NEW DELHI: One or more of the world’s five species of Rhinos can become extinct by the end of the century unless China South Korea Thailand and Taiwan clamp down on trade in Rhino horn the World Wildlife Fund has warned.
A recent WWF report says the four countries continue to trade in significant quantities of Rhino
Horn “undermining international efforts to protect endangered animals” The refusal to crackdown on the trade has created what the WWF calls is a gigantic loophole for poachers and dealers”.
The WWF estimates that in the last 20 years 85% of the world’s Rhinos have been slaughtered across Africa and Asia for their horns. In the wild the Rhino’s present population worldwide is esumated at 11000. The WWF has already sounded warning bells about the figure and has pointed out that small population of Rhinos in protected parks run the risk of being wiped off by disease or a natural calamity.
With an escalating demand for its horn which in turn has created a seller’s market the threat to these animals is now even more. Rhino horn normally sells for more than 10,000 U.S. dollars a kg but in a place like Taiwan it fetches as much as 16000 dollars per kg says WWF.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 9, 1991
