NAMIBIA GRANTS RHINO HUNTING RIGHTS TO VIETNAMESE

A permit allocated to a Vietnamese national to hunt the Rhinoceros in Namibia has raised concern, amid Namibia’s efforts to avoid the poaching of this endangered species to a minimum.

The permit which was apparently issued by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism to the Vietnamese national is for the trophy hunt of a rhino on the Otjiwa Safari Lodge.

At the root of the rhino crisis is the fact that the rhino horn is continually used as a traditional medicine in China and Vietnam. International Wildlife organisations say that rhino horn is traded in China at about US$50 000 (N$350 000) per kilogramme.

Despite an international ban on commercial trade under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), rhino horn continues to be smuggled illegally from Africa to Asia.

The demand for rhino horn in Vietnam has increased substantially over the past few years, and the country is currently considered a significant factor in the illegal rhino horn trade.

The Ministry clearly states on its website that Vietnamese nationals have been most frequently implicated in the illegal trade of rhino horn and ivory and these networks are associated with a range of other crimes.

“Illegal elements within growing Asian communities in Africa, exploiting local contacts, are changing illegal trade dynamics and speeding up the pace of the international.”
The illegal trade in rhino horn is a multimillion dollar business with poachers targeting more and more rhinos for its apparent healing power.

Although the hunt is legal, the horns are not processed. In order for the rhino to be legally transported the trophy head must be mounted by a taxidermist and the horns micro chipped.

Additionally, legal loopholes allowing for the export of rhino hunting trophies are being exploited in some South African provinces. Improvements are needed in the regulation of hunting permits and the management of rhino horn stock piles in these countries.

Suggestions have now been made in Namibia to legalise the trade in rhino horn, because unlike elephant ivory it is possible to take a rhino's horn without killing the animal -- although the poachers rarely leave their animal alive.

At a recent auction held by the Ministry, live rhinos were sold for between N$450 000 and N$475 000 each. But the live animal represents a tourist value for its whole considerable lifetime, while the horn is a one-time profit.

The Deputy Minister of Environment and Tourism, Uahekua Herunga, told Namibian Sun that if the trade of the rhino horns can contribute to the economy and it benefits the country, Government should look into legalising it.

“However the question is what is currently the law. That is what we must follow.”

Despite international legislation and domestic bans on trade in rhino horn, the animal is still under threat from poachers who believe they can make easy money by selling the horn.

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