Hammer and Tongs

Rhino poaching

Stop the Rhino poaching 

Rhino poaching continues unabated at a rate unprecedented in the history of nature conservation in South Africa.

Rhino mother with baby

Following our recent trip to the Pilanesberg, it was again brought to our attention just what is being shot or should I say executed for the simple reason of the removal of the horn to be ground down as an aphrodisiac.

Now I am of the rather Old Testament variety; of the go out and smite all and sundry perpetrators of the crime of rhino poaching.
I say shoot the poachers on sight and for the rhino that are untouched - Insert poison pellets into the horns so when ground up and ingested the expected lift  for the male members of the oriental persuasion will actually come in the form of a lack of will to    live .......   permanently - did I just advocate murder... definitely not, i'm just saying if you willingly choose to ingest an "illegal" substance then it is your choice as to the outcome.

Now lets look at the horn specifically to understand just how stupidly insensitive this activity is: the horn is comprised of keratin, the same protein that makes up hair and fingernails, does this mean if I chew my fingernails or my wife's hair I will be "enhanced" in the nether regions.... I don't think so!!!

Reports below are taken from the http://www.stoprhinopoaching.com to highlight the carnage:

20/11 Conserv reports 3 foot soldiers arrested today implicated in Vaalkop Dam incident. 
Will appear in Brits court tomorrow. Well done to all involved in the follow up operations!...

17/11 News of 7 rhino poached, 1 calf orphaned near Vaalkop Dam, North West...

07/11 Conserv reports white rhino cow shot, horns removed, calf shot, horns not removed, 
Mafikeng GR NW...


07/11 Rhino cow and calf darted and dehorned Shamwari, Eastern Cape. Calf has survived 
the attack...

06/11 Two rhinos poached Mauricedale...


04/11 Two Thai nationals suspected to be part of a rhino poaching syndicate arrested 
by SARS and the HAWKS at OR Tambo Airport. Well done guys!!...



04/11 Another 5 rhino down on private farm in the Amalia area, plus 3 known wounded...


01/11 Conserv reports white rhino found poached, Madikwe Game Reserve...afternoon 
follow-up: shot through heart and lungs, horns removed, carcass 3/4 days old, found 
approx 800m from Botswana border...


01/11 Conserv reports 1 rhino poached, horns intact, Amalia area NW....

30/10 Conserv reports 2 black rhino shot dead on Madikwe 2-3 days ago. Horns removed...


25/10 Last Javan rhino in Vietnam poached in April, with only 40-60 remaining in Indonesia...

24/10 Conserv reports: 2 white rhino poached yesterday, Sandveld, Free State...

19/10 Conserv reports 1 white rhino in boma near Vaalwter shot 3 x with a bow. Still alive...

10/10 Conserv reports 1 white rhino cow wounded, another shot/killed and horns removed. 
Carcass a week old, Kudoeskop area, Limpopo...

30/09 Groenewald case in court today, and a whopping 1 872 charges were served against them. 
Excellent work to the investigations team and prosecutors!...

28/09 23:40 Conserv confirms 1 rhino cow and calf shot, horns removed. Follow up in progress. 
Assen, North West...

28/09 Conserv reports: follow up on poaching in Rooiberg. 1 cow wounded, round removed and 
in stable condition...

19/10 Conserv reports black rhino bull shot Madikwe approx 5 days ago. Horns not removed...


17/10 Conserv reports 1 black rhino found poached, Madikwe. Shot, horns removed, 
carcass 3 weeks old...

01/10 Conserv reports 1 black rhino carcass found, 2 weeks old, Madikwe GR. Horns removed...

30/09 Conserv reports white rhino bull poached at approx 05h30 this morning, Madikwe. 
Horns neatly removed, eyes cut out...

26/09 4 White Rhinos poached in the Eastern Cape...

25/09 News of more rhino poached in KZN...

24/09 Conserv reports: Rhino Poaching latest stats. Sadly 396 rhinos down by 22 Sept. 
Another 6 down in Natal in the past 48hrs, 1 in North West. Total now 403...

31/08 2 men jailed for 29 years each for rhino poaching! An incredible sentence, well done all! ... 

21/08 Conserv reports 3 rhinos poached, horns removed on Pvt Game Farm NW. 2 shot 48hrs ago, 
1 shot 2 months ago...

12/08 Conserv update: The rhino that was dehorned alive has passed away. 2 calves found dead 
on Bora due to mothers being poached...

09/08 Conserv reports 7 rhino poached in North West. 5 in Bora, 1 Madikwe and 1 private. 
Private rhino darted, still alive...

19/06 Conserv reports White rhino cow and calf poached in the Vaalwater area last week. 
Cows horns removed with a chainsaw...on a positive note, 1 poacher was convicted of 2 counts
of poaching on Borakalalo, North West. 
He was sentenced to 10 years per incident. EXCELLENT NEWS!!! 

12/06 Conserv reports 5 suspected poachers arrested north of Brits last night, .375 rifle & 
Double Cab confiscated. WELL DONE GUYS!...

04/06 News: 7 people arrested and 12 horns seized in two stings in Gauteng last week. 


At this point I would like to suggest that the word be put out that outer Mongolian hair salons  or Amazonian Pygmy toenails are far better sources of the required ingredients for the required "lift" but this would only result in the unprecedented deaths of both outer Mongolian women and the demise of their hair salons and the possible slaughter of Amazonian pygmies.

But then again if we look at this logically the pre-mentioned Amazonian pygmies could however start a whole  new home industry with beauty parlors trimming toenails, grinding them up and giving the male members of the again pre-mentioned Oriental persuasion the required "lift" they so ardently seek.

I wrote up this entry and then debated whether to actually publish, until I read this entry on the http://www.stoprhinopoaching.com website.

Please be warned the link takes you to a page as they put it "a story containing extremely graphic and upsetting images"
http://www.stoprhinopoaching.com/rhinoproject5.aspx

Notes :

•  The picture at the top of this blog entry was taken from the website http://www.stoprhinopoaching.com which I do hope you take the time to visit.

• No insult was intended to either Outer Mongolians or Amazonian Pygmies, but was used only as a means to try to highlight the ludicrousness of the situation.

• No Amazonian pygmies or Outer Mongolian women or hair salon's were harmed during writing of this blog.