Legislation & Rhinos

Funding Alert | Why Poaching Continues | What is CITES?

Help stop the killing: Support The Sportsmanship in Hunting Act of 2008

Canned hunts make it legal to shoot tame rhinos (and other exotic animals) at close range in a confined space (such as a small corral or pen) in order to "collect a trophy", i.e., the animal's head. Because this industry has "big money" behind it, the proprietors take advantage of auctions held by zoos or sanctuaries forced to close their doors due to lack of funding. These are tame animals that have been bottle-raised in captivity.

The Sportsmanship in Hunting Act of 2008 will prohibit the transport or possession of exotic animals for the purpose of killing or injuring them:

(1) IN GENERAL- Whoever, in or substantially affecting interstate or foreign commerce, knowingly transfers, transports, or possesses a confined exotic animal, for the purposes of allowing the killing or injuring of that animal for entertainment or for the collection of a trophy, shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 1 year, or both.

(Source: GovTrack.us. S. 2912--110th Congress (2008): Sportsmanship in Hunting Act of 2008, GovTrack.us)

S. 2912 Sponsor: Sen Frank Lautenberg [D-NJ]
Co-sponsors of S. 2912:
Sen. Daniel Akaka [D-HI]
Sen. Barbara Boxer [D-CA]
Sen. Benjamin Cardin [D-MD]
Sen. Russell Feingold [D-WI]
Sen Dianne Feinstein [D-CA]
Sen. Edward Kennedy [D-MA]
Sen. John Kerry [D-MA]
Sen Robert Menendez [D-NJ]
Sen. Patty Murray [D-WA]

Click here to find out who participates in, and supports canned hunts. Unfortunately - they are people with LOTS of money - who have defeated 8 previous attempts to enact legislation prohibiting this barbaric practice - and they are protecting the abhorrent industry of "canned hunts."

We can work together to shut down this "industry" by supporting The Sportsmanship in Hunting Act of 2008 to stop the killing.

Contact your US representative and ask them to co-sponsor H.R. 2912, the Sportsmanship in Hunting Act of 2008, to halt the posession and interstate traffic of exotic animals for the purpose of hunting or trophy collecting. The HSUS has a form to fill out that automatically sends a letter you can edit here. You can also obtain the names of your representatives with just a few clicks at the HSUS website.

You can track the progress of the Sportsmanship in Hunting Act of 2008 here.

Refer to the historical information of 8 previous related bills, and you will be saddened to see that none of them have passed.

Saving Rhinos encourages you to take action on this very important issue.

Marc Ecko to the (rhino) rescue

In October 2006, Marc Ecko (ecko unltd.) purchased two white rhinos being auctioned by a private zoo going out of business in the Catskills, saving them the likely fate of being purchased by Texas canned hunt operators and being shot by paying visitors. He found permanent homes for the two rhinos, Jack and Boom-Boom, shortly afterwards.

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Funding Alert from the WWF Conservation Action Network

Big Increases in Funding for Conservation of Tigers, Rhinos, Elephants, Great Apes, Sea Turtles, and Neotropical Migratory Birds

  • Congress appropriated a total of $12.3 million for fiscal year 2008.
  • We Need Your Help to Push for Strong Funding for Fiscal Year 2009: "Unfortunately, the Bush administration has requested only $8.25 million total for these funds for fiscal year 2009. We are counting on your support to urge Congress to allocate $18 million instead."
  • Act now to push for strong conservation funding in 2009

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Worldwide: Why the illegal rhino horn market continues

"Despite international and domestic bans on trade in rhinoceros parts and products, Chinese and Taiwanese markets are flourishing in the sale of rhino horn products. China has promised, and is obligated, to restrict this trade as a signatory to the CITES agreement, but evidence suggests that it has failed to do so." Source: Trade Environment Database.

What is CITES?

CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.

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One of our ideas: The Stick AND The Carrot

The Stick. In our opinion, the Chinese government may only respond to forceful compliance to obey the law. For example, the US (and other nations) to imposing trade sanctions (as in 1994, but they were lifted in 1995) with the intent of severely crippling China's economic health, until this current "darling" of the global stock market lives up to its obligation as a CITES signatory.

Despite international law and intense anti-poaching efforts, China continues to fuel most of the demand for rhino horn for use in "traditional medicine" (not as an aphrodisiac, a popular misconception). It is important to note that there is no scientific or substantiated medical evidence that rhino horn has any medicinal properties whatsoever. Horns are also smuggled into Yemen to be made into useless ornamental daggers.

In order for illegal trade in rhino horn products to cease, it cannot be left up to the government. Therefore, we propose The Carrot.

The carrot. As the poaching of rhinos for so-called medicinal purposes has been documented as far back as 2,000 years ago, it clearly has a cultural stronghold. Perhaps it is a practice that is passed down through generations via familial "apprenticeships." How then, to disrupt this flow of misinformation?

Perhaps one way is to locate the practitioners and connect with the younger generation. Surely there are Chinese wildlife advocates who would be qualified to develop and administer such a program in a culturally-sensitive manner. Their mighty task would be to reach out to the areas where the "medicines" are being "formulated."

Now, for every practitioner who ceases the use of rhino horn, turns over their horn-derived concoctions, and acts as an informant against rhino-horn-using peers, they receive a reward, either monetary or something determined to be of extraordinary value. (Other than rhino horn.)

An educational component would need to be in place, demonstrating the superiority of aspirin, etc., as an effective pain reliever and fever reducer.

It is highly unlikely that such a program would be undertaken by any government, so again, this would fall to conservation groups and private sponsors. Perhaps the drug companies would like to sponsor this project: They would be heroes for donating their products in the name of such a noble cause.

It is possible that by addressing the rhino horn problem in this way, the demand may eventually become extinct - instead of the rhinoceros.

Removing the prize

Because the rhino's horn can be removed without murdering the rhino, horns are often removed from rhinos, in the hopes of making them less appealing to poachers.

The results of the de-horning strategy are mixed. There are reports that these animals are slaughtered on sight by poachers, so time is not wasted tracking animals of "no value." Others have reported success, noting that poachers move on after identifying an animal without a horn.

Rhinos have been poached for horns as small as an inch in length.

It is a shame that the disfigurement of a beautiful creature has to be considered as an option.

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