Seth Victor
Kevin Charles Redmon poses an interesting thought: can farming the horns of African rhinoceroses save the species? The horns of the rhinos are used throughout the world, from dagger handles to medicine. Though the animals are endangered, and protected under CITES, there is a lucrative black market business in poaching, especially when the horns fetch $65,000 a kilo; “demand for horn is inelastic and growing, so a trade ban (which restricts supply) only drives up prices, making the illicit good more valuable—and giving poachers greater incentive to slaughter the animal.” Poachers aren’t overly concerned with the long-term extinction risks of their prey. The focus is on the immediate value. Because the activity is illegal, timing is of the essence, and it’s apparently easier to kill and harvest the rhinos versus tranquilizing and waiting for them to go down. What if, Redmon wonders, we were to harvest the horns (they re-grow over time) by placing rhinos in captivity, guarding them well, and introducing a sustainable horn supply that doesn’t kill the rhinos? Continue reading
Filed under: animal advocacy, animal cruelty, animal ethics, animal law, animal welfare, hunting | Tagged: activism, animal abuse, animal advocacy, animal cruelty, animal ethics, animal law, animal welfare, black market, CITES, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, endangered species, Endangered Species Act, farmed animals, Kevin Charles Redmon, poaching, rhino horns, rhinoceroses, rhinos | 3 Comments »