7-Mar-10 2:00 PM CST

Imports Raise Fear of China Rhino Farms

Imports raise fear of China rhino farms

RHINOS, among the world's most endangered and iconic animals, are being farmed on Chinese wildlife reserves to harvest their horns, a report by international conservation monitors has suggested.
The monitors have found that China has imported 141 white rhino from South Africa since 2000, far more than is needed for tourism purposes.

They have also gathered evidence that the aim of the purchases is to set up rhino farms.

"The suspicion is that these rhinos are being aggregated into herds and farmed for their horns, which are valued for medicinal purposes," said Tom Milliken of Traffic, the wildlife trade monitoring network.

The revelation about China's surge in rhino purchases is part of an official report to be delivered to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. A meeting has been organised in Qatar from next weekend to discuss the burgeoning trade in threatened animals and plants.

The report says: "Since 2000, Chinese data suggest 141 rhinos were obtained from South Africa. Reports of horn harvesting of captive rhinos in China have surfaced but need further verification. "Clarification on the purpose of keeping large aggregations of captive rhino in China would be welcomed."

The discovery has alarmed British and EU officials, who plan to ask the Chinese to explain if they are allowing rhino farming.

Rhinos have suffered a catastrophic decline in numbers over the past 50 years. There are five rhino species, of which three live in Asia. One of these, the Javan rhino, is close to extinction, while the closely related Sumatran rhino numbers only about 300. However, it is the fate of the more numerous African rhinos that is causing the most concern because of a surge in poaching.

Of the two African species, black rhinos number only about 4200 while an estimated 17,500 white rhinos remain. Traffic blames the decline on demand for rhino horn in Asian traditional medicine. Despite being made mainly of keratin, the same protein found in fingernails and hair, the ground-up horn is reputed to calm fevers such as malaria.

A new threat appears to have emerged from Vietnam, where the horn is sought as a cancer cure.

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