Local South African people remove horns to protect rhinos
February 27, 2012
Poachers have been targeting South Africa's rhino populations for their ivory horns, and recent increases in killings are threatening the species. To dissuade these illegal hunters from depleting the rhino population, a few conservationists in Hoedspruit, South Africa, are preemptively removing the horns of these wild beasts, according to a recent report by MSNBC's Rock Center.
Local rhino owners and concerned citizens came together to form the Rhino Revolution last year. The group tranquilizes rhinos before safely removing their horns, and over time the horns do grow back.
"I'd hate us to be the future community that would have to apologize to the world for having lost such an important species to mankind as rhino," Trevor Jordan, who founded Rhino Revolution, told the news source.
The anti-poaching strategy is a controversial one, as many believe it could further the illegal horn trade. Independent Online reports that it is also unknown if removing a rhino's horn affects its behaviors.
Those who are interested in the issue and want to discuss it with their friends can use international calling cards to make calls to South Africa.