Question: What is your opinion on Rhino poaching in Africa , how much of a problem is it ?and what do you think can be done to prevent it

Peter Elliott answered on 18 Jun 2014:

Rhino poaching is a huge problem. Last year over 1000 rhinos, over 2 every single day, in South Africa were needlessly killed for their horns which are seen by some as a powerful aphrodisiac. In truth the material they are made of is the same as our finger nails. I don’t know bout you but I don’t find my finger nails very arousing.

In terms of dealing with the problem there are many things that are being done. Where I was working they have been fitting their rhinos with trackers in their horns so they can monitor their movements and check to see that they are ok.

There are some rhinos that have their own personal armed guards because they are rare species of rhino. However it is a very dangerous job not only because of the poachers but because of the African wildlife.

There are also calls for rhinos to be dehorned by vets so that the rhinos are no longer targeted. The trouble with that is that the killing of rhino would probably still occur as the poachers cannot tell from a distance if the rhino has a horn or not.

Finally and perhaps the most significant approach is to educate those who wrongly believe that rhino horn has magical properties. At the end of last year members of the Chinese government disowned the myths of rhino horn use which was a huge step forward. Now the information needs to spread to stop the demand and thus the killing of these majestic creatures before it is too late.