Vietnam aiming to deflate rhino horn myth
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A long-term public awareness campaign aimed at reducing demand for rhinoceros horn among Vietnamese was launched on Tuesday.
The campaign will work with women’s groups, business leaders, students and traditional and Western medicine practitioners to inform Vietnamese that the horn is not an aphrodisiac or a cure for cancer.
More than 580 rhinos have died at the hands of poachers in South Africa this year, home to the world’s largest population of the animal. Many of the horns end up in East Asia, particularly China and Vietnam. Vietnam’s last rhinoceros was killed by poachers two years ago.
Studies have shown that the horn has no medical properties and is composed of keratin, the same material as hair and nails, said William Fowlds, a South African wildlife veterinarian who has treated the appalling wounds of rhinos whose horns have been hacked from their heads.
Furthermore, in attempts to thwart poaching, some rhino horn has been treated with chemicals harmful to human health, he added.
Demand for rhino horn in Vietnam has already declined thanks to government’s efforts in raising public awareness and preventing smuggling operations, said Do Quang Tung, the Vietnam director of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
As a result, the price of a gram of horn has dropped from US$5,700 in 2010 to $2,800.
Deputy General Director of Vietnam’s Forestry Administration Vo Dai Hai said that after belonging to CITES for 20 years, Vietnam had followed its international commitments with a comprehensive legal system on preserving, managing and controlling wildlife trade. He said there was also a punishment mechanism.
He claimed that Vietnam had discovered and seized a large number of endangered species being smuggled in from other continents. For example, it had so far seized 25 tonnes of elephant tusks and discovered nearly 20 cases of rhino horn smuggling.
Since 2008, Vietnam customs have seized 121.5 kilos of smuggled rhino horn.
Vietnam has worked with South Africa to deal with rhino horn poaching. governments of the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding on increasing cooperation in biodiversity protection and conservation in Ha Noi in December last year.
The two sides signed an action plan to implement this memorandum recently, focusing on fighting against smuggling of rhino products, Hai said.
However, a representative from the Vietnam Customs General Department said Vietnam faced challenges in preventing rhino horn smuggling because of the differences in the laws of the two countries.
Teresa Telecky, director of the Wildlife Department of the animal-welfare organisation Humane Society International said reducing demand for the horn in Viet Nam would cut off a marketplace for criminal networks.
