The World Is Losing A 'Wildlife War' In Africa

Even as the northern white rhino seems to be threatened, with just five of them left on earth---three in Kenya, one in America, and one in the Czech Republic---the subspecies is on the brink of extinction. It has managed to pull through millions of years, but it might not be able to live through this era, according to theguardian.

Other subspecies of the 28,500 rhinos in the world are also threatened by the illegal wildlife trade. While it is worth up to £12 billion a year, the current rhino population threat is now part of the racketing in drugs, arms and human trafficking.

Even two years ago, reports showed that South Africa is on track to lose 900 to 1,000 rhinos to poachers in 2013, "smashing last year's macabre record of 668.

The biggest "wildlife war" in Africa is showing animals being lost in an "industrial scale" to meet the demand for horn and ivory in various Asian countries.

The main stakes are the funds involved. According to reports from theconversation, "the budget of African enforcement and conservation organisations is dwarfed by the money that international criminal organisations command. One kilogramme of rhino horn is estimated to be worth US$65,000. That is more expensive than the equivalent weight of gold or cocaine. With an adult white rhinoceros averaging a mass of six kilogrammes across its two horns, the horn of a single rhino can represent a staggering US$390,000 to the seller."

This week, at a conference in Kasane, Botswana, politicians and environmentalists are expected to meet and discuss the follow-up to last year's London conference on the crisis, which was hosted by the UK government, along with Princes Charles, William and Harry.

There were 46 signatory countries in the "London declaration" that had promised to eradicate corruption, and impose strict laws against poachers, as well as draw in more law enforcement officers. William Hague, the foreign secretary had said: "I believe today we have begun to turn the tide."

However, even after a year, many of the promises have been found to be short of having been kept. A celebrity-led drive to spread awareness in China and Vietnam, a record 1,215 rhinos were found killed last year in South Africa, while 20% more were documented killed over 2013. In these countries, horn is considered a precious ingredient in traditional medicine, or taken as an issue of prestige.

At least 220 chimpanzees, 106 orang-utans, 33 bonobos and 15 gorillas have been lost from the wild in the last 14 months, according to estimates by the Great Apes Survival Partnership. About 20,000 elephants were poached every year, from 2011 to 2013, according to the UN. Countries such as Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have retaliated with some success.

 "The numbers are still going up and they don't make us any happier," said Dr Patrick Bergin, chief executive of the African Wildlife Foundation. "The most concrete number is rhinos in South Africa. While that number is still going in the wrong direction, I don't think we can say we've turned the corner."

Even after the London conference, there has been very little arrest, prosecution or conviction of offenders. Bergin revealed that in a recent meeting for progress, "the glaring silence in the room was the lack of successful prosecutions".

He continued: "We don't see people going to jail. It's easy to say we're putting more dogs at airports or doing more training, but the international community is only going to get serious about this when we see people going to jail. We need to see a preponderance of prosecutions and sentences handed down that sends a message to the traffickers that it's not worth the risk."

Traffic, the wildlife trade monitoring network agrees with his concern. Tom Milliken, its rhino programme coordinator, said: "In all of this, the judiciary in many countries is lagging behind the times. A white South African who was reportedly a major player in the trade and his cohorts were arrested, but got out on bail. Organised crime can have the best legal guns in the country and those involved in rhino crime are heavily lawyered up."