The Save the Rhino Campaign Documentary chronicles the work
of Earthtrust campaigners Keith and Suzie Chang Highley as they
traveled to Kenya, Namibia and South Africa to document dwindling
rhinoceros populations and rhino poaching activities, and then
return to Taiwan to film the sale of rhino horn in traditional
herbal medicine shops.
Rhino horn is believed by many Chinese to hold magical powers
of healing and strength and is used medicinally for its purported
antipyretic, or fever reducing effects. The trade in rhino horn
is illegal under CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species) regulations, as well as the wildlife laws of many of
the countries involved. Yet poaching and smuggling continue because
the trade is so lucrative; a kilo of rhino horn sells for up to
$60,000 in Taiwan -- far more than its weight in gold. This explains
why poaching continues despite the fact that rhino populations
in Africa are on the verge of collapse.
The problem is economic. If the demand for rhino horn can be curbed,
prices will fall and the money involved will no longer be worth
the risk of facing severe penalties for poaching. But demand for
the product cannot be curtailed without public education and changing
attitudes in consumer nations. To this end, a major Taiwanese
sports beverage manufacturer underwrote the cost of Earthtrust's
Chinese language educational video about Taiwan's complicity in
the rhino issue. This production has been distributed and broadcast
throughout Taiwan.
The urgency of the rhino's plight must be exposed on a global
level as well. Despite conservation efforts in Africa, rhino populations
continue to decline. International trade regulations must be strengthened
and enforced, and worldwide support for conservation efforts must
increase in order to support this trend.