Legalizing the Trade in Rhino Horn Powder

You can find a meaningful discussion regarding legalizing the trade in rhino horn here.  The South African Supreme Court’s decision to allow rhino horn powder sale within South Africa is a major leak in the dam that could be followed by a proposal by South Africa to legalize the international trade of rhino horn.

On the supply side, we are concerned that occasional, one-off sales of elephant ivory have not reduced poaching for ivory. We would like to see more detail on how a trade in rhino horn will be regulated and how the proponents would ensure that income generated goes back into rhino conservation efforts. Other pre-conditions include getting a better grip on the abuse and corruption that are contributing to the present high levels of illegal trade, auditing horn stockpiles and increasing the database of horn DNA samples, so that – if trade is approved – legal horns can be distinguished from illegal horns. Without stringent monitoring, there are risks that a legal trade could serve as a route for the illicit tracking of rhino horns.

On the demand side, South Africa (if it is to propose a legal trade at the next CITES CoP in 2016) still needs to establish a credible trading partner. Neither Vietnam nor China nor any other country has yet come forward. Being a credible trading partner will entail a much higher level of law enforcement and political will to combat the illegal trade in rhino horn than has been evidenced so far. Who knows how rising affluence in other Asian countries will affect the demand for rhino horn? And who knows how many more Vietnamese or Chinese will want to buy rhino horn once the stigma of buying illegal products is removed

Unfortunately, legalizing the trade of rhino horn powder has life or death ramification.  Believing that the powdered equivalent of a fingernail can cure cancer results in the deferral of treatment for patients that could actually be saved by real medical intervention. Here's a powerful testimony about the human impact of phony cures.

Prof. Nguyen Ba Duc – Deputy President of the Vietnam Oncology Association and Deputy President of the Bright Future Fund, says: “With all the technological advancement, right now there are many effective treatment options, providing opportunities to cure patients of cancer. Rhino horns have absolutely no ability to treat this disease.”

There is a huge moral dimension to perpetuating the mythology of the curative power of rhino horn powder.