Rhino Poaching: On the Horns of a Dilemma

By Dean McCleland in Current Affairs, Opinion Pieces 0 Comment

Yesterday’s decision [Thursday 27th November 2015] by Justice Francis Legodi to lift the six year moratorium on the internal sale of rhino horn in South Africa has placed me in a dilemma. I am totally conflicted. Tellingly the ban on the sale of rhino horn in terms of CITES has not produced the intended result. Instead the killing of rhinos for their horns has increased explosively. A growing chorus of dissension against this ban especially from legitimate rhino owners and breeders in South African has ultimately resulted in this court case. How can the rhino be saved from this scourge especially in the light of the fact that the cost of protecting the remaining animals is too prohibitive?

 Some suggestions are considered

Main picture: For how much longer will this be seen?

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Killings Most Vile

By Dean McCleland in Current Affairs, Opinion Pieces 0 Comment

Hardly a day goes by in South Africa with poachers not decimating our wildlife especially our rhino. Also in their sights are lions; the most depraved aspect of which is the so-called “canned hunting” where specially bred lions are shot at point blank range. In this case, the majority are foreigners, usually wealthy Americans. These “heroes” can be seen posing as they celebrate their killing of this majestic creature. Both types of hunting are as vile and depraved as the other. They represent base motives which should no longer be tolerated if we are to call ourselves civilised.

Before I cover today’s shocking news in this regard, let me tell you about the killing of black bears in Ely, Minnesota, USA. The Discovery Channel presented a program on the senseless killing of these bears which were part of a study into their behaviour.

Main picture: This is what poachers did to Hope the Rhino in order to obtain the maximum amount of horn which consists of benign keratin

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