Can You Save Rhinos By Selling Their Horns?
Aug. 24, 2017 - John Hume, owner of the world's largest rhino breeding farm, is auctioning off some of their horns from his more than six-ton stockpile. The auction follows South Africa's recent legalization of rhino horn sales. On Hume's farm, workers regularly trim the rhinos' horns to ward off poachers who seek to sell the valuable material to Asian markets. Rhinos can survive without their horns, which grow back. Hume argues that the auction will reduce poaching, while many conservationists say that legal sales of rhino horn will increase demand. READ:
It's Now Legal to Sell Rhino Horn in South Africa. The World's Top Breeder Makes His Move.
South Africa is home to most of the world's rhinos.
A significant fraction of them live on a single farm in the country.
Owner John Hume keeps the animals under armed guard
and has their horns cut regularly to sell them and ward off rhino poachers.
Like rhinos in the wild, Hume's herd faces a serious threat of poaching.
Some people in Vietnam and China believe that horns are a cure-all, a claim not supported by scientific evidence.
Rhino horn is more valuable than gold.
Hume thinks a legal trade in rhino horn will reduce poaching.
It's now legal to sell rhino horn in South Africa, but a global ban remains in place.
Critics claim that legal sales could increase demand for rhino horn, giving new incentive to poachers.
