By Meghan Frank
Rock Center
Just days after we aired “Last Stand,” a Rock Center story on the epidemic of illegal rhino poaching in South Africa, we received horrible news. Poachers had attacked three of the rhinos featured in our report.
Our Rock Center investigation that aired in February looked at the dramatic spike in rhino poaching in South Africa. The rise in illegal poaching stems from a growing demand for rhino horn in Asia, where the horn is believed to be a miracle cure.
On the night of March 2, poachers targeted several rhinos that belonged to Graeme Rushmere, the owner of Kariega Game Reserve in South Africa. Veterinarian Will Fowlds, who was also featured in our story, rushed to the scene to try to save the injured rhinos. Fowlds found one of the rhinos dead at the scene, but the two others were still alive, clinging to life. Poachers had shot the rhinos with tranquilizer darts, hacked through their skulls with a machete to get every inch of their horns and left them to bleed to death.
Fowlds and the Kariega team began working around the clock to try to save the two surviving rhinos, a female rhino named Thandi and a male named Themba. Fowlds cleaned their wounds, injected them with antibiotics and gave them medicine to try to ease their pain. For weeks Fowlds and the game reserve staff monitored and tended to the rhinos, but after surviving for nearly a month, Themba died from his injuries. Thandi is still alive.
The traumatic experience of trying to save these severely injured rhinos has been heartbreaking for Fowlds, but it’s also been a call to arms.
“I made a promise to a dead rhino, his name was Themba, that I would make every single day, all 24 days of suffering, count, that I would do everything in my ability to turn suffering into a pain-free future for other rhino,” Fowlds said.
Themba’s death is part of a scourge that’s threatening the rhinos in South Africa and the species as a whole. Already this year poachers have slaughtered more than 170 rhinos for their valuable horns.
Rhino horn has long been prescribed to cure fevers and colds in traditional Asian medicine, but demand in recent years has skyrocketed, and some experts believe this is due to a rumor circulating in Vietnam that rhino horn cures cancer. Scientists have found rhino horn’s medicinal value to be next to nonexistent, but demand continues to grow and the price of rhino horn rises with it. Gram for gram, rhino horn can be more valuable than gold or cocaine.
South Africa is trying every means possible to protect the species, but poachers are wiping out rhinos at a rate of more than one a day and conservationists fear the poaching will continue to rise. Already the killing this year is poised to outpace last year’s record death toll of 448 rhinos.
Fowlds says he is trying not to get thrown into a state of despair by the figures.
“The fear of where this is heading could quite easily paralyze us if we don't remain focused on that which we are able to do. In this war, being fought on so many sides, the most important thing is for each one of us to take care of our portion of the frontline,” Fowlds said.
At the moment, Will Fowld’s frontline is tending to the wounds of Thandi, who is still fighting against all odds to stay alive.
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This is easy to stop the world needs to pass a law making it a death sentence to have any amount of rhino horn and make the executions public.
THese Rhino parts are being sold as Medical treatments. To the Chinese idiots.
This is a very upsetting thing, however, it has been going on for many years now. It makes me wonder why something isn't being done about it. (thats effective) I've seen some great ideas on this post so far but here's mine. I believe if we were to start feeding these families they would not do this. I know we drop alot of food down to Africa but it's obviously not enough. Maybe start a program specifically for those who "hunt" for things to trade for food. I think that there must be a solution but apparently their government doesn't want to do to much about it. They certainly got enough on their plates to begin with I guess. Just my thought.
Living and working here in Vietnam at present and they are a better "ally" of the US right now than China. (See joint military exercises in Danang this week) I guarantee this cancer cure belief is shared by a small minority here. Certainly the US could diplomatically exert presurre to educate the public on the subject but there are bigger problems I'm afraid receiving their attention. Flooding the market with fake horn might not be a bad idea that someone suggested earlier. More constructive ideas would be better than the ranting by some very strange people here.
The fact is, all hunters are poachers for no human being is qualified, nor are they legally authorized to speak for nature and decide the fate of her creations.
A human being that feels they have a legal right to harm or kill any life form, is acting out of arrogance, they are not acting upon a true legal right.
The rules to human behavior should be simple but they are not.
If your actions or words take another life forms rights away, then there can be no justice.
i think the U.S. military should step in and protect these animals ,i dont want to explain to my grandchildren or great grandchildren what an elephant or a rino "was"!!!!!!!!
These ASIAN MORONS, Chinese, Japanese etc. STOP BUYING anything from these nations until they GET a Brain.
Plant, sharpshooters at these reserves, TO KILL anyone who even gets close to these animals. Then hang their stinking carcuses on poles at the entrance roads to these parks.
What is rhino horn a cure for? If they are still using it in Asia after all this time then it is a cure for NOTHING!!! They need to catch up with modern medicine and let the rhinos alone!
Asian men believe that it cures cancer and impotenece.
I would love to get a job there killing poachers.
I'd work for free!
Where's Waldo, You are right on the spot. This is the only thing these stone age thinkers will understand. Us trying to educate them is like trying to educate an amoeba. They will continue to do and believe what their "Witch Doctors" tell them. Get down to their way of thinking and maybe a dent , not just a figure of speech, will be made in their worthless brain chamber of a skull.
Why don't we start with stop buying products from Asia and buy made in the USA. We all empower them by making their economy stronger and ours weeker. When I was on facebook, everyone commented on themselves, me me me me me when I posted products I found made in the USA, nothing but silence. No matter what your politics, buying American products makes us stronger, our voice stronger in the world. Forget the excuse I can't find them, that is lazyness talking. allamericanclothing.com
uneducated, stupid Asians! and what do you do when you have killed off all the rhinos on the planet?? go after another endangered species and wipe that one out too. etc. etc.
As for the poachers, they should make the punishment so horrific, they would think twice.
outlaw capitalism,Seems that would be the only way to eliminate all our problems as our culture (supply takes advantage of our demand) is based on basicly killing everything including ourselves for profit?you can say something is sad but this is the sadness that created all the suffering.
Sad all around. Somehow the issue of preserving rhinos has to turn to ugly remarks about one another's race and blaming blacks, asians, et cetera. Generalizations and stereotypes exist for a reason, not saying whether it is right or wrong, but continuing to fuel the fire with racist comments perpetuates the stereotypes. Why do people automatically go to extreme measures to "solve" a dilemma? Education is of tremendous value and since we are all claiming to know more than the next guy, we should use it to do good. It's obvious a lot of you are passionate about your ideas/beliefs, let's use our passion to support wildlife conservation efforts and educate others RESPECTFULLY. What good is it doing the rhinos or any other endangered species for us name calling and putting one another down?
"Be the change you want to see in the world." ~ Mahatma Gandhi
one mans kindness is a flame that cannot be exstinguished.here is the flame of capitalism. If I was payed well, Ill go protect the rino. Although the minute I figure out killing them pays more. Im gonna start killin rinos. Immagin this, there are a lot of dalphins, who would oppreciate the enviroment we could afford to provide for them. provided we owned the off shore oil wells ,Rather than some rich guy worrying more about his own. What I wanna know is where this turned into a Gandhi thing? Why arrent we all as intelegent as Gandhi ?Its a culture thing and our culture is based on capitalism. talk about flames were all getting burnt.
the elephants and rhinos will be completely extinct within 5 years easily, if not before, and don't have time for some hopeless campaign to educate heartless Asians.
Stupid, small minded, idiotic, moronic little minds that are superstitious that also have money are the ones that believe in this garbage. The poachers need to be caught prosecuted, sent to jail and then be dehorned on their release!
I thought that Asians were intelligent. Thinking that rhino horn has special powers is about as stupid as you can get. Even if rhino horn is an aphrodisiac, the last thing the planet needs is more Asians. Americans should boycott Asian goods until this stupidity stops.
The animal species known as " Homo erectus " a.k.a. " Man " is quickly destroying the planet and everything on it and in it. And Homo erectus has and will have no one to blame for his own demise and the demise of every other animal, fish, fowl and mammal species on earth, except his selfish, greedy self .
I would like to see some outside agency patrol these rhinos and just shoot the poachers. What a disaster to this species. Why doesn't someone who has a lot of money to invest save these beautiful animals. I never heard of any animal's horn that was magic except the Unicorn's. Ignorance is hard to overcome let alone correct. Stupid is as stupid goes and so goes the rhinos. How about a bounty for these poachers, then let's see if the villagers get busy! How much longer can South Africa condone this practice?
Snipers to get poachers would be great. Also to get anyone, anywhere the stuff is sold.
This is worse than drug traffiking!! Animals don't get a chance to shoot back, nor do the bulls in a bullfight.
But Spain tried for decency and humane bahaviour enough to change or end bullfighting. The Asians have no wish to be decent or humane.
shoot the poachers and the use a Machete on them, see how they feel after that.
Oh wait they have no good parts that anyone needs. Or throw them in a cage with a Rhino that has just been injured by a poacher, see who comes out alive.
This world as we know it is close to an apocolypse due to man's greed to kill the planet. Everything leads to money and the need to exploit every resource, whether for good or bad until someday it will be gone completely. This is beyond horrific! Maybe they should cut off the arms, nose, feet, etc. of all these so called "doctors" who have these horrors committed. There may be a cure for who knows what in "their" body parts!
Maybe NBC should just stick with doctoring 911 calls. They seem to be pretty good with that. I wouldn't be surprised that Mr Williams report led these idiots straight to those animals.
Poaching is running out of hand all over the world, in the U.S., Calif. Fish and Wildlife has their hands full with a major Poaching for drugs problem, and a lot is for feeding drug dealers operations, Asian groups here in the U.S. have had their "rings" caught running Illegal Gill Nets and taking everything they catch and selling it to Asian restaurants for sushi. Mexican Drug Cartels are growing their plants in areas of the U.S. and poaching at the same time.
...and even our own Americans including celebrities are guilty of poaching. Our Wildlife in the World is our Greatest Natural Resource and yet we have many who place no value on Wildlife and only see $$$$$$ signs and they get a thrill from watching something die.
Sick world we live in. All over.
We can't catch them all but we do our best. These are God's creatures, and many will never get caught but one day they all will stand before the man and there will be no excuses or lies.
Here's the answer. Many hunters like to hunt in Africa. Why not organize hunting safari's to hunt the poachers. I thinkl it would be reasonable to give them a financial incentive as well. A true win, win situation.
It is time all poaching, hunting and trapping was stopped. None of it is truly legal.
It is all barbaric. All acts of animal abuse and murder should be treated the same as all acts of human abuse and murder. There is no difference. All life is equal.
“Of pain you could wish only one thing: that it should stop. Nothing in the world was so bad as physical pain. In the face of pain there are no heroes. Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play. It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard of all rules and sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence.”....George Orwell
I think ABC Rock Center/Brian Williams should Expose Which companies in Asia are purchasing Rhino Horn so we can stop them. Moreover, of those companies Which Ones are Shipping products that include Rhino horn and/or other endangered species as part of the ingredients to the United States and Canada !