Mr. Ezekiel Maige, the Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism said that the rhinos have turned out to be more at risk of being poached than any other kind of animal in the parks and this is so because of the increasing demand for the rhino’s horns. He added that there is a very high price for the rhino’s horn in the modern-day market and I every kilogram is sold at about USD 5000 and yet just one rhinoceros horn can weigh about 4 kilograms.
Mr. Maige was speaking just after the international roundtable discussion that was held in Dar es Salaam last Thursday aimed at paving ways of preventing illegal trade among the endanger groups. He together with Dr Ewa Bjorling who is a visitor from Swedish Minister for Trade and he stated that in 1965, there were rhinos found in about 20 African countries but at the moment they can be found in just four countries and Tanzania is among them. He also said that the meeting brought together main players in the fight against illegal hunting and this is a strategy to manage to avoid illegal trade in endangered group.
The major aim for the meeting was to improve joint venture relationship and work out the national legislation and international treaties as well as endorse global, regional and local events in an effort to stop illegal trade of these animals. Maige noted that in the year 2011, South Africa which has got the largest number of rhinos in the whole of Africa had lost about 448rhinos to poaching. Therefore, Tanzania has got to tighten its security given the fact that South African can lose such number of rhinos and ye it is one of the countries in Africa with the best security system and hence a cause for alarm so he said.
Dr Bjorling said she was happy about the steps taken by the government to erase the vice and be able to protect all the endangered wild animals. People with the cancer illness believe that the rhino horns help in the curing of the disease which is why the demand keeps increasing every now and then and yet this not true at all.
GORILLA SAFARI NEWS
