Jaime Velazquez
Johannesburg, 20 mar (EFE).-the rhino is poised to disappear in South Africa by 2020 by poaching, alert reserves private country, measures requiring the Government to prevent the extinction of the mammal with the famous horn on the snout.
“According to a study presented by the Association of owners of rhinoceros, continue poaching at this rate, the species could be extinct in eight years”, he told Efe Lorinda Hern, owner of the Park of lions and rhinos, a reserve private on the outskirts of Johannesburg.
In South Africa there are about 400 private reserves that keep one of every four rhinos of the country, where at least 108 copies have been killed in the first two months and a half this year, according to the data of national parks (SANPARKS) of South Africa.
In 2012, the figure could reach 1,300 animals, tripling the record reached in 2011, with 448 killed animals according to Jabulani Ngubane, responsible for security of the reserve of Ezemvelo in Kuazulu-Natal (East).
According Ngubane, quoted this week by the South African newspaper “The Star”, the poachers are moving their activity of the national parks, where the security, to the smaller private natural reserves has increased.
Experts estimate that in South Africa go on about 20,000 “frinos”, as he is popularly known to these animals in English, although the exact number is unknown.
“We need a proper census of rhinoceros in South Africa, because the Government believes it has time to react and it is not doing enough,” said Hern.
Owners of private natural reserves are implementing measures to prevent poaching of rhinos, whose Horn reaches higher than the gold on the Asian black market prices, where alleged medicinal and afrodisiacas properties are attributed to him.
“Is a continuing race.” “We must increase the security measures constantly, since that the poachers learn how to circumvent them,” explained to Efe Colin Patrick, responsible for the reserve of Montainview, next to the Kruger National Park (North).
Poison ivory with toxins or withdraw the antlers of animals are some of the solutions that the owners of private reserves being put in place to prevent its Rhinoceros hunting and the consequent loss of your investment, which amounted to 300,000 rands (about 40,000 dollars) per copy.
The cost of measures of security against poachers is making it almost impossible to keep horned mammals in private reserves, ensure their owners.
“At the moment – he explained Hern-, each Rhinoceros of our park is accompanied by a bodyguard”.
According to Patrick, “private reserves are increasingly reluctant to have Rhino by high costs, and this is very dangerous”.
“In terms of conservation – continued the reserve of Montainview – responsible for, we could see a very substantial population decrease over the next ten years”.
To material losses must be added, moreover, risks posed by poaching to tourists.
“Failed to have any conflict, but if it has happened that the tourists have crossed with poachers”, usually armed with shotguns for hunting or automatic weapons, said Patrick.
“If you see, you kill, no doubt”, told Efe Jan Bloschan, Chief of security of the aforementioned reserve of rhinos and lions, he lost three “frinos” by poaching in 2010.
A fourth copy also recently died from anesthesia provided during a treatment to poison his horn.
“Have lost Rhinoceros by the poaching and try to protect them.” “But if I had to choose, would always opt for the latter,” admitted Hern.
“Prefer – added Hern-(a rhinoceros) die for the anesthesia to do it with half of his head amputated until fall surrendered by the pain and exhaustion.” “The cruelty of poaching is impossible to bear.” EFE
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