RE: The Big 5, soon to be The Big 4.
Living in South Africa, I have always had a little patience for people who start and have causes against rhino poaching. Out of all the charities, the project, the fund-raisers, the killing of rhinos for their horns has increased.
I used to support buying those bangles that supposedly give money to stop poaching, but have since ditched it.
My Solution: Legalize the sale of rhino horn. You will never stop the killing of rhinos no matter what you do. Accept that. If we all accept that some people have money to spend on a $1million rhino horn, then there is enough money to go around and make that happen.
If you allow the sale of rhino horn, the black market price instantly drops.
People will be breeding rhinos and selling their horns after the die. In fact, there is a farm in South Africa that breeds rhinos and allows for the killing of them. That sounds awful, until you realize the fact as long as the species can be profited from, in a legal and somewhat regulated space, rhinos will never go extinct.
People are always going to want rhino horn, with or without medical benefits. We are talking about cultures and traditions that will not be stopped. So instead of preventing them, lets ethically assist them in their ignorance and make legal money from them.
Legalize the sale of rhino horn, every park will be collecting the horn of dead rhinos and will sell it on because they can make money, a market demand is satisfied, and our great grandchildren can enjoy the beauty of these animals.
I agree, the more you donate to save the rhino, the more they get killed. It is like a vicious circle! There are different ways to save the rhino's. We must find the best possible solution. @frieda
For me, the best solution would be to allow the trade of horn. That will create a value-chain that is centered around the preservation and conservation of the rhino.
I fully agree with you, thanks for putting it into perspective like that! I'm sure there are global stockpiles of the horns, that are kept under huge security for obvious reasons. Perhaps starting by selling these legally to make it far more accessible to the 'end user' and will immediately act as a deterrent from taking the illegal route. Perhaps educating people on the horns and showing them that there is actually no benefit from using them, and giving them real medicine which actually works can change some traditions, albeit a few of them to start with. I believe the graphic videos and images that are available should be shown all over the world, similar to the way cancerous lungs and throats are shown on cigarette packets to create shock-factor awareness of the devastation caused. Thank you again for your thoughts!
Absolute pleasure. Thank you for sparking the conversation.