Rhino Extinction Crisis: Illegal Rhino Horn Trade Thrives

Illegal Chinese product made from rhino horn

Rhinos have been slaughtered to near extinction to fuel the insatiable demand for rhino horn products in China - all based on myths and superstitions about so-called "medicinal properties" of rhino horn.

Multiple sources from law enforcement and rhino conservation groups indicate that the "new wealth" in China is responsible for funding international organized poaching cartels to kill rhinos, particularly in Zimbabwe and South Africa. Vietnam also has a thriving illegal market in rhino horn and other endangered species products.

murdered indian rhino
January 2008: This female Indian Rhino suffered for 35 hours before she died. Her calf was murdered, and as she stood over her dead calf, she was shot twice and her horn was removed while she was still alive. This murder occurred in Kaziranga National Park, where sadly, poaching is on the rise. Source: BBC News

Despite being a CITES signatory, Chinese pharmaceutical companies continue to manufacture so-called "medicines" derived from illegal rhino horn.

Destroying wildlife for traditional Chinese medicine

Taiwanese self-made millionaires are notorious for their conspicuous consumption of rare and exotic wildlife, and the Chinese traditional adage that animals exist primarily for exploitation is nowhere more pronounced than on Taiwan. - Dr. Richard Ellis, author of Tiger Bone & Rhino Horn: The Destruction of Wildlife for Traditional Chinese Medicine

Illegal Chinese medicine made from rhino horn

China violates CITES: Does not restrict illegal rhino horn trade

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. - Trade Environment Database

Science has proven rhino horn has no medicinal value

The notion of rhino horn as medicine is essentially a cultural myth. Science has long ago proven rhino horn has no medicinal value. Yet millions of people in Eastern Asia are clinging to this superstition. This is the reason hundreds of thousands of rhinos have been illegally slaughtered - and why rhino poaching remains a very lucrative crime. - Rhishja Larson, savingrhinos.org

Rhino calf killed in Zimbabwe due to Chinese demand for rhino horn.

FACT: Rhino horn is NOT a remedy for fever, pain, arthritis, consvulsions, or any other medical condition. Rhino horn does not cure devil possession - and it is not an aphrodisiac.

Yet these superstitions are behind a thriving illegal market in rhino horn - and have made rhinos one of the world's most endangered species.

Please share the truth about rhino horn and help stop the illegal slaughter of rhinos ... before it's too late.

Visit Rhino Conservation: Rhino Horn is NOT Medicine to read the following articles & learn more:

Illegal Chinese "medicine" made from rhino horn by Chinese pharmaceutical companies.

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