World Rhino Day around the corner
Anti-poaching initiatives must be strengthened
September 22nd is World Rhino Day and the Rhino Momma Project is commemorating the special day by asking schools, businesses, and anyone who wants to advocate for rhinos to wear a grey rhino anti-poaching t-shirt, or a green, camouflage, or khaki anti-poaching t-shirt and if possible make a donation for organisational work.Photos of all participants can be sent to the project, which will then be placed on their social media as a rhino supporter.
Due to the dramatic increase in poaching, it has become apparent that anti-poaching strategies need to be strengthened, a costly but essential undertaking. “That’s why on World Rhino Day, we make it our mission to raise funds to continue stepping up anti-poaching efforts to keep our rhinos safe and raise awareness of the animals’ plight,” the project's spokesperson said.
The project is a non-profit organisation founded in 2011 with the aim of saving the rhino from extinction. “We do this through a holistic approach of conservation education, anti-poaching strategies and most importantly, rhino reintroduction both in Namibia and in Africa in general.”
Donations can be made in Windhoek or sent by EFT. For more information contact [email protected].
CITES
In other news, the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has said that the Namibian white rhino population does not meet the biological criteria for Appendix I listing.
The preliminary analysis comes after Namibia recently proposed delisting its white rhino population to facilitate trade in live animals for in situ conservation and trophy hunting.
This is just one of the suggestions that will be heard at this year's World Conservation Conference, which will discuss tougher trade rules for nearly 600 species of animals and plants threatened with extinction by international trade. The proposals were submitted by the Cites Parties and will be considered at the Conference of the Parties (COP-19) to be held in Panama on 14-25 November.
Essentially, the Namibian government wants to downgrade the white rhino population from CITES Appendix I to Appendix II. Appendix I contains a list of species that are threatened with extinction, while Appendix II is a list of species with less stringent protections.