Is Escalating Rhino Horn Trade Linked to South African Hunting Industry?
Poachers from China and Vietnam have found a loophole for obtaining rhino horn by participating in legal trophy hunts in South Africa - and then having the horns shipped to Asia for illegal sale.
Last week, members of PHASA (Professional Hunters’ Association of South Africa) were advised not to “book and conduct hunts with nationals from Vietnam or other Far Eastern countries” until the government had “removed this abuse of the SA legal system.”
The most recent example of this “system abuse” was the incident in May, when Dwesa Nature Reserve awarded the “right” to kill 6 rhino to the highest bidder - African Scent Safaris. It was then confirmed that Vietnamese clients of African Scent Safaris killed two rhino and had the horns exported to Vietnam.
This also brings into question whether or not SANParks’ recent auction of White Rhinos from Kruger NP could be contributing to the exploitation of legal trophy hunting by poachers from China and other Asian countries.
