Letters | Covid-19 has halved rhino killings: don’t let that change when humans heal

Name: Why sharks, rhinos, pangolins, sturgeon and giant salamanders are at risk of extinction
Uploaded: 2020-10-04T05:00:10.000Z
Duration: 3 min 3 s
Description: Why sharks, rhinos, pangolins, sturgeon and giant salamanders are at risk of extinction

Reading Time:2 minutes

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Nearly 83kg of suspected rhino horn and cut pieces, with an estimated market value of about HK$16.5 million, seized by Hong Kong customs officers from transshipment cargo at the city’s airport on April 5, 2019, a record haul of products related to the endangered species. Photo: ISD

Letters

Published: 1:00pm, 4 Oct 2020Updated: 1:00pm, 4 Oct 2020

I am writing in response to “Rhino killings down in South Africa, captive breeding of species gets a leg-up” (September 23). It is ironic that while the coronavirus brings harm to humans, it has helped nature in many ways, including protecting endangered species such as the rhino.

South Africa went into lockdown in March to slow the spread of Covid-19. This halted travel and prevented poachers from moving around, leading to a 50 per cent drop in rhino killings in the January to June period compared with the previous year.

Poachers usually kill the rhinos for their horn, which is believed to have high medicinal value in some Asian cultures and commands a high price on the black market. Poaching is not only destroying the species but the environment as well. Despite decades of conservation efforts, the black rhino in Africa and Asia’s Javan and Sumatran species remain critically endangered, while Africa’s white rhino is “near threatened”.

03:03

Why sharks, rhinos, pangolins, sturgeon and giant salamanders are at risk of extinction

Species loss affects the ecological balance. As mega-herbivores, rhinos have been described as a “keystone species” that helps shape the wilderness of the African savannah so other species can thrive. Their loss affects local livelihoods as well, as rhinos are a popular sight for tourists and help sustain the safari industry.

South Africa will soon reopen, and there are fears the horn trade will resume as well. Therefore, we have to combat the resurgence of poaching. The solution lies in inspection and education. The onus is on the South African government to step up inspections in the national parks which are the habitat of the rhinos. It can also install detectors that alert park rangers when intruders try to sneak into the park to engage in poaching.

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Rhinos fitted with miniature GPS trackers to combat poaching

On the other hand, governments in consumer countries should also take some blame for rhino killing. They have to educate their citizens and instil in them the value of animal conservation. They should be taught about the importance of rhinos in nature and that conservation is everyone’s responsibility.

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.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}Letters | Covid-19 has halved rhino killings: don’t let that change when humans heal

Letters | Covid-19 has halved rhino killings: don’t let that change when humans heal