Trophy Hunting Rhinos

Trophy hunting is the dreadful and ruthless act of individuals/groups targeting specific species and hunting them down for their own favour and benefit. The primary reason for this movement is to collect particular parts of the animal and sell them for high charges or for entertainment purposes.

The population varies depending on the specific rhino species, but generally the quantities are extremely low. For example, there are around 75 Javan rhinos, less than 80 Sumatran rhinos, about 5,366 to 5,627 black rhinos, 3,588 greater one-horned rhinos, and about 17,212 to 18,915 white rhinos.

The range of rhinos is in Africa. To be more specific; white rhinos habitat in the following African countries like Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Zambia, and Cote d'Ivoire. Whereas, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Kenya are habitats for the majority of the black rhinos.

The current situation for Rhinos is deplorable as their risk of status is critically endangered, so near extinction.

In contrast to many people, some arguments claim that trophy hunting can increase and boost the rhino population. To support their opinion, they claim that the legalization of trophy hunting is a good motive and persuades private landowners to reinstate rhinoceroses to their spaces, which is important to consider as habitat loss is also a major factor in losing rhinos. Therefore, it is essential to provide them with the space needed. In fact, results show that South Africa actually faced an increase in white rhinos from less than 100 to more than 11,000.

Trophy hunting is a significant source of income for many communities in Africa. In fact, some of the fundings can even be used for important causes and organizations. This includes conservancies, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET), and even the Game Products Trust Fund (GPTF) so partially some of the finances collected actually goes back to the wildlife.

In Asian countries like Vietnam and China, rhino horns carry great cultural value. The reason for this is because they could be used for ornamental carvings or even medicine. For instance, rhino horns have been used as medicine in China for over 2,000 years to medicate. Furthermore, they consider it cures certain illnesses such as rheumatism, cancer, food poisoning, hallucinations and typhoid.

Trophy hunting can be highly concerning for rhinoceroses as it leads to rapidly decreasing population rates. For example, on average, a rhinoceros is murdered every 22 hours so individuals can get hold of their horns.

Trophy hunting can violate laws in other regional areas. For example, over 400 rhinos were killed in South Africa legally through Vietnamese citizens. However, later on in their home countries, they were sold illegally without government authorization.

The policies and exceptions of trophy hunting aren't effectively protected and monitored, causing a greater threat to arise for rhinos. For instance, trophy hunting for rhinos is supposed to only consist of male rhinos. However, there have been scenarios and occasions where rhino cows and even their calves were murdered.

In my opinion, I think trophy hunting must be banned in East Africa, especially for my particularly chosen animal, the rhinoceros. The reason for this is that though trophy hunting may be beneficial to the country’s economy, I don’t think it is worth to take the risk of losing another valuable species from this world as they are already under threat and are critically endangered. Moreover, I think East Africa should be more considerate and value rhinos since they are rarely found in other parts of the world but East Africa. Furthermore, I believe rhinoceroses could still provide financial support to East Africa because rhinos are basically only found in East Africa, so it can be a significant factor to engage and attract tourists to their country. Additionally, I also wanted to mention that even though Asian cultures believe rhino horns are a great cure. They are made up of the material keratin, which is the protein our nails have too, so in reality, consuming rhino horns is like eating your nails. To conclude, these are some reasons why I think trophy hunting should be banned in East Africa for rhinos.