Asia fuels record elephant, rhino killings to extinction
China, Vietnam and Thailand are among the worst offenders in fuelling a global black market that is seeing record numbers of elephants and rhinos killed in Africa, according to environment group WWF.
Releasing a report rating countries’ efforts at stopping the trade in endangered species, WWF said elephant poaching was at crisis levels in central Africa while the survival of rhinos was under grave threat in South Africa.
In parts of Asia, rhino horns are highly prized for their use in traditional medicines — some believe they can cure cancer — while elephants’ ivory has for centuries been regarded as a precious decoration.
Global efforts to stem the trade have been under way for years, but China, Thailand and Vietnam are allowing black markets in various endangered species to flourish by failing to adequately police key areas, according to WWF.
It said Vietnam was one of the countries of most concern, giving it a worst-possible “red” score for failing to stem the trade in rhino horns as well as tiger parts.
WWF said Vietnam was the top destination for rhino horns illegally imported from South Africa.
It described South Africa as the “epicentre” in an African rhino poaching crisis, despite strong government efforts there that began in 2009 to stop the killings.
A record 448 rhinos were poached in South Africa in 2011, and this year could be even worse with 262 already lost from January to June, according to WWF.
The wildlife group accused the Vietnamese government of doing very little to stop rhino horns from being imported, describing penalties in Vietnam for buying them as not nearly strong enough to act as a deterrent.
But it accused China and Thailand of being among the worst culprits in allowing the illegal trade of elephant tusks.
Source AP
ASIA FUELS ELEPHANT AND RHINO KILLINGS TO EXTINCTION?? NOT SURPRISING TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THAT THEY KILL ANYTHING THAT MOVES FOR FOOD AND THEN SOME!! š IF HUMANS HAD DIAMONDS HIDDEN IN THEIR STOMACHS, THE ASIANS (CHINA, VIETMAN AND THAILAND) WOULD EMBARK ON A WORLDWIDE MASSACRE OF HUMANKIND!! THE PUNISHMENT SHOULD BE GETTING BEATEN TO DEATH WITH THE CONFISCATED ELEPHANT TUSK, WHAT DUE YUE THINK?? THE UNITED NATIONS CLEARLY NEEDS TO DUE THE JOB THAT THEY GET GROSSLY OVERPAID TO DUE BY STOPPING THESE UNCIVILIZED MANIACS!! NO MORE FULL PAID VACATIONS AND TRAFFIC JAMS FOR YUE=JUSTIFY YOUR EXISTENCE AND TREMENDOUS EXPENSE ALREADEE!! š
A FEW INTERESTING ELEPHANT AND RHINO SAFARI FACTS ARE THE FOLLOWING:
1. MAI VERY FIRST PLUSH PET WAS A PINK ELEPHANT THAT I STILL HAVE FROM MEI ENTRANCE INTO THE WORLD SHORTLY FOLLOWED BUY A LIGHT GRAY RHINO!! HENCE MEI PASSION FOR THEIR SAFE EXISTENCE!! š
2. ELEPHANTS USE THEIR TRUNKS TO HOLD HANDS WITH THEIR FRIENDS AND ARE HIGHLY TACTILE AND SOCIAL ANIMALS!! Their trunks are more versatile than the human hand! It takes 2 years for an elephant’s trunk to become proficient in use. When the trunk is held high an elephant is alert and interested. An elephant’s brain is approx 3 times the size of a human brain – their temporal lobes are large and well developed and they have remarkable memories thus the phrase “memory like an elephant!” Elephants communicate via low infrasound using 30 different infrasonic sounds to ‘talk’ with each other – these infrasounds are much too low for the human ear to distinguish!! An elephant has long eyelashes and lots of folds in their eyelids, which hamper their vision. They don’t turn their head much so their view of the world is quite narrow. Elephants cannot see in colour nor can they focus properly, which makes our painting elephants even more remarkable. They do however see silhouettes and faded green blue hues. Their eyesight isn’t a handicap though as 60% of their brain is dedicated to sense of smell.
3. WHITE RHINOS AND BLACK RHINOS ARE BOTH IN FACT VARIOUS SHADES OF GREY ONLEE DISTINGUISHABLE BY THEIR UPPER LIPS=WHITE IS SQUARE AND BLACK IS POINTY!! Rhino’s May look very tough, but their skin is very sensitive especially to sunburn and biting insects which is why they like to wallow in mud! Rhino’s horns are made of Keratin, just like finger nails plus they grow throughout their lifetime. White rhinoceroses live in crashes or herds of up to 14 animals (usually mostly female). Sub-adult males will congregate, often in association with an adult female. Most adult bulls are solitary. Dominant bulls mark their territory with excrement and urine. The dung is laid in well defined piles. Another way of marking their territory is wiping their horns on bushes or the ground and scrapes with its feet before urine spraying. They do this around 10 times an hour while patrolling territory. The same ritual as urine marking except without spraying is also commonly used. Subordinate males do not mark territory. The most serious fights break out over mating rights to do with a female.
OUT OF CHINA, VIETNAM AND THAILAND!! š
China, Vietnam and Thailand are among the worst offenders in fuelling a global black market that is seeing record numbers of elephants and rhinos killed in Africa, according to environment group WWF. Releasing a report rating countries’ efforts at stopping the trade in endangered species, WWF said elephant poaching was at crisis levels in central Africa while the survival of rhinos was under grave threat in South Africa. In parts of Asia, rhino horns are highly prized for their use in traditional medicines — some believe they can cure cancer — while elephants’ ivory has for centuries been regarded as a precious decoration. Global efforts to stem the trade have been under way for years, but China, Thailand and Vietnam are allowing black markets in various endangered species to flourish by failing to adequately police key areas, according to WWF.
DR. DUE LITTLE=IF I COULD TALK TO THE ANIMALS!!
I WILL SAVE THE ANIMALS FROM THE KILLINGS!!! I HAVE 1,500 ACRES FOR THE CRITTERS TO RUN FREE. HECK ILL LEAVE THE HOUSE DOOR OPEN SO THEY CAN COME IN AND SLEEP WITH ME!!! WOO HOOOO!!! YIKES!!! HOLD ME!!!!!