Northstar

www.travelweekly-asia.com 11 ITB ASIA Official Dailies | www.sarawaktourism.com Visit us at Hall F, Booth D05 BJ: There are two debates: one is about hunting, the other is about trade. Hunting a species, when it is in tragic decline, as rhinos are, is immoral and ethically bankrupt. Hunting in general is dodgy. Research tells us that as species become more endangered hunters want to shoot them more, and pay more, so I would be very cautious about leaving the future of any species in the hands of hunters. There is little evidence of controlled hunting in Africa. It's a misnomer. However the debate about selling one rhino to kill to save the rest is the start of a slippery slope to shooting half to save the rest and the end of the species. What I am concerned about is that when any population gets below a certain level, it crashes simply because the breeding stock struggle to find one another. We have just reached that tipping point where rhinos are breeding at a lower rate than they are being killed. Q: south africa is considering selling its rhino horn stocks as a means of flooding the market (as it did with ivory) and make the product less attractive to poachers. good thing? BJ: Trade is another hot topic. First, I do not believe that trade in ivory flooded the market. Research shows us quite clearly that the trade in ivory dropped as did the price, in response to an ivory ban in the late 1980s then picked up again almost overnight when the southern African countries submitted a request to sell their ivory stockpiles. Asian traders hired poachers based on the tactic that the minute there is legal trade in rare commodities there is an opportunity for a shadow trade that is illegal - a black or grey market. Q: is there anything that can be done at the consumer end in Asia to lessen demand for the product? BJ: Yes, rhino horn does not work. For anything! It is a completely useless commodity that in some cases will harm you. It is not right that the traders sell you horn on the promise that it will cure an illness when it cannot, and give you false hope, and open you up to risk of not seeking proper medical help. Lastly everyone needs to know that every time you buy rhino horn or ivory someone kills a rhino or elephant. Each rhino that is killed steals revenue for someone in Africa who relies on that rhino and the tourist dollars it earns to feed his family. Rhino horn bought in Asia makes it substantially worse for everyone else in the world and hurts the reputation of anyone from the East. your ChanCe to help save the rhino Joss kent, Ceo of safari company andBeyond, believes that translocation is integral to the survival of the rhino. after successfully translocating six white rhinos to Botswana last year (one has even birthed a calf), andBeyond has partnered with great Plains Conservation with the goal of translocating up to 100 rhinos from south africa to the safe haven of Botswana in 2015. great Plains Conservation together with andBeyond hopes to raise $8m for the project. a crowd-fundraising campaign has been launched through Trevolta where one can donate just $1 and receive a printable template for an origami rhino (along with a link to an instructions video). andBeyond has been posting "rhino selfies" from around the world and is encouraging the public to donate and post their own rhino selfies on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook with the hashtags #RhinoswithoutBorders and #RhinoMove. Visit www.trevolta.com/rhinos, donate $1, and join the virtual paper rhino brigade by posting rhino selfies in different corners of the globe. Continued from page 10. The Rhino waRs: TiMe To sToP The slaUghTeR AndBeyond Serengeti under canvas.

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