Guardian: Poachers kill last female rhino in South African park for prized horn

[China]

Poachers kill last female rhino in South African park for prized horn

Record levels of poaching are endangering survival of rhinoceros in South Africa

Alex Duval Smith, The Observer

Sunday 18 July 2010

South African wildlife experts are calling for urgent action against poachers after the last female rhinoceros in a popular game reserve near Johannesburg bled to death after having its horn hacked off.

Wildlife officials say poaching for the prized horns has now reached an all-time high. "Last year, 129 rhinos were killed for their horns in South Africa. This year, we have already had 136 deaths," said Japie Mostert, chief game ranger at the 1,500-hectare Krugersdorp game reserve.

The gang used tranquilliser guns and a helicopter to bring down the nine-year-old rhino cow. Her distraught calf was moved to a nearby estate where it was introduced to two other orphaned white rhinos.

Wanda Mkutshulwa, a spokeswoman for South African National Parks, said investigations into the growing number of incidents had been shifted to the country's organised crime unit. "We are dealing with very focused criminals. Police need to help game reserves because they are not at all equipped to handle crime on such an organised level,'' she said.

Click on the link for the full article

[ABQCOWBOY]

Poachers kill last female rhino in South African park for prized horn

Record levels of poaching are endangering survival of rhinoceros in South Africa

Alex Duval Smith, The Observer

Sunday 18 July 2010

South African wildlife experts are calling for urgent action against poachers after the last female rhinoceros in a popular game reserve near Johannesburg bled to death after having its horn hacked off.

Wildlife officials say poaching for the prized horns has now reached an all-time high. "Last year, 129 rhinos were killed for their horns in South Africa. This year, we have already had 136 deaths," said Japie Mostert, chief game ranger at the 1,500-hectare Krugersdorp game reserve.

The gang used tranquilliser guns and a helicopter to bring down the nine-year-old rhino cow. Her distraught calf was moved to a nearby estate where it was introduced to two other orphaned white rhinos.

Wanda Mkutshulwa, a spokeswoman for South African National Parks, said investigations into the growing number of incidents had been shifted to the country's organised crime unit. "We are dealing with very focused criminals. Police need to help game reserves because they are not at all equipped to handle crime on such an organised level,'' she said.

Click on the link for the full article

That's a damn shame. I hate to see things like this. No sane person wants to see it.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

Post deleted...not in the best taste!

[GoSkins561]

****s should be hung by their nuts and slowly beaten to death with a bamboo rod.

[Hersh]

I'm fine with those gangs being hunted and killed. I know it's extreme, but this kinda thing makes me sick.

[RichmondRedskin88]

damn I just ate breakfast. Honestly stick the gang in a enclosed area with trees and set the hunters loose on them for their prized ass.

[PCS]

Sometimes,the stupidity of certain representiatives of our species amazes me.

[Heisenberg]

I guess I'll never understand how so many human beings can care so little about endangered wildlife.

The fact that this particular animal was left to bleed to death and wasn't even killed quickly only makes it 100x worse.

[Hail_Skins]

So they can afford a helicopter to hunt animals, but their so deperate they have to poach? That horn must be worth more that I think. Why did they tranquilize it, and not just shoot it?

[Destino]

The way to stop poachers is simple, shoot them. How else would you deal with an armed criminal intruding on private land? Damn shame that some people seem to desperately want to wipe animals species off the planet. Not just talking about the poachers but the *******s that buy stuff like that horn just to have something.

[thebluefood]

Just...why? I don't understand this. Are you SO greedy or desperate for some kind of rush that you had to end the rhino population in South Africa?

I'd just love to see the tide turned on these reprehensible ****s and have someone come after them.

[SkinInsite]

The horn is probably on its way to China for some bull**** traditional medicine or soup.

[Bang]

The horn is probably on its way to China for some bull**** traditional medicine or soup.

My wife says they believe it stops coughs and sore throats.

Just send them some ****ing robitussin, I say. Shiploads of it.

This story is bad.. not only did they kill the last wild female (thus slicing their own throat), they didn't even kill it.. why just do that the way they did and leave it to bleed out?

I don't want the people who did this to be classified as human beings. I'd be ashamed. Execute them on sight, summary justice.

~Bang

[mcsluggo]

send the viagra instead.... Rhino horn is a "male enhancement" therapy. (it comes from its shape, y'know)

[Sticksboi05]

Find them, put them in a rhino cage and turn off the security cameras. Pieces of **** like that are a waste of oxygen.

[abdcskins]

That is just....god so sad and unbelievable. Who does such horrible acts? To a rare animal much less....any animal is unacceptable. I agree with GoSkins. It makes me so angry. I don't care how poor you are you don't poach on defenseless rhino who have been destroyed pretty much anyway by man. Humanity makes me sick sometimes these poacher pieces of waste.

[TradeTheBeal!]

Given time, the human race will do this to every species. It is in our nature and taught in our churches.

Kinda sad, though.

[sideshow24]

It is not "in our nature". If it were we wouldn't find it reprehensible and those that did it could be easily excused.

[757SeanTaylor21]

well to say its in our nature and taught in churches is way off base there sir. it is sad to hear that their chopping off a horn for money to let it sit there and die.

[addicted]

That sucks

[Destino]

well to say its in our nature and taught in churches is way off base there sir. it is sad to hear that their chopping off a horn for money to let it sit there and die.

I don't think he's too far off base. Pursuit of self interest to the extent where anything in the natural world is little more than an after thought has been a constant throughout modern human existence at least as it relates to Western and East Asian cultures. The examples of this are literally everywhere. We over hunt/fish, pollute, and exterminate.

Hell people will go as far as poisoning animals that DARE trespass on their property to eat some ridiculous flowers they planted. We'll move into bear country and than kill the bears because they are dangerous. The disdain for the natural world is obvious. People pay for canned hunts that often time include endangered species. Hard earned money spent for the privilege of saying you killed something the government didn't want you to kill because their are so few left.

As for church for too long the bible passages granting man dominion over the natural world were interpreted in as selfish and self serving a manner as possible. Ann Coulter took heat for her phrasing of it but she wasn't too far off the common belief when she said "God gave us the earth. We have dominion over the plants, the animals, the trees. God said, 'Earth is yours. Take it. Rape it. It's yours."

[TradeTheBeal!]

I don't think he's too far off base. Pursuit of self interest to the extent where anything in the natural world is little more than an after thought has been a constant throughout modern human existence at least as it relates to Western and East Asian cultures. The examples of this are literally everywhere. We over hunt/fish, pollute, and exterminate.

Hell people will go as far as poisoning animals that DARE trespass on their property to eat some ridiculous flowers they planted. We'll move into bear country and than kill the bears because they are dangerous. The disdain for the natural world is obvious. People pay for canned hunts that often time include endangered species. Hard earned money spent for the privilege of saying you killed something the government didn't want you to kill because their are so few left.

As for church for too long the bible passages granting man dominion over the natural world were interpreted in as selfish and self serving a manner as possible. Ann Coulter took heat for her phrasing of it but she wasn't too far off the common belief when she said "God gave us the earth. We have dominion over the plants, the animals, the trees. God said, 'Earth is yours. Take it. Rape it. It's yours."

Well said.

[Chicken Fried]

I was recently purchasing some cowboy boots. One of the hides you could get was rhino, and the guy said they only get the leather from dead ones they find in the wild. I really hope so even though I chose a different leather.

[Die Hard]

Morality aside.... is anyone interested in buying a rhino horn? I've set aside a reserve price.

http://www.ebay.ca/cgi/18537839083-2342/cgi.htm

[Zguy28]

I don't think he's too far off base. Pursuit of self interest to the extent where anything in the natural world is little more than an after thought has been a constant throughout modern human existence at least as it relates to Western and East Asian cultures. The examples of this are literally everywhere. We over hunt/fish, pollute, and exterminate.

Hell people will go as far as poisoning animals that DARE trespass on their property to eat some ridiculous flowers they planted. We'll move into bear country and than kill the bears because they are dangerous. The disdain for the natural world is obvious. People pay for canned hunts that often time include endangered species. Hard earned money spent for the privilege of saying you killed something the government didn't want you to kill because their are so few left.

As for church for too long the bible passages granting man dominion over the natural world were interpreted in as selfish and self serving a manner as possible. Ann Coulter took heat for her phrasing of it but she wasn't too far off the common belief when she said "God gave us the earth. We have dominion over the plants, the animals, the trees. God said, 'Earth is yours. Take it. Rape it. It's yours."

People are part of the natural world. If bears migrate into human population areas and kill somebody for food, is that an unatural act on the part of the bear? Or just his natural way of living?

Its humans natural way of living to have dominion over animals and plants. This is good. But, cruelty and mistreatment of God's creation is not good.