![]() ![]() However, demand for medicinal products containing rhino horn continues to increase in Vietnam and other parts of Asia. Law enforcement efforts there have been scaled up resulting in more arrests, and some of those convicted are being sentenced to lengthy prison terms. South Africa has been the focal point of poaching because it has the largest population of rhinos in the world. "This is the ultimate wake-up call for the Vietnamese government to turn aggressively on its internal rhino horn market." "It's tragic that the Javan Rhino has been wiped out in Vietnam by the same forces that are driving rhino poaching in Africa, Milliken added. With the loss of the Vietnamese Javan Rhino, there are now fewer than 50 Javan rhinos remaining, all in one national park in Indonesia. ![]() Of the five species of rhinoceros, three are critically endangered. Christy Williams, WWF's Asian rhino expert, "This same problem is now threatening other rhino populations across Africa and South Asia." "The unfounded rumour that rhino horn can cure cancer most likely sealed the fate of the last Javan Rhino in Vietnam," says Dr A. Populations of tigers in the country are alarmingly low and could soon follow the Vietnamese Javan Rhino into extinction. In addition to being the biggest consumer of rhino horn, Vietnam is also a major market for tiger parts and other products derived from endangered species. "It's hardly surprising the horn was missing from the last rhino as Vietnam is the pre-eminent market destination for illegally sourced rhino horns," says Tom Milliken, TRAFFIC Rhino Programme Coordinator. Law enforcement efforts, while increasing, are not yet sufficient to protect rhinos from poachers or stop the smuggling and sale of their horns by organized crime gangs. The carcass of Vietnam's last Javan Rhino was found with a gunshot wound and without its horn.Īt a meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 2010, the international community concluded that the increase in rhino poaching has been caused largely by demand for horn products in Vietnam. South Africa's grim milestone came on the heels of an announcement by WWF that rhinos had gone extinct in Vietnam. More rhinos had been killed in South Africa in the past 10 months of 2011 than were killed in all of 2010, updated poaching numbers revealed. The visit was ultimately aimed at creating an understanding between South Africa and Vietnam, and carried the hope that these influential people would spread awareness on the topic in their country. In September 2014, SANParks welcomed a group of influential Vietnamese people, from celebrities to top business people, in an effort to educate them on the growing intensity of the crippling effects of the rhino trade. The amount of poached rhino has increased each year over the past few years, despite universal efforts being made to create awareness and put an end to the illegal trade. Fuelled by demand from Vietnam, rhino poaching in South Africa shows no signs of abating, with a record 769 rhino killed between January and September 2014.įuelled by demand from Vietnam, rhino poaching in South Africa shows no signs of abating, with a record 769 rhino killed between January and September 2014. ![]()
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