Legalising rhino horn trade: Can conservation and commerce coexist?
They aim to protect an endangered species, but their method is causing controversy. Scientists want to legalise the trade in rhino horn to minimise poaching.
The illegal trade of powdered rhino horn reaches astronomical sums on the black market, and poaching of rhinos in Africa continues to rise despite concerted efforts to combat it.
While ecologists and animal rights activists are trying to determine how to halt this practice and help illegally killed animals effectively, a group of scientists has a somewhat controversial idea.
According to the Interia portal, by 2023, the number of rhinos threatened with extinction had been systematically decreasing. In just the first half of 2024, as many as 229 rhinos were killed in South Africa, and the total population of this species today is only about 70 animals.
The ban on the rhino horn trade has theoretically been in place for nearly 50 years (in effect since 1977), yet in Asian countries, powdered horn is still seen as a status symbol and is widely used in Chinese medicine.
In 2023, out of a population of about 20,000 white and 4,500 black rhinos in South Africa, over 1,200 were killed by poachers. Therefore, a group of scientists wants to legalise the sale of horns, claiming it would reduce the illegal activity of poaching rhinos and trading horns on the black market.
Rhino horns grow back like human nails, and proponents claim that removing them humanely and under anaesthesia would help protect the animals' lives. The funds obtained this way could support further protection of these rare creatures.
Martin Wikelski from the Max Planck Institute in Germany argues that legal trade would reduce revenue from international criminal groups and provide resources for rhino protection.
