In a dangerous move, the South African government has issued a proposal to legalize the domestic trade and export of rhino horn for personal purposes. South Africa is home to the largest population of Africa’s rhino, and a move to legalize horn greatly endangers already dwindling rhino populations. AWF believes rhino horn trade should be illegal, and a push for legalization would complicate efforts to prosecute illegal activity by creating a veneer of legality behind which illegal activities would persist. AWF urges the government of South Africa to step up its leadership in African rhino conservation by refusing to pass the proposed new law.
In early March, poachers broke into a zoo in Thoiry, France, killing a rare 4-year-old white rhino named Vince. Zookeepers found the rhino dead in his enclosure with his horn sawed off. This horrific incident underscores the emergency faced by rhino in the wild and the ruthlessness of the wildlife trafficking crisis.
