabilitation specialist Karen Trendler said Ntombi still had moments of panic, but was content most of the time.

"Ntombi’s recovery is undoubtedly a symbol of hope for the rhino poaching crisis in South Africa. With concerted, collaborative effort we can and will turn the tide," she said.


- SAPA

Serabi:

Poachers kill pregnant rhino, leave horn
2013-02-13 11:03


Johannesburg - A rhino bull and a pregnant cow were shot and killed on a Limpopo farm in the Bandelierskop district over the weekend, Beeld reported on Wednesday.

Desiree Vermaas, the farm owner, said the rhino cow would have given birth in August.

She and her husband Werner dehorned both rhino in 2011 to protect them from poachers, and although the female's horn had started growing again, the poachers had made no effort to cut it off, Vermaas said.

"So, one could say that she died for nothing."

The two animals were both killed with a single shot. Vermaas said she suspected the poachers were professionals, who knew exactly what they were doing.

She and her husband had planned to move the animals to a farm with better security in March, for their own protection. The water and environmental affairs department this month said more than 80 rhino had been poached since 1 January.


- SAPA

OCD_OCD: I was watching a documentary the other night where a camera crew were filming black rhinos at night. it was interesting to see how gentle they were with each other and their calves. They toughed and nuzzled each other, I suppose because their eyesight is so limited. I was saddened to hear that there are only approximately 5,000 remaining outside captivity.

Serabi:

Make no mistake - black rhinos are mean and ever so STUPID! However, it does not give humans the right to exterminate them for a eastern, wee, willy, winky!

Imagine killing your neighbour for this toe-nails!

Serabi:

Kenya suspends poaching officials
2013-02-06 16:25


Nairobi - Kenya's wildlife authorities have suspended two top officials in the midst of investigations into rampant poaching that has decimated elephant herds and other wild animals, officials said on Wednesday.

Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said in a statement that the officials were ordered "to take leave to facilitate internal investigations into the wildlife security situation".

Poaching has spiked recently in East Africa, with whole herds of elephants massacred for their ivory.

"The suspensions had to be done to pave way for investigations... we are waiting for the final report," KWS spokesman Paul Mbugua told AFP.

He stressed that no charges have been brought against the officials, Peter Leitoro, the deputy director of security, and Benjamin Kavu, deputy director of wildlife and community.

Last month officials in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa seized more than two tons of ivory, which had reportedly come from Tanzania and was destined for Indonesia.

Last year poachers killed at least 360 elephants in Kenya, up from 289 in 2011, according to official figures.

At least 40 poachers were killed last year as rangers battled the raiders.

The illegal ivory trade is mostly fuelled by demand in Asia and the Middle East, where elephant tusks and rhinoceros horns are used to make ornaments and in traditional medicine.

Trade in elephant ivory, with rare exceptions, has been outlawed since 1989 after elephant populations in Africa dwindled from millions in the mid-20th century to some 600 000 by the end of the 1980s.

Africa is now home to an estimated 472 000 elephants, whose survival is threatened by poaching as well as a rising human population that is causing habitat loss.


- AFP

Serabi:



This charming comment about the above video on Youtube:-

Moslemslayer 4 days ago

Hi where can i get ivory ? legal or illegal i am willing to pay upto $100000 contact me 91 9741238166 rajesh


There are many words to describe this asshole but we can't use them, not here anyway!

OCD_OCD: Horrifying and disgusting. Sick bastards.

Serabi:

Dear friends at Avaaz,


Across Africa, elephants are being slaughtered in record numbers to make statues and trinkets in Asia. Thailand is at the heart of this bloody trade, but it has just announced that it will "consider" ending the trade altogether, giving us a rare chance to stop the massacre. Join me now to bring people power to Thailand and end the bloodbath:


Across Africa, elephants are being slaughtered by poachers in record numbers -- and their tusks hacked off with chainsaws -- to make luxury items, statues and trinkets in Asia. But in days, Thailand will host a key global summit on illegal trade in endangered species, giving us a rare chance to stop this futile massacre.

Thailand is the world’s largest unregulated ivory market and a top driver of the illegal trade.They’ve been in the hot seat for years, yet so far little has been done to clamp down on their role in the elephant attack. But Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has just announced that she is considering a full ivory ban. That's why we started a global petition on the Avaaz site, to give this campaign the last push it needs to win.

This is the best chance we’ve had in years to have a meaningful victory for Africa’s elephants -- we just need to put people power behind it. Join me now to stop the bloody ivory trade. Sign the urgent petition and share it with everyone:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_the_elephants/?bhUZIdb&v=22519

It’s heartbreaking to hear conservationists use the term ‘killing frenzy’ to describe the scale of elephant poaching right now -- it’s the worst it's been in over 2 decades. Exploiting a legal loophole that allows the sale of ivory from Thailand’s domestic elephants, criminals smuggle in illegally obtained African ivory, mix it in with domestic sources so no one can tell them apart, then get away with selling it on the open market.

But there is serious pressure on Thailand to act, before the 10-day UN summit on endangered species begins in Bangkok. Now is the time for us to act to shut down the Thai Ivory trade and set a ripple effect across Asia, forcing other countries to confront their illegal ivory trade as well.

Join me now to turn up the heat on the Thai government and strike a blow against the ivory trade. Together we can win this. Help me reach 1 million before the meeting with PM Shinawatra in days. Sign and share with friends and family:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_the_elephants/?bhUZIdb&v=22519

Across the world's cultures and throughout our history elephants have been revered in religions and have captured our imagination -- Babar, Dumbo, Ganesh, Airavata, Erawan. That these beautiful and highly intelligent creatures are being annihilated is a tragedy, but today we can right that wrong.

With hope and determination,

Leonardo DiCaprio, with the Avaaz team


MORE INFORMATION

On Conference’s Eve, Thailand Is Pressed to Halt Ivory Trade (NY Times)
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/27/on-conferences-eve-thailand-is-pressed-to-halt-ivory-trade/

Ivory traders meet to head off sanctions (The Nation)
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Ivory-traders-meet-to-head-off-sanctions-30200607.html

Leonardo DiCaprio: Actor calls for ivory trade ban in Thailand (The Washington Times)
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/feb/19/leonardo-dicaprio-actor-calls-ivory-trade-ban-thai/

Activists want ivory sanctions on Thailand, others (Global Post)
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130221/activists-want-ivory-sanctions-thailand-others

DiCaprio blasts Thai ivory sales (Bangkok Post)

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/336741/dicaprio-blasts-thai-ivory-sales

Serabi:


24 more rhino poached in past week
2013-03-06 16:22


Johannesburg - More than 20 rhino have been poached countrywide in the last week, bringing the total to 146 this year, SA National Parks (SANParks) said on Wednesday.

"South Africa has lost another 24 rhino since last week," CEO David Mabunda said in a statement.

"The Kruger National Park remains the hardest hit, with 15 rhino being poached for their horn since 20 February 2013."

According to the latest statistics by SANParks the Kruger National Park has had 107 poachings since the beginning of the year.

The national park lost 425 rhino to poaching last year.

Mabunda said a recommendation was made to Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa that the boundary fence between South Africa and Mozambique be reconstructed.

"Minister Edna Molewa said the reintroduction of the border fence was strictly dependant on an analysis of the rhino poaching situation in the Kruger National Park," said Mabunda.

According to stats by SANParks, in 2012, 668 rhino were poached countrywide, in 2011, 448 and in 2010, 333.

Together with the 146 poached so far this year, it brought the total to 1 595 over the past four years.

In the past weeks two alleged poachers were arrested in the Kruger National Park, and two in Limpopo.

Fifty arrests had been made so far this year.

Forty-seven of them were alleged poachers.

The other three had been charged with illegal trade in rhino horn.

Last year a total of 267 arrests were made.


- SAPA

OCD_OCD: 24 in one week?!?!?! OMG.

Serabi:

Rare rhino poached in India
2013-03-24 17:44



Guwahati - A gang of poachers killed a rare one-horned rhino at a wildlife park in northeast India, taking to 15 the number of such beasts slaughtered this year, an official said on Sunday.

Heavily-armed poachers fired at the rhino late on Saturday inside Assam state's Kaziranga National Park and its horn was gouged out, just a day after another giant pachyderm was killed, a wildlife official said.

"Two rhino have been killed in two days and it is a matter of concern for all of us," a park ranger told AFP by telephone, requesting not to be named since the state government has gagged officials from speaking to the media.

"Poachers used AK-47 and.303 rifles to shoot dead the rhino. We have recovered empty cartridges from the site of the incident," the official said.

Kaziranga has fought a sustained battle against rhino poachers who kill the animals for their horns, which fetch huge prices in some Asian countries.

The main market for the horn is China where it is used for making medicine and jewellery while in Vietnam many believe the horn has cancer curing and aphrodisiac qualities.

At least 21 rhino were killed last year by poachers in Kaziranga, about 200km from Assam's main city Guwahati.

A 2012 census in the park put the number of the rhino at 2 290 out of a global one-horned rhinoceros population of 3 300.

The species fell to near extinction in the early 1990s and is currently listed as "vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, one notch away from "endangered".

The opposition parties have hit out against the state government for failing to combat rampant poaching.

"Poaching has been going on and the government is unable to check it. We see a definite nexus between forest officials and poachers," Sarbananda Sonowal, a local leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party, told AFP.


- SAPA

Serabi:

China ivory smuggler fined $1 a piece
2013-03-26 22:21



Nairobi - A Chinese smuggler caught in Kenya with a haul of ivory was fined less than a dollar a piece, wildlife officials said on Tuesday.

Kenya Wildlife Service spokesperson Paul Udoto said that Chinese smuggler Tian Yi was arrested on Sunday while in transit in Nairobi carrying 439 pieces of worked ivory.

The ivory, cut into finger-length sections and painted brown, was "hidden in a suitcase and mixed with tree bark to disguise it as traditional medicine", Udoto said in a statement.

Tian - who was arrested as he travelled from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Hong Kong - was on Monday fined $350 and has since been set free, Udoto added.

Experts suggest a kilogramme of ivory has an estimated black market value of about $2 500.

Poaching has spiked recently in East Africa, but the courts are hampered by sentencing limits that treat smuggling as a petty crime.

Udoto said that officers had "intensified security operations and surveillance" to curb wildlife related crimes.

The illegal ivory trade is mostly fuelled by demand in Asia and the Middle East, where elephant tusks and rhinoceros horns are used to make ornaments and in traditional medicine.

Trade in elephant ivory, with rare exceptions, has been outlawed since 1989 after elephant populations in Africa dwindled from millions in the mid-20th century to around 600 000 by the end of the 1980s.

Africa is now home to an estimated 472 000 elephants, whose survival is threatened by poaching as well as a rising human population that is causing habitat loss.


- SAPA

Serabi:

WTF - Elephants, Rhinos and now lions...!

Via email.

Dear friends across Johannesburg,

Avaaz is going to court tomorrow -- join us! We're holding a rally on the steps of the high court as we get ready to protect free speech on behalf of all of us -- so just come by at 9:00am on the front steps of the South Gauteng High Court.

When over 750,000 of us called on President Zuma to end the brutal lion bone trade, Avaaz took out airport billboards to make sure Zuma heard our call. In reaction, the government tore down our ads! But we've hired a crack legal team to protect our right to free speech. Tomorrow we're going to court and we want members from across Joburg to join us.

Where: South Gauteng High Court, Corner Pritchard and von Brandis street, Johannesburg CBD
When: Monday, May 27th, 2013 at 9am
Contact: Judy Lelliott, cell 082 0529 529

We're going to stage a fun and quick stunt on the court steps. You'll get to meet each other, and me, an Avaaz campaign director -- as well as the amazing lawyers protecting our rights. Make sure to come right at 9am so we can all chat before the media arrives. Just shoot me an email at emmars@avaaz.org to let me know you're coming so we can know to look out for you.

Together, we can make sure the government hears our call to end the horrific slaughter of lions, killed so their bones can be shipped to Asia to be used in bogus medicine. And we can strike a blow against censorship while we're at it! Join us.

With hope,
Emma and the rest of the Avaaz team

We can really rely on our government to do the most stupid things... WITHOUT FAIL!