Sunday, March 03, 2013

Can the Rhino Be Saved?

Can the Rhino be Saved?



Gold is not the most expensive commodity in the world despite its phenomenal increase in price over the past few years. Gold is going currently at about $1600 per ounce while the Rhino horn fetches $29485 per pound. Yes you heard it right, rhino horn is going for about $1843 per ounce and the demand is strong.
It has been estimated that so far in 2013 two rhinos are shot illegally each day. The reason is essentially the Chinese demand for the horns that are used as medical ingredients. Some scientists believe that unless some very strong measures are taken to protect the remaining rhinos then they would become extinct in captivity in the next 20 years or so.
But why is that so if the rhino has been legally protected since 1977? Simply because to pass a law is one thing and to implement it is a completely different issue. In this case it is hoped that economics can come to the rescue just as it did for the crocodiles. The suggestion is to legalize the trade in rhino horns by setting up a legal market. Economists, at least some of them, have been arguing for years that the illicit drug trade will not be curbed until drugs became legalized. The rationale behind these arguments is quite simple. Restrictions on rhino horn, just like restrictions on drugs, have failed to address the demand side of the equation. Unfortunately given sufficient demand will eventually attract enough supply by making risk taking profitable; sell rhino horn at a price that is more expensive than gold.

19 comments:

Jessica Y. Sanchez said...

For a long time there has been debate over the legalization of marijuana and other drugs. Do I believe that drugs should be used by the population, no, but think of all of the money that is being wasted on the fight against drugs. Instead of the continued fight, I believe some drugs should be taxed. People will make their own choices and will continue to find the drug, may it be legal or illegal. If it’s legal why not tax it and make money. The same goes for the Rhino at least if there is some accountability for the amount that is allowed to be hunted and certain guidelines that should be met, the animal is protected in a sense. You can at least help bring the price of the good down, because it won’t be as scarce good to a certain extent. Scarcity of a good is what drives the price. If the market knows that a certain amount of Rhino will be able to be purchased and legally it will cause the price to fall and its value may soon fall below gold. Right now there are rules in place, but like every other environmental issue, a lack of enforcement seems to be the problem.

Bradley Malave said...

In economics there is a supply because there is a demand. Simply put, if the demand is no longer there, then there wouldn't be a supply. In this case, the Chinese are demanding Rhino horns for medicinal purposes and they are paying $1842 per ounce which is a higher buying price than gold. With such a strong demand, there are about 2 Rhinos being killed illegally every day. There are armed guards protecting what little are left but this doesn't seem to be a solution. A real solution would be to stop the demand of the horns. If the local government of Africa interfere with the trade of the horns and money transaction, essentially make the risk of collecting the horn too high, this could potentially slow down the killing.

Christie Homberg said...

Although I understand why one might support the suggestion to legalize the trade of rhino horns, I disagree with it. The article says that rhinos have been protected since 1977. Even though laws have been in place for several years, they will soon be extinct. So imagine if there were no laws protecting them. It just seems like a pretty big gamble to legalize the trade of rhino horns, as there is no guarantee that it will have any positive effect. If the rhino horn became more available, people could potentially find more uses for it therefore increasing the demand. The way I see it, the only real option is to heavily enforce the protection of rhinos before even more damage is done.

Jessica Alba said...

I disagree with the suggestion to legalize trade of rhino horns the same way I disagree with the suggestion to legalize drugs. Although this would set up a market and allow for regulation in both cases, it does not solve the problem being addressed. Rhinos will still be killed unnecessarily. I think that bans against horn trade should be created and then enforced, heavily. At the same time the public of China and other Asian countries, who are the biggest target customers for poachers, should be educated about how there is no known medicinal benefit to be found in rhino horns. They have no magic or power except to create a beautiful wild animal in desperate need of help.

Jeff Prizzia said...

This is an interesting subject. I feel that having rhino horn trading will be okay but at the same time I feel it is cruel and very unnecessary. I am sure that there many other ways the Chinese can figure out of medical solutions without needing rhino horns. I feel that since the rhinos would be on the verge of distinction if this goes through that this should probably definitely be strictly enforced. Any animal that is on the verge of distinction should have heavy laws enforced to protect all of the animals rights. Like I said earlier there are many other ways to make money and solve medical solutions and this is just one way that I feel should be forgotten

Alexsys Grishaber said...

I can not believe that we would go this far to put an animals life in extinction for some money. However, I don't find this topic surprising. We are all about money and it doesn't matter how we get it. This topic is very unjust because animals have just as many as rights as we do and I feel they need to protected in a way similar to our own protection. I'm sure that there are many different ways to get medical in the world with all these available resources. No life should be harmed in the making.

aziz savadogo said...

I think that rhino horns should be legalized because rhino horns just like any other products answer to the supply and demand law. What makes the demand for rhino horns stronger and irreplaceable is that it is used as a medical ingredient. People with a disease that believe in the healing power of the horns will go to great lengths to get their medicine. Just like with farm salmon, I think that rhino ranches should be allowed, and that governments should allow the selling of domestic rhinos horns but not wild ones.

Davin Ajodhasingh said...

I think making the trade of rhino horns legal is a terrible idea. The concept isn’t the same as legalizing drugs because the rhino population isn’t regenerating itself like drugs do. With the rhino located in an underdeveloped country, hunters and poachers may have no other alternatives for making a living, especially if they have a family to look after. Being that the horns are more expensive than gold, legalizing the trade will reduce the price, allowing for hunters to further exploit the rhino without fear of prosecution, to the point where the numbers become so low that the price goes up again or even the rhino population could be completely depleted. What really needs to take place is the enforcement of the 1977 laws that protect the rhino. However, the lack of enforcing non-criminal laws is common in most underdeveloped and developing countries. As for now, the trade should remain illegal.

Chelsey Perman said...

I do not believe that the trade of Rhinos should be legalized. It very cruel and unfair to the Rhinos, and the law that is protecting them should not be broken. I also believe that if people are killing Rhinos for the trade of their horns illegally, legalizing their trade will only increase the chances of the Rhinos extinction. It is very unjust to kill an innocent animal for profit.

Laura Sorrentino said...

How can you legalize killing an animal? I understand it might help to reduce the problem, but no one knows that for sure and ethically, that is just cruel. In my opinion, even if we create a strict market for Rhino horns, there will still be poachers who will do it illegally because there is no way they will be willing to pay for this privilege. So to answer the question on whether the rhino will be saved? I don't think it can be. The species is simply too endangered and too desired for that to happen. Although I could be wrong, I believe that no strict enforcement can stop the black market because there are too many people involved in it. In addition, if this were to become legal, I believe the species will still die off, just at a decreasing rate.

Tamir said...

I also do not believe that legalalizing rhino horns and driving up the price is the best way to save them. This could do more harm then good in my opinion. I would much rather see more anti-poaching enforcement. In another article I read(I don't remember the link), some scientists were injecting the rhino horn with a chemical that would virtually make them deteriorate or dye the horn an unappealing color, without harming the rhino. I think these methods would be the best way to prevent poachers from killing rhinos, because there would be no payoff. I would like to look more into this and see if it really is a viable option to prevent the species extinction.

Christina F said...

It is so disgusting that people are hunting these animals for “medicinal purposes”. With all of the advancements made in medical technology, I find it very hard to believe that rhino horns are important to modern medicine. There is a new show coming this March on Animal Planet called, “Battleground: Rhino Wars”. This miniseries will reveal to the public the intense battle being fought to save the lives of both rhinos and humans in South Africa. In the process of protecting these endangered animals, many park rangers have been viciously killed by poachers. These poor animals are being slaughtered at alarming rates for absolutely pointless reasons. Mother rhinos are being and killed, forcing baby rhinos and calves to fend for themselves. The main problem in the fight against rhino poaching is that the good guys simply do not have the resources to stop the daily threats. Hopefully, this mini series will be a catalyst for world support; it will put a spotlight on this problem and alert the world of this horrific crisis. According to this article, economists seem to think that legalizing poaching will help solve this problem because regulations would be set. This is not ethical and it will not solve the problem. If these poachers are willing to break the law now and kill rhinos for profit, then nothing is going to stop them from over hunting them if regulations are set in place. The best offense against this threat is public knowledge; the more people know, the more people will demand action.

Mister Brandini said...

To solve the issue of rhino poaching, we must tackle the root of the problem. Everywhere you turn, people always talk about supply meets demand. There’s a reason for that; it is true. The sooner we can educate the people of Asia about other remedies and alternative medicines, the closer we will be to end the endless killing of rhinos. The numbers are all there and it is no secret that rhinos are endangered and protected. Sure legalizing and regulating the killing of rhinos would alleviate the problem momentarily by lessening the value of the horn, but it will not fix the problem. This is why I propose the establishment of an agency, one that would serve as the defenders of wildlife and will monitor select rhinos, ensuring that they are safe from immediate danger and implementing a course of action and severe consequence to those who are caught harming rhinos. People are motivated by self interest. If it is proven that an alternate source of medicine can be used in place of rhino horn, and if the risk of being caught is too high, then will the rhino genocide come to an end.

Jaclyn Barbato said...

There was an article very similar to this one published in the New York Times within the last few weeks. However, the article in the New York Times dealt with elephant tusks. In this article, it was highlighted that the government did set up a legal market, which actually intensified the problem. I do not believe such a market should be set up to meet 'demand' when a source/resource which is natural capital is in jeopardy. There are plenty of people in the world who are addicted to drugs, such as crack. However, to legalize crack because these people will do it anyway is a ludicrous idea that most people would not even consider. I believe it's time to start lookning at substitutions for the medications/pharmacueticals that rhino horns are used in rather than encourage their current usage.

Ginger MacDougall said...

I do not agree with the idea of legalizing the trade of rhino horns, simply because it does not solve the problem at hand and is, in my opinion, not humane. Even if the trade is legalized, rhinos are still being killed and it is still wrong. No matter how "strict" the market was made, or how closely it was regulated, there would and will always be a black market and illegal poachers that will hunt the rhinos. The real problem is the demand, that calls for supply, and the lack in protection of these creatures. Instead of thinking of a way to regulate the killings, we should be working on stopping them protecting the rhinos.

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