Intl Rhino Foundation

South Africa: Poaching Figures Contrast With Country's Reputation

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:00:00 GMT

A Huge Number of Rhinos - 45 white rhinos and two endangered black rhinos - have been poached in the Kruger National Park in the past 15 months, Water and Environment Minister Buyelwa Sonjica said in a report that was tabled yesterday.

Sonjica's admission that so many rhinos had been poached is in sharp contrast to SA's international reputation of having been instrumental in saving the white rhino, particularly, from extinction.

In a response to a parliamentary question from Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Gareth Morgan, the minister also said that the plunder of abalone on our coast was continuing despite a ban on fishing for it.

Morgan asked how many incidents of poaching and of what animals had taken place last year and so far this year. The minister replied that last year one black rhino and 35 white rhinos were poached.

In the first three months of this year a further 10 white rhinos and another black rhino were illegally killed.

In addition to this information, the minister provided a comprehensive list of animals poached in the park, including buffalo, bushbuck, duiker, fish species, kudu, lion, giraffe and even hyena.

None of the national parks were immune from poaching and all those on the coast had significant abalone poaching. In Addo National Park near Port Elizabeth, for instance, there were 11 cases of abalone poaching last year. In the Table Mountain National Park there were 3645 abalone poached last year and more than 2000 were poached in the first three months of this year.

The marine shellfish alikreukel was also reportedly being poached in different coastal parks.

Sonjica said two officials, one from Table Mountain National Park and the other from the Kruger National Park were found to be involved in rhino and abalone poaching for reasons of "self enrichment". Both were dismissed from the department following disciplinary hearings and are also facing criminal charges.

In reply to a further question from DA MP Piet Pretorius, Sonjica said that since 2002, a total of 1642 abalone poachers had been arrested.

The majority of these arrests were in the Western Cape, then in the Eastern Cape and in Gauteng.

Hundreds of thousands of abalone had been recovered from the arrested poachers since 1994.

There were 21002 recovered abalone in 1994, peaking in 2007 at 907899, and then showing a huge decline last year to 56106. This is perhaps an indication the ban on abalone fishing is working simply because anyone found in possession of abalone will have to have got them illegally.

The value of the abalone retrieved since 2003 is R240m.

Sonjica said that all confiscated abalone was processed to a dried product and sold through the processor appointed by the department.

News items on this page are from external sources and the International Rhino Foundation cannot be held responsible for the authenticity of their content, nor for the continuing presence of original links.

1-Jul-09 2:00 PM

Rear View Shows Rhino's Way Forward

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:00:00 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR: It is not a flattering photograph but it is a cause for celebration.

A blurry snapshot of a Sumatran rhinoceros' leathery rear taken last month is "a good sign" for the near-extinct species.

"These images and the ones captured in 2006 show that these animals can survive in sustainably-managed forests," said World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Borneo Species Programme senior manager Raymond Alfred yesterday.

The double images were captured by camera traps set up in primary forests in central Sabah, which are part of the 'Heart of Borneo' conservation initiative by Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.

"At first, my team thought it was only a photograph of wild boar. But looking closer, we saw the distinct shape of the rhino's tail and bottom. We were so happy!" he said.

The images, believed to be of a 20-year-old female rhinoceros, are the first for this year. Similar images were captured in 2006 and last year of different rhinos.

"The future of rhinos in Borneo now depends on how seriously the forest reserves can be managed sustainably with effective monitoring carried out."

Alfred estimated there were at least 30 rhinos and two calves in Sabah alone.

"There are other signs such as footprints, wallowing holes, scat and urine stains."

He said there were plans to add 30 more camera traps by year-end.

The enforcement and survey work in this area is supported by Honda Malaysia. WWF is working with the Sabah Forestry Department to look into sustainably managing Forest Management Units.

"Our survey shows that the home range of the rhinos is also affected by oil palm expansion near the eastern coastline of Sabah," he said.

Alfred said the rhinos' key habitat in this forest may still or could be connected; especially between the Tabin Wildlife Reserve and Lower Kinabatangan River region.

He urged oil palm companies, whose lands border swamp-mangrove forest, to restore the corridor and address illegal encroachment to ensure rhinos' survival in Sabah.

1-Jul-09 1:00 PM

WWF Urges Action to Protect Borneo Rhino's Habitat

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:00:00 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) — The future of one of the world's rarest animals, the Borneo rhino, depends on action taken to protect the forest reserves where it lives, conservation group WWF said Wednesday.

Malaysian wildlife officials say that only 30 Borneo rhino remain in the wilderness of Sabah state, on Malaysia's side of Borneo, the island which it shares with Indonesia.

"The future of rhinos in Borneo now depends on how seriously the forest reserves can be managed sustainably," Raymond Alfred, senior manager of WWF-Malaysia's Borneo Species Programme said in a statement.

Alfred's comments came after his team captured a rare image of the near-extinct animal, a female believed to be about 20 years old.

WWF said that the image, along with the identification of two rhino calves, added weight to the need to manage the species' forest home sustainably.

Alfred urged forestry and wildlife authorities in Sabah, and the police, to adopt "strong and co-ordinated enforcement to ensure the survival" of the species.

WWF said the rhinos' range was being affected by the expansion of oil palm plantations, and called for action to protect its habitat from fragmentation.

The Borneo sub-species is the rarest of all rhinos, distinguished from other Sumatran rhinos by its relatively small size, small teeth and distinctively shaped head.

The Sumatran rhinoceros is one of the world's most endangered species with few left on Indonesia's Sumatra island, Sabah and peninsular Malaysia.

News items on this page are from external sources and the International Rhino Foundation cannot be held responsible for the authenticity of their content, nor for the continuing presence of original links.

1-Jul-09 1:00 PM

Uganda: Baby Rhino in Good Health, Say Officials

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:00:00 GMT

Kampala — THE five-day-old baby rhino at Nakitoma in Nakasongola district is playful and adorable, the sanctuary managers have said.

"The mother is still too protective, but the baby is extremely playful," said Angie Genade, the executive director of the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.

Nandi, the 10-year-old mother, was aggressive towards the intrusion of wildlife officials and journalists who rushed to the sanctuary after The New Vision broke the story of the birth of the rhino on Monday.

After tracking the seven rhinos for two hours, journalists took positions on tree tops to see the baby.

It took photographers about three hours before they could capture the baby, whose mother was hidden in thickets.

After suckling, the baby kept on moving a few metres away from Nandi.

The sanctuary managers have not established the gender of the baby, but two names, Obama or Michelle, are being proposed.

They say the rhinos at the sanctuary have historical ties with the two names.

While Nandi is one of the two southern white rhinos donated by the Disney Animal Kingdom in the US in 2006, the father of the baby originated from Kenya.

Obama, the first black US president, has an ancestral home in Kenya.

The rhinos are popular with tourists. Some of the proceeds from the fees charged are used for community development.

Genade said there is likely to be a baby boom in the near future. The sanctuary is expecting 12 southern white rhinos from South Africa in November and East African black rhinos from Kenya.

Rhinos are globally endangered because of their valuable horns which are mostly exported to Asia where they are used to make ceremonial dagger handles and traditional medicine.

In Uganda, the last northern white rhino was last seen in 1982 in the Murchison Falls National Park and the last black rhino was seen in the Kidepo park in 1983.

Conservationists formed the Rhino Fund Uganda to bring back the rhinos.

News items on this page are from external sources and the International Rhino Foundation cannot be held responsible for the authenticity of their content, nor for the continuing presence of original links.

30-Jun-09 1:00 PM

Sime Darby Foundation Plans Rhino Sanctuary In Sabah

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:00:00 GMT

LAHAD DATU, June 30 (Bernama) -- The Sime Darby Foundation (SDF) and Sabah government will set up a sanctuary in the Tabin Forest Reserve for sumatran rhinos to protect the wildlife from extinction.

A 4,500-hectare area will be allocated for the project with the cost of providing the infrastructure including a fence around it being funded by SDF.

An agreement on the cooperation was signed at Tabin Wildlife Resort, about 48 kilometres from here, between the foundation and the state government Tuesday.

YSD was represented by its chairman Tun Musa Hitam while Sabah by State Wildlife Department Director Datuk Lawrentius Ambu. Present was Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun.

"We are providing RM7.3 million including RM5 million for the infrastructure in 4,500-hectare area to keep all sumatran rhinos found," Musa said.

He said the plan to create the sanctuary was part of Sime Darby's "Big 9" campaign to protect nine endangered wild animals, namely sun bear, orang utan, pygmy elephant, bornean clouded leopard, sumatran rhino, malayan tiger, monyet belanda (long-nosed monkey), hornbill and banteng (species of wild cattle).

Masidi said that project would hopefully help sumatran rhino to breed since there was a fear that it would become extinct if no effective action was taken.

Based on studies, no sumatran rhino calf had been found over the past four to eight years and one was the reasons was that adult rhinos live in solitude.

"Our hope is to build a wildlife centre specially for rhinos and put the animal caught in the wild in the sanctuary. Hopefully, the meeting of rhinos will help them mate and breed," he said.

According to statistics, 13 sumatran rhinos have been detected in Danum Valley and another 15 in the Tabin Forest Reserve.

News items on this page are from external sources and the International Rhino Foundation cannot be held responsible for the authenticity of their content, nor for the continuing presence of original links.

30-Jun-09 8:00 AM

Poachers Now Target Endangered Black Rhino

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Suspected poachers have killed a Rhino inside Maasai Mara Game Reserve.

The killing took place at Ngama area inside the park on Tuesday.

It is the first time a black rhino, which is listed among endangered species, has been killed inside the protected area.

Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) senior warden in charge of Narok Tuqa Jirmo said the death of the rhino whose horns were removed by the poachers was unnatural.

Mr Jirmo said poaching of rhinos and elephants inside and out of the reserve had in the last three months gone up.

He said: "The trend in Mara and elsewhere in the country shows poaching of rhinos and elephants has gone up and if nothing is going to be done, their population will dwindle".

Security personnel cordoned off the area and it was not immediately established whether the poachers killed the rhino using a gun.

The incident happened despite the presence of a well-funded Rhino Surveillance Unit in the reserve.

In the 1980s when poaching was rampant, the population of rhinos and elephants in the country went down from about 3,000 to below 400 for rhinos while elephant dwindled from 150,000 to 15,000.

Intelligence team

Population of black rhinos in Mara has now gone down from 38 to 37.

Siana Wildlife Conservation Trust manager Samuel Nkoitoi said poaching activities in Mara bode ill for conservation efforts, adding surveillance efforts need to be enhanced.

Tuqa added that due to the proximity to Tanzania and the vastness of the area, the poachers could have crossed the common border to kill the rhino.

He said investigations into the incident by a team of KWS and county council officials have been launched.

Elsewhere, KWS officers have arrested three suspected poachers and recovered five tusks as the war against poaching activities in Tsavo National Park intensified.

The intelligence team intercepted the poachers with ivory weighing 29kg at Kone in northern part of the park.

KWS said the arrest brings to 10 the number of poachers so far arrested and four elephants killed in the park in the past one month.

30-Jun-09 8:00 AM

Rhino Horn and Ivory Grabbed in Addo Heist

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:00:00 GMT

RHINO horn and ivory worth an estimated R850000 was stolen in a dramatic heist at the Addo Elephant National Park.

Five armed men who hit the famous tourist destination also made off with five R1 assault rifles and four cars belonging to the park‘s staff members.

Provincial police spokesman Captain Ernest Sigobe said the men arrived at Addo‘s main entrance after 5pm on Wednesday and tied up the security guard on duty after holding him up at gunpoint.

“Four went inside while one remained (with) the security guard. Inside the administrative building they held staff at gunpoint and (took) 10,3 kilograms of rhino horn, ivory and five R1 rifles,” Sigobe said.

The robbers then drove off in fours cars belonging to staff members. “They abandoned three of them along the road just outside Addo. No shots were fired and no one was hurt.

“No arrests have been made, but police are investigating a case of armed robbery.”

Addo spokesman Megan Taplin refused to comment. There is a lucrative black market for both ivory and rhino horn. Two rhinos have been killed in the Eastern Cape in the past six months.

Yusuf Jeeva, of Kwantu Game Reserve, who lost a rhino through poaching in December, said: “We are very concerned about poaching in game parks.

We have tightened up our security and are taking great care of our rhinos as they are an endangered species.”

A rhino was also poached at Shamwari Game Reserve in December but the thieves failed to make off with the horn. The slaying was believed to be the work of a national syndicate which has slaughtered more than 40 rhinos in the past two years in the Kruger National Park and KwaZulu Natal and Limpopo reserves.

Sigobe said that at this stage there were no suspicions the Addo robbery could be linked to the syndicate.

Most harvested rhino horns are smuggled to the Far East.

29-Jun-09 3:00 PM

First Baby Ugandan Rhino in Decades Raises Hopes for Future

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:00:00 GMT

Kampala - The first baby rhino to be born in Uganda for decades has raised hopes for the future of an animal that was wiped out during the bloody regime of former dictator Idi Amin, officials said Monday. A 10-year-old female Rhino called "Nandi" - one of four donated to Uganda by the Disney Animal Kingdom - gave birth last week, the state-run New Vision newspaper quoted officials as saying.

"The calf is three days old, but the mother is too protective," Angie Genade, the executive director of Rhino Fund Uganda, said. "So, it is difficult to get close to them to establish its gender."

Rhinos were eliminated from the East African country soon after Amin assumed power in a 1971 military coup.

The dictator and his henchmen had no respect for wildlife. Military officers and poachers rampaged through the national parks, killing the animals with impunity.

The government and several conservation groups have begun a program of restocking the rhino population.

Some eight animals, imported from the United States and neighbouring Kenya, are kept at a breeding sanctuary in central Uganda.

South Africa's Sun Park has donated an additional 12 rhinos to help bolster the population in Uganda. Those animals are expected in the country late this year, government officials said.

Ecologists from the state-run Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) believe that rhino numbers are now likely to recover.

"Definitely we expect the numbers to increase," UWA operations director Sam Mwandha told the German Press Agency dpa. "First, those we have have started giving birth ... and we have a program of importing them."

News items on this page are from external sources and the International Rhino Foundation cannot be held responsible for the authenticity of their content, nor for the continuing presence of original links.

29-Jun-09 1:00 PM

Collar Bands Used in Tracking Rhinos

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 19:00:00 GMT

RHINO poaching has declined significantly in different parts of the country following a massive awareness campaign and recent joint operations by the country’s security forces.

Environment and Natural Resources Management Minister Cde Francis Nhema said the intensive awareness campaigns had been held in communities surrounding national parks.

"We are seeing a decline in cases of rhino poaching after we held massive campaigns in these communities educating them about the value of the animals and their importance to the economy.

"After our operations with the police and army, we are making a lot of difference in these parks and our security forces on the ground have been assisting us to flush out poachers.

The killing of at least 70 rhinos in the past 12 months by well coordinated poaching syndicates around the world has placed the country on the agenda of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) meeting to be held next year.

Since January this year, at least ten poachers have been shot dead and several arrested after trying to kill and de-horn rhinos around the country.

Areas that have been targeted by rhino poachers are Lake Chivero, the Midlands, Hwange and the south eastern Lowveld which has a long and porous border with Mozambique.

Cde Nhema said the availability of resources had also enhanced operations leading to successful anti-poaching activities.

"We now have sufficient equipment and resources to carry out our operations in rhino areas and this has assisted us in nabbing the poachers.

"Our rhinos now have collar bands and we can easily track them within a given radius. Therefore, the monitoring of the animals has become easier," he said.

He added that the Government had also started de-horning the rhinos to reduce their value to poachers.

However, but the process has to be repeated because the horns sprout after a given period.

A programme has also been launched to relocate rhinos to safe conservancies near towns to reduce poaching operations.

28-Jun-09 2:00 PM

Villagers vow to protect fence - Bid to check straying of animals in Manas

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 19:00:00 GMT

Guwahati, June 27: The residents of 12 villages in Manas have pledged to guard an 8km stretch of solar-powered electric fence from Madulijhar to Katajhar in the Bansbari range of the national park to stop straying of animals into human habitat.

A decision to erect the fence was taken last year when a translocated rhino strayed away, giving forest officials a tough time to track it down.

The villagers’ decision to guard the stretch, the most vulnerable one, aims at easing the forest department’s task to protect the fence.

A forest official said the villagers would be benefited too. Solar-powered electric fencing along the stretch — where agriculture is the principal source of livelihood — will check destruction of crops by rhinos, elephants and wild buffaloes that stray into human habitat and lead to man-animal conflicts.

“There is not much scope for employment in these areas and agriculture is an important source of livelihood,” the official said.

Equipment supplied by Suraksha, a Bangalore-based firm, reached yesterday and work will start soon.

Funds are being provided by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), International Rhino Foundation under the India Rhino Vision 2020 programme and the National Tiger Conservation Authority.

“A lot depends on the weather. If everything goes right, fencing should be completed in a month.”

The official said several meetings had been held with villagers who agreed to protect the stretch as their “own property”. He said community participation was high.

There was also a lot of community support when the translocated rhino had strayed out. Many villages joined the hunt to help the forest authorities bring it back. The World Heritage Committee under Unesco has appreciated their contribution.

28-Jun-09 2:00 PM

Helping Hands for Rhinos at Risk: Communities work to save rhinos in Nepal

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:00:00 GMT

It may be hard to imagine but it is true that the species that rubbed shoulders with the prehistoric dinosaurs are once again in great risk of being wiped out due to the avarice of human beings. The rhinos lived in grasslands, forests and wetlands of South and South East Asia long before humans arrived, their ancestors were here 40 million years ago. Indricotherium, the most impressive of all the extinct rhinos was the largest land mammal ever to live on earth.

Currently, five types of rhinos are found worldwide. White rhinoceros are the largest and most common, with a broad square-shaped mouth, found mainly in South Africa. Black rhinoceros are the fastest with a hooked upper lip, found in east and southern Africa. Javan rhinoceros are the rarest, only 60 remain in the thick forests of West Java, Indonesia. Sumatran rhinoceros are hairy, and they like to wallow in muddy pools. There are only 300 left in Burma, Indonesia and Malaysia. The greater one-horned rhinoceros are found in India and Nepal.

The greater one-horned rhinoceros population faces a grave threat from poaching. Once, there were 600 rhinos in the wild in Nepal, but the population slumped down to 372 due to security problems caused by the insurgency in Nepal. However, with intense conservation efforts, the number has gone up to 435 by 2008.

Poached for its Prized Possession

"The rhinos are poached for their horns and the poaching is well organized," said a local in Chitwan, home to the second largest population of one-horned rhinos. "Most poachers work in gangs and the methodology is such that each member of the gang has to do only a specific task."

A member of the gang would locate the rhino and get a meager sum of money, sometimes even a bottle of beer might work for him. They are generally poor local people. They are well-aware of the rhino's habits: they like to wallow in water and they leave dung in big piles, using the same paths again and again.

Another member of the poaching gang shoots the rhino and the third member hacks the horn from the dead rhino. Then one member takes the horn to cities like Kathmandu from where the horn can be passed on to either China or India. The amount earned by the gang members increases with each buyer and finally the rhino horn lands at a prized amount of approximately 800,000 Nepali rupees (around US$ 10,000).

Historically rhinos have been hunted for their horns, a prized ingredient in traditional Asian medicines. Even today, traditional Chinese medical practitioners use rhino horn to treat life-threatening fevers. However, current clinical evidence is inconclusive about its medicinal properties.

In a number of the Gulf countries, men traditionally wear daggers and the most expensive handles are made from rhino horns. The daggers still command respect in society.

In Greek mythology, rhino horns were said to possess the ability to purify water. Rhino horns were carved out into beautiful ornamental drinking cups to detect poisons. The ancient Persians of 5th century BC thought that cups carved from the rhino horn could detect poisons by creating bubbles. This belief persisted until the 18th and 19th centuries among the royal courts of Europe.

Researchers say that many early poisons were strong alkaloids that may have reacted strongly with the keratin and gelatin in the rhino horn, thereby indicating the presence of poison.

Besides poaching, destruction of habitat and conflict with humans over living space remain the major threats to these magnificent animals.

Concerned Community Members

Communities in the vicinity of protected areas are well aware of the plight of the rhinos and they know that without rhinos their tourism business would suffer. A mahout (elephant handler) in Chitwan said, "The tourists come to see the rhinos." "If we can't save the rhinos, all of us will lose jobs."

In a shocking incident in Chitwan, a live rhino's horn was hacked off by poachers, leaving the rhino writhing in pain. The rhino died after two weeks despite medical care. The community members were so enraged that they padlocked all the offices in Sauraha and Chitwan and demonstrated on streets to pressure the government and concerned people to save the rhinos. A hotel owner in Sauraha said, "If the locals find out the culprits, they will beat them to death."

Similarly, in Khata, the biological corridor that links Nepal's Bardia National Park with India's Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, community members have formed community based anti-poaching operation units. They patrol the local forests on a regular basis and keep an eye on any new person entering their territory.

83 rhinos were located to Bardia National Park from Chitwan National Park but by 2008, there were only 22 rhinos left. One day, locals heard a bullet shot in the nearby forest. Soon, about 2,000 locals formed a human chain and remained awake the whole night to save a mother rhino and its baby. The mother and the baby rhinos regularly come from the national park to a water hole dug by the locals in the forest.

Fences of Harmony

In addition to the anti-poaching patrols, local communities started planting mentha (mint), chamomile, lemongrass and citronella plants in their lands bordering the national park in Khata. "Farming crops that are unpalatable for the rhinos has reduced the human rhino conflict," said Bhim Bahadur Pun, a farmer in Khata. "We are also getting better price for the essential oils produced from these crops."

With financial support from organizations like the World Wildlife Fund, local communities have put up electrical fences around their fields and forests bordering the parks in Chitwan and Bardia. This has also reduced the conflict.

Youths for a Secured Future for Rhinos

Not only the adults but the local youths living near the protected areas are concerned about the fate of rhinos. Most of the schools in these areas have formed eco-clubs.

Eco clubs are independent groups of students working collectively to support conservation. The students stage street dramas to raise awareness in the communities about the ills of poaching and the benefits of conserving endangered species.

An enthusiastic eco-club member in Chitrasari, Chitwan said, "The rhinos too have the right to live along with the humans."

"All of us know that they will vanish like dinosaurs if we are not able to stop the rampant poaching. So, through street dramas, we try to educate the locals on how to stop the poaching of these magnificent animals."

Adding to this, a teacher in Chitwan said, "The rhinos will continue to live as long as the young generation is concerned about them."

"The rein is in their hands."

25-Jun-09 4:00 PM

Lion Country Safari Bowls To Raise Money for Rhino Conservation

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:00:00 GMT

West Palm Beach, FL - Lion Country Safari staff members will strike big while raising money for rhino conservation organizations. On June 25, animal keepers and other participants will sponsor a bowling fundraiser to promote awareness and funds in support of Earth's second largest land animal, the rhinoceros. The event will be held Thursday, June 25, 2009 from 7pm to 9pm at the Palm Beach Strike Zone in Boynton Beach.

The three organizations that will receive the benefit of the Bowling for Rhinos fundraiser are: Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya, home to black and white rhinos; Ujung Kulon National Park in Java, Indonesia, home to the last Javan rhinos on earth; and Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park in Sumatra, Indonesia, where one of the largest populations of Sumatran rhinos live. One hundred percent of all donated funds from Bowling for
Rhinos go directly to these three conservation organizations.

The Bowling for Rhinos fundraiser has been held annually since 1990 by the national American Association of Zoo Keepers (AAZK) organization, raising over $3,000,000 for rhinos entirely through volunteer efforts. AAZK was formed in 1967 and offers zoo professionals the opportunity to work for the betterment of animal care through its Conservation, Preservation and Restoration Committee and its Environmental Enrichment Committee. The Association also offers grants to keepers interested in husbandry, field or reproductive research.

Guests of Lion Country Safari can do their part to help AAZK"s animal efforts by participating in this year's bowling fundraiser. Anyone can purchase tickets for $20 each prior to the event from the Bowling for Rhinos coordinator, Sean Mallee; phone number 561-793-1084 x 127. Tickets at the door are $25 each. The ticket cost covers admission to the event (2 hours of bowling, shoe rental, pizza, and soda) and a $10 donation to the
"Bowling for Rhinos" fund. In addition, participants are encouraged to find sponsorship money to increase individual donations made to the "Bowling for Rhinos" fund. Ask for your sponsorship form when you purchase your ticket prior to the event. On the night of the event, prizes will be awarded to participants who collected the highest amounts of sponsorship money! You can also help the local AAZK chapter by recycling a cell phone at the admissions booth at Lion Country Safari. The cell phones are donated to and recycled by ECO-CELL. Learn more at www.eco-cell.org. With each cell phone donated, guests will receive an animal feeding coupon to use inside Lion Country Safari's Safari World walk-through park.

LION COUNTRY SAFARI IS LOCATED 15 MILES WEST OF I-95 OFF SOUTHERN BOULDVEARD. OPEN DAILY RAIN OR SHINE FROM 9:30 A.M. TO 5:30 P.M. (LAST CAR ADMITTED AT 4:30 P.M.) PHONE 561-793-1084 OR VISIT US ON THE WEB AT WWW.LIONCOUNTRYSAFARI.COM

25-Jun-09 3:00 PM

Bowl With the Zookeepers to Help Them Help Rhinos

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:00:00 GMT

Jacksonville, FL - The zoo keepers of the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens and the Jacksonville Chapter of the American Association of Zookeepers (AAZK), invite the public to AAZK’s 19th annual Bowling for Rhinos event at 7:00 p.m., Saturday, July 25th at Jax Lanes West. Bowling for Rhinos is a fun event for a serious cause -- to protect the five species of rhinos found worldwide. By participating in Bowling for Rhinos, participants can help save these critically-endangered species. All of the proceeds from the event go directly to three rhino sanctuaries located in Africa and Indonesia. Money raised is used for fencing of the sanctuaries to keep poachers away, provides transportation, and pays everyday maintenance costs and education expenses for the surrounding villages.

The Jacksonville Chapter of AAZK, made up largely of Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens’ zoo keepers and other employees, has been an active participant in Bowling for Rhinos since 1990, raising more than $50,000 to date. Event pre-registration by June 30th is encouraged by going to Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens’ Web site at jacksonvillezoo.org and clicking on the “Bowling for Rhinos” link. Simply complete the registration form and email it along with a $15 fee to jaxaazk@yahoo.com. The fee covers three games of bowling, shoe rental and a t-shirt. Participants are also asked to raise at least $20 in donations. Prizes will be awarded to the top three people that raise the most amount of money.

To view Jacksonville Zoo's web page on Zoo and Aquarium Visitor, go to: http://www.zandavisitor.com/forumtopicdetail-97-Jacksonville_Zoo_and_Gardens

25-Jun-09 3:00 PM

All Eyes on Kaziranga, Free Run for Poachers in Orang

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:00:00 GMT

With Kaziranga National Park, home to the largest number of one-horned rhinos in the world, getting maximum attention for conservation and protection, poachers have shifted focus to Orang National Park in northern Assam. As this 78.82 sq km park faces a shortage of manpower and equipment, poachers have managed to kill at least three rhinos this year.

“Poaching is definitely Orang’s most important problem, especially with the park having very dense human habitation on its western, northern and eastern boundaries,” said park director S Momin. While poachers on Saturday killed a full-grown female rhino and ran away with its horn, Momin’s men along with the police managed to nab two members of the gang responsible for the crime.

The two accused, identified as Harmuj Ali and Paokhan Thanga, were arrested from a bus bound for Dimapur in Nagaland on Sunday. They have admitted to having killed the rhino. Thanga is said to be a sharp-shooter.

“The two persons have admitted that they had killed the rhino on Sunday evening. We are, however, yet to recover the rhino horn,” the park director said over telephone from Orang. One US-made pistol, a 12-bore rifle and a sizeable amount of ammunition have been seized from Ali’s house.

The national park has lost at least 19 rhinos in the past four and a half years. “We had as many as 98 rhinos during the 1991 census. The figure, however, came down sharply to 46 in a span of eight years, with most of the deaths caused by poachers,” Momin said.

The rhino population to 68 in 2006, and currently stands at 64.

Orang also figures in the country's tiger map, with the last count in 2000, conducted through the pug-mark method, showing 19 big cats live there. Poachers have targeted tigers, too, and currently not more than 15 are expected to exist there. This would at the most include seven adults, Momin said.

Forest and wildlife protection personnel in Orang have been at war with poachers. "We have arrested at least 70 poachers since 2005, including the two arrested on Sunday," said Jayanta Deka, range officer at Orang.

With 31 anti-poaching camps in place, Orang needs at least 186 full-time forest protection personnel to ensure security of its wildlife. Right now, it has only 64 permanent staffers, backed up by 40 casual workers and four sections of armed home guards.

"Our major headache is the Brahmaputra riverfront, with poachers also using human settlements in the char areas in the river as hideouts. The Government, however, has recently sanctioned funds for purchase of a few speed boats for Orang," Momin said.

23-Jun-09 9:00 AM

Toe Injury Keeping Oklahoma City Zoo Rhino Out of Sight

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:00:00 GMT

The new rhino at the Oklahoma City Zoo is being kept off display because of a minor toe fracture.

The 2½-year-old female arrived May 21 from the Bronx Zoo in New York.

Zoo staff members noticed Niki hobbling shortly after she arrived, and the zoo veterinarian diagnosed the broken toe from X-rays, zoo spokeswoman Tara Henson said.

Experts aren’t sure how Niki injured her toe.

The rhino was expected to stay off exhibit for several days as she adjusted to her new surroundings, but her toe injury will keep her out of the public eye for a while longer, Henson said. Her Oklahoma City exhibit allows guests to be much closer to Niki than the exhibit she lived in at the Bronx Zoo. Henson said the zoo staff wants to be sure she won’t be startled and hurt her foot further.

"It’s going to be up to her (when she will go on public display). She’s got to be comfortable with people,” Henson said. "Right now, we want her to stay mellow.”

Niki was brought to Oklahoma City to mate with Chandra, a 24-year-old male, as part of a nationwide program called a species survival plan, said Laura Bottaro, mammal curator at the Oklahoma City Zoo. They likely won’t mate for at least a year.

23-Jun-09 8:00 AM

Rhino Poaching Hits Tourism

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:00:00 GMT

SAURAHA, June 22 - Tourism entrepreneurs here have been unable to make tourists lengthen the stay of tourists in this popular destination, thanks to a dwindling number of rhinos, a major attraction, and lack of fresh programmes.

The entrepreneurs have been relying too heavily on Tharu culture, Chitwan National Park safari, elephant safari, sun-setting sights and village tour, which comprise a three-day package. On top of all this, rhinos have become a rare sight here due to rampant poaching of the endangered species. All this does not bode well for Sauraha, which is rich in biodiversity.

Tour operators are already talking about the loss rhino poaching could cause. Tourism expert Dr. Rudra Upadhyaya says rhino conservation is a must for the survival of Sauraha's tourism industry.

Tharu culture and lifestyle, another attraction, is also under threat. Hari Bhakta Ghimire, president of the Regional Hotel Association, says concrete houses are replacing Tharus' traditional houses that are made of Khariya and Khar (dried grass).

“These days, it is hard to get a full glimpse of the Tharu culture at one place,” Ghimire laments. Elephant safari is quite popular among Nepalis, but all is not well with this tourist attraction.

22-Jun-09 1:00 PM

Poachers Kill Rhino in Orang Park

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:00:00 GMT

A female rhino was killed by poachers in the Orang National Park in northern Assam on Saturday evening. The poachers managed to escape after removing the rhino’s horn even as the forest protection staff tried to chase the culprits through the darkness.

The rhino, believed to be between 20 and 25 years, was found dead with its horn missing when forest protection guards located it around 30 minutes after hearing two gunshots. “Our guards at the Nichalamari camp heard two gunshots following which they tracked the rhino, only to find it dead,” said Sukumar Momin, divisional forest officer (DFO) in charge of the 78.82 sq km Orang National Park.

Describing a breakthrough made on Sunday, Momin said, “We have nabbed two persons today and believe they were involved in the crime.” Harmuj Ali from Bosa-Simalu village , under Dhekiajuli police station close to the park, and a Manipuri have been arrested by forest officials at Jakhalabandha in Nagaon district of central Assam.

22-Jun-09 1:00 PM

Rhino Relocation Proposed To Encourage Reproduction

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 18:00:00 GMT

Wildlife authorities want to divide the lone herd of endangered Javan rhinoceros into two populations by 2012 in the hope that this will hasten reproduction, Ujung Kulon National Park spokesman Enjat Sudrajat said at the Banten park on Sunday.

“We have been planning a second habitat for the species, but it will not be far away from the original habitat,” he said.

Enjat said the new herd — initially three females and one male — would be relocated only as far as the Gunung Honje area, which borders the current population’s habitat in the Semenanjung Ujung Kulon area.

Only an estimated 50 Javan rhinos remain in the wild and researchers believe the number has remained largely static over many years through habitat pressure.

By starting a new herd, they believe the animals will be encouraged to breed faster.

The 120,551-hectare Ujung Kulon National Park in Banten was established in 1992 by the Ministry of Forestry.

The park is home to the Javan rhinoceroses and other threatened species such as leopards, silvery gibbons and bantengs , a kind of buffalo.

The national park is divided into three major parts, including the Gunung Honje area, the Semenanjung Ujung Kulon area, and the Panaitan area.

The Forestry Ministry says it is also home to 34 other mammals, five primates, 59 reptiles, 22 amphibians, 240 birds species, 72 insects 142 fish species and 33 coral reefs.

“We are hoping that when the second habitat is ready, the rhinos will eventually cross to the new area naturally without having to be captured or tranquilized,” Enjat said.

Adhi Rachmat Hariyadi, WWF project leader of Ujung Kulon National Park, said the idea of a second habitat had been discussed since 1995, but many practical steps were needed to make the move a reality, including finding a similar habitat area and determining how to make the relocation a success.

Adhi said the main objective of the second habitat was to develop a “back-up” population.

“The method we usually use in Indonesia is to place a pair of an endangered species in an area and get them to breed with human help, but relocating a new population is more like a form of transmigration for rhinos,” he said, adding that the method has been applied in India and Nepal.

He said the relocation of the rhinos formed part of a necessary backup plan because having the only existing rhino population in one area meant the risk of extinction was higher.

21-Jun-09 1:00 PM

Conservationists Say Poaching of Zimbabwe Rhino Doubles; Blame Law Enforcement Breakdown

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 19:00:00 GMT

HARARE, ZIMBABWE — Conservationists raised the alarm Thursday for Zimbabwe's rare rhinos after a sharp increase in poaching because of a breakdown of law enforcement in this troubled southern African country.

Organized criminal gangs kill rhinos to sell the valuable horn that is used as a traditional medicine in Asia and carved for ceremonial dagger handles in the Middle East, Raoul du Toit, head of southern Zimbabwe's Lowveld Rhino Trust, said in a telephone conference call with reporters.

Zimbabwe's rhino population declined from about 830 in 2007 to 740 at the end of 2008 despite an excellent birth rate in monitored herds, London-based Save the Rhino executive director Cathy Dean said during the conference call.

Save the Rhino said at least 90 rhino were poached in 2008, twice the toll of the previous year, and conservation groups had counted 18 killed so far in 2009. It called for concerted action by the Zimbabwean government and international agencies.

Conservationists also reported a surge in poaching of zebra for their hides. These, alongside illegal diamonds, gold and other contraband, were smuggled through Zimbabwe's porous borders.

Some zebra hides ended up as upholstery in Europe and the zebra poachers were likely to encounter rhino in the same habitat and know their value, du Toit said.

Du Toit said the rhino poachers were people with "cars, cell phones and expensive lawyers" and not villagers desperate for food.

Poaching "increased because of our lack of ability to investigate, higher market prices and the growing Asian footprint in southern Africa," he said.

Du Toit spoke of investigators lacking gasoline to drive suspects to court. He said authorities were short of money but paid too little attention to the crimes.

"The repercussions for the country's international image and the economic implications are a lot more serious than the politicians and the ministers realize," he said.

He said conservation groups in southern Zimbabwe planned to relocate about 60 rhino from areas vulnerable to poachers.

Tourism and photographic safaris have dropped sharply in several years of political and economic turmoil since the often violent seizures of thousands of white-owned farms began in 2000, disrupting the agriculture-based economy in the former regional breadbasket.

Longtime ruler President Robert Mugabe blames Western sanctions for the economic crisis that has led to acute shortages of food, gasoline and the most basic goods.

Poaching of small animals has intensified, with villagers torching the bush to drive even rodents and rock rabbits into traps for food, conservationists say.

20-Jun-09 2:00 PM

Guards Kill Soldier Suspected of Poaching

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:00:00 GMT

MASVINGO- An armed soldier was among four suspected poachers shot dead this week in Ruware Conservancy in Chiredzi .

The deaths resulted from an exchange of gunfire between the suspected poachers and a team comprising wildlife guards and the police. The suspected poachers were killed amid reports that some conservancy operators were offering as much as $1 500 to the guards for each dead poacher.

The latest four victims bring to about 14 the number of people who have been shot dead on suspicion that they were poaching in the Lowveld sanctuaries over the past two months.

Marvellous Masvauro (48), a soldier serving with the Zimbabwe National Army and attached to the Operation Maguta project in Masvingo, Jameson Madividze, Bothwell Mazhetesi and Godfrey Dhliwayo were part of the seven-man gang of suspected poachers.

According to the police, the four, armed with rifles, exchanged gun fire with a team of wildlife guards and the police who were on patrol in the conservancy.

The four defied several warnings from the police to disarm, resulting in the exchange of fire.

Masvingo police spokesman Inspector Phibion Nyambo confirmed the incident.

“These people refused to disarm after a combined team of game guards and the police ordered them to do so,” said Nyambo.

“They were shot dead following a shoot-out, and two rifles were recovered together with 20 rounds of ammunition.”

Increased poaching has raised strong fears that some animal species might face extinction if urgent measures are not put in place to curb the practice.

The death of the four brings to at least 14 the number of suspected poachers who have been shot dead in Masvingo province alone in less than two months.

Morris Mutsambiwa, the director of the National Parks and Wildlife Management, has said Zimbabwe risks censure by the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) for losing over 80 rhinos within the last 12 months.

Meanwhile police in Masvingo have launched investigations into allegations that conservancy operators in the Lowveld were paying as much as US$1 500 to their wildlife guards and the police to kill poachers.

It emerged yesterday that as a result, police officers and game guards were sometimes reckless in dealing with suspected poachers thereby unnecessarily opening fire.

Inspector Nyambo said: “We are investigating this case because we have seen that several people have lost their lives through poaching.

“It has also come to our attention that conservancy operators have offered huge sums of money of over US$1 500 to those who kill poachers; hence we feel sometimes people are being reckless with their guns when dealing with suspected poachers.”

On Tuesday Johnny Rodrigues, chairman for the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force said Inspector Nyambo had issued a strong warning to poachers that the police would not hesitate to shoot them because rhino poaching was on the increase.

“We would like to congratulate the Zimbabwe Republican Police and game rangers who are risking their lives to try and stamp out rhino poaching,” he said. “In the past six weeks, seven rhino poachers have been shot and killed.”

Rodrigues said four poachers who were responsible for the death of three rhinos at Imire near Marondera had been apprehended.

“One was shot and wounded and all four have been arrested,” he said. “They were previously arrested about a year ago but then inexplicably released shortly afterwards. Hopefully this time they will remain in prison where they belong.”

18-Jun-09 2:00 PM