Catch up blog: Save the Rhinos
I had a few more items I wanted to share about South Africa but didn’t have time before we were ensconced in departure preparations. These “catch up” blogs will be out of chronological order but hopefully are still worth the read.
The Cape Town waterfront has life-size rhino statues throughout its district
Each of these unique works of art, sponsored by www.therhinosarecoming.org and painted by local artists, displays a plaque that states the following:
South Africa’s precious rhinos are being wiped out at the average rate of 3 per day. The use of the rhino horn, described falsely as a cure for a number of human conditions, continues to be promoted across some countries in the Far East. Rhino horn is big business. Today, rhino horn is even more valuable per kilogram than gold. Now there are fewer than 5,000 black and 21,000 white rhinos left. We cannot let this continue. We have to save our rhinos before it’s too late.
What a terrific idea to install these beautiful monuments throughout a district popular with tourists, adding ambiance to the environs while publicizing the plight of Africa’s rhinos!
We also learned about steps being taken to address South Africa’s broader wildlife poaching challenge. For example, drones are outlawed in Kruger National Park to prevent poachers from using them to track animals, despite the technology’s potential to help safari guides deliver wildlife viewings to their clientele. Also, nighttime safari outings are now a thing of the past. Today, anyone lighting up the darkness in the park is there illegally, making it easier for rangers to track and apprehend them.
Hopefully steps such as these to increase public awareness and shore up law enforcement, along with the trade restrictions currently in-place, will help protect Africa’s majestic beasts.
