Conservationists are removing the horns of white rhinos to prevent them from being killed by poachers for this odd prize. Burning the village to save it.
South African dehorning initiative aims for ‘zero poached’ white rhinos
I have to say this was one of the saddest “successes” I’ve come across in the struggle by a few to prevent nature-exploitation by the many who see in the living world only profitable markets.
But don’t worry about the rhinos. The article in MongaBay states that the rhino is fine with having its horn removed with a chainsaw. And, true, it is only keratin—a huge fingernail—devoid of pain receptors or blood flow. But imagine what goes on in the minds of creatures experiencing such trauma.
Still, better hornless and alive than hornless and also dead. It’s not their fault that humans hold superstitious beliefs and will not let them go.
So why are rhino horns the object of poaching? What is the point?
I am guessing that the horn’s purported value is different across the globe of “users” (chiefly Viet Nam and China.) And also guessing that the roots of some of these “understandings” go far back in the cultural history of those places and are unlikely to be changed by an appeal to ecological sensibilities. Viet Nam is the nation with the greatest rhino horn demand.
We asked people in Vietnam why they use rhino horn. Here’s what they said
The people we interviewed said that they used rhino horn to treat various ailments including hangovers, fever, gout and potentially terminal illnesses, like cancer or stroke. Some people also gave it to terminally ill relatives to console them and show that they had done everything in their power to help them.
Our findings confirm that the idea that rhino horn has magical healing properties is deeply rooted in Vietnam.
Aside from being used as medicine, rhino horn is considered a status symbol. Consumers said that they shared it within social and professional networks to demonstrate their wealth and strengthen business relationships. Gifting whole rhino horns was also used as a way to get favors from those in power.
There is a lot of work going on in conservation groups working with the media to cool down the fairly recent media hype about the purported sexual-performance enhancement effects of rhino horn. Scientific American reports on…
The Hard Truth about the Rhino Horn “Aphrodisiac” Market
Follow the money:
“Popular Vietnamese Web sites mix unproved medical claims with luxury sales pitches. Slogans compare rhino horn with “a luxury car,” tout its ability to “improve concentration and cure hangovers,” and trumpet “rhino horn with wine is the alcoholic drink of millionaires.”
I recently ran across an essay by theologian Fred Bahnson that stated that sin was “the propensity for humans to F— things up. While I would offer caveats regarding the theological basis of this new definition of sin, HPtfTU is a new favorite hashtag here. And the rhino horn thing seems to me a sin in this sense.