Question 1:Â Should rhino horn be legalized?
Yes:Â Â 12%
No:Â Â Â 78%
Unsure:Â 10%
Question 2:Â Should rhinos be farmed for their horn?
Yes:Â 15%
No:Â 73%
Unsure:Â 12%
Who responded: Ninety-one (43%) respondents were from North America, 47 respondents (22%) were from Africa, 32 people (14%) from ‘other', 29 (14%) from Europe, 6 (2%) from Asia, and 2 (.09%) from South America. Eighty-eight of the respondents were females and 116 were males (and 3 didn't want to share that information). The majority of the respondents were between the ages of 40 and 70.
Some of the comments we received:
“Good to see that this very complex and emotional subject is now being opened to serious debate and scrutiny." 60-69 year old male, Africa
“Butchering these animals should carry the highest punishment. Instead of farming the Rhino like a common cow these so called people should invest in bringing back the Rhino from the edge. Any companies linked to such killings for profit should be exposed & massive fines issued to them." 50-59 year old male, Europe
“I think if farming is legalized, a portion of proceeds must go back to poaching protection and conservation of wild rhinos." 22-29 year old female, North America
“Farming could be considered once the species is no longer endangered. Inevitably illegal trade will hide within legal farming fronts. No doubt "wild" horn will be regarded as more potent than "farmed" horn, and will still be more valuable." 50-59 year old female. Africa.
“If the Asian psyche is consuming the horn of a wild rhino, similar to their belief that a wild tiger has "greater powers" than a farmed tiger, farmed rhino will absolutely not solve the problem of poaching! Good enforcement coupled with elimination of corruption, if at all possible, might allow sustainable harvest of a few wild rhinos. Maybe Asia, with their new found wealth could actually embark on a conservation model that allows them to sustainably harvest a few animals, and help pay for conservation." 50-59 year old female living in North America
“Legalizing rhino horn trade will only create an additional avenue for those already trading illegally. Organized criminals are often diversified, operating legal business interests also. For them it will only add another structure they can exploit." 36-40 year old male, Africa
“Trade in rhino horn should be legalized in such a way that the proceeds will benefit conservation. The production of rhino horn should only be allowed within the natural range of the rhinos and preference should be given to free rhinos rather than farmed rhinos. Farmed rhinos should only be allowed if it can ease poaching pressure on free rhinos." 41-49 year old male, Africa
“I believe the legalization of trade in rhino horn would cause an upsurge in poaching to meet demand and give poachers a "legal" avenue to dispose of their horn. Do we really want to see rhinos farmed for horn, kept in cramped depressing conditions with no quality of life?" 36-40 year old male, Europe
“I believe that making any form of Rhino horn legal for sale would endanger the lives of wild Rhinos because it would strengthen the misconception that rhino horn has any special powers." 50-59 year old female, North America
“Rhino horn has no medicinal value therefore unethical to promote trade at great risk to rhino populations. Too little is known about market and drivers. Poaching is linked to international crime syndicates and other illegal wildlife trade and products. South African industry is involved in poaching and is driving market as well…conservation efforts should go towards conserving rhino in situ with accompanying habitat. The canned lion industry is horrific, tiger farming is appalling - do we want to add rhino farming to this? Definitely not." 41-49 year old male, Africa
“We need to fund efforts to establish a conservation ethic in China and Vietnam. Yes, focus on enforcement, but also focus on the demand side." 60-69 year old female, North America
“It is very important for all state holding rhinos…work together and produce quality data for wild rhinos to the best conservation and management of rhinos. Community involvement is important especially if they benefit from rhino as natural resource. They will definitely contribute to save it." 41-49 year old female, Africa
Thank you to all of you who responded to the survey. We will post the full results online soon.
Stay tuned for more rhino news. And, don't forget September 22nd is World Rhino Day!
