Rhino Tracks

　　To address the increasing incidence of its rhinosbeing poached for their prized horns， Kenya’s Wildlife Service(KWS) has unveiled plans to microchip all of the country’srhinos， estimated at just over 1，000 individuals.

　　The project is sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund(WWF) Kenya， which donated 1，000 microchips and fivescanners together valued at $15，000， according to a KWSpress release. The process， with a chip being implantedinto each rhino’s horn， is expected to take one year， and willbegin in December， according to Robert Magori， Kenya’sspokesman for the WWF.

　　“With poachers getting more sophisticated in theirapproach it is vital that conservation efforts embrace theuse of more sophisticated technology to counter the killingof wildlife，” the KWS wrote in a press statement. It went onto note that using tracking chips will allow authorities totrack the animals more closely， and will serve as a powerfuldeterrent for would-be poachers， who face up to a 15-yearjail term if caught.

　　According to KWS， so far in 2013， around 200 elephantsand at least 30 rhinos have been killed in Kenya， driven byrecord demand for ivory and rhino horns in predominantlyAsian markets. The South African Government， which holdsa vast stockpile of salvaged rhino horns valued in excess of$1 billion， places the current market value of 1 kg of horn ataround $65，000. In comparison， gold fetches just more than$45，000 per kg and ivory somewhere between $1，000 and$1，500.

　　According to conservation-minded NGO， Save theRhino， one of the most dominant markets for rhino horn isin Viet Nam， where a tonic made with rhino horn powder isrumored to cure cancer. Despite this feverish demand forrhino horn， which is composed of the same protein as humanfingernails and hair， there has never been scientific evidenceto suggest it has any beneficial medicinal properties.

　　In a statement to ChinAfrica， Katherine Ellis， communicationsdirector at Save the Rhino， wrote， “There is no silverbullet to solve the current rhino poaching crisis； a combinationof approaches are needed. This includes high-level internationalgovernment cooperation， rigorous anti-poachingand monitoring work， engaging with local communities inrhino range states， and efforts to reduce the demand forrhino horn in Asian countries， particularly Viet Nam.”Ellis explained that of utmost importance to rhino protectionin Kenya is the passage of a proposed wildlife bill thatwould stiffen penalties for wildlife crimes.

　　For its part， the Chinese Government has stepped up itsefforts in the anti-poaching field. Kenya’s Daily Nation reportedon August 9 that during a meeting with Judi Wakhungo，Kenya’s cabinet Secretary for Environment， Water and NaturalResources， China’s Ambassador to Kenya， Liu Guangyuan，promised China would offer Kenya a grant of unspecifiedamount to “protect the rhino， elephant and other endangeredspecies.” The Daily Nation notes that China has someof the most stringent anti-poaching laws in the world， withoffenders often receiving life-sentences in prison.

　　The Chinese public is also becoming increasingly cognizantof the problem. In November 2012， a survey conductedin Beijing， Shanghai， and Guangzhou by research companyHorizonKey found that 95 percent of respondents agreedthat the “Chinese Government should take stricter action toprevent the use of rhino horns.”

　　“The Chinese Government should put in place strict controlsto stop the trade in illegal wildlife related activities suchas the trade of poached horns，” Magori said. “The civil societyand the general public can be at the forefront to pushfor better protection of rhinos and to educate the masseson the effects of the trade of rhino horn on the populationsof rhinos around the world.”