{"id":9602,"date":"2012-04-04T03:48:48","date_gmt":"2012-04-04T01:48:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/04\/surveillance-penalties-needed-to-halt-rhino-poaching-conservationists\/"},"modified":"2012-04-04T03:48:48","modified_gmt":"2012-04-04T01:48:48","slug":"surveillance-penalties-needed-to-halt-rhino-poaching-conservationists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/surveillance-penalties-needed-to-halt-rhino-poaching-conservationists\/","title":{"rendered":"Surveillance, penalties needed to halt rhino poaching-conservationists"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\t\t<span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>By Yara Bayoumy<span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"articleLocation\">NAIROBI, April 3<\/span> (Reuters) &#8211; Better surveillance and stiffer<br \/>\npenalties must be imposed to combat rhino poaching in Africa,<br \/>\nwhich if left unchecked could see the species become extinct in<br \/>\nthe wild by 2025, regional conservation officials said on<br \/>\nTuesday.<\/p>\n<p><span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>The world&#8217;s rhino population has declined 90 percent since<br \/>\n1970, conservationists estimate. On the African continent, there<br \/>\nare some 20,150 white rhinos that are near threatened and 4,840<br \/>\nblack rhinos that are critically endangered.<\/p>\n<p><span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve certainly reached a tipping point in rhino<br \/>\npopulations. There is no way that our national populations can<br \/>\nsustain the level of poaching,&#8221; Pelham Jones, chairman of the<br \/>\nSouth Africa Private Rhino Owners Association, told Reuters on<br \/>\nthe sidelines of a conservation summit in Nairobi.<\/p>\n<p><span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;What I&#8217;ve seen in the past is that many politicians &#8230;<br \/>\nhave solidly got their heads in the sand &#8230; The attitude of<br \/>\nsaying that there is no crisis is a statement of denial. There<br \/>\nis a crisis,&#8221; Jones said.<\/p>\n<p><span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Last year, 448 rhinos were poached in South Africa alone, a<br \/>\n33 percent increase compared to the year before, driven by high<br \/>\ndemand from Asian countries where the rhino horn is purported to<br \/>\ncure cancer. Scientists have widely dismissed the assertion.<\/p>\n<p><span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>South Africa is home to more than 90 percent of Africa&#8217;s<br \/>\nrhino population.<\/p>\n<p><span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>The price of rhinoceros horn has soared to $50,000 per kg,<br \/>\nhigher than the price of gold, the summit, hosted by the African<br \/>\nWildlife Foundation, said.<\/p>\n<p><span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\n\u00a0 <span class=\"label\"><strong>Continued&#8230;<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Yara Bayoumy NAIROBI, April 3 (Reuters) &#8211; Better surveillance and stiffer penalties must be imposed to combat rhino poaching in Africa, which if left unchecked could see the species become extinct in the wild by 2025, regional conservation officials said on Tuesday. The world&#8217;s rhino population has declined 90 percent since 1970, conservationists estimate. 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