To: John Varty
You obviously supports the legal sale of Rhino horn and elephant ivory much to my surprise. I have to strongly disagree with you. There is not and never will be enough rhino horn and elephant ivory to satisfy the market for these products. One-off sales have not worked in the past to stop the poaching. They only feed the desire for more of the product. The huge influx of Chinese workers into Africa have been instrumental in the increase of poaching. The growing middle class in China has increased the markets for ivory and rhino horn.
The only way to stop the poaching is to educate the Asian people. I watched a documentary just recently where many Chinese were interviewed and asked if they knew that elephants are being killed to get the ivory the people are buying. Most of them said they didn’t realize that and appeared shocked. The world has to put pressure on the Asian governments – mainly China – to find a way to stop the desire for these products through mass education on TV, in schools etc. plus serious punishment for those who are caught importing the product.
What good will your plan do when they have sold all the horn, ivory and skins in the inventory? The poachers will go out and get more because now the market has been stimulated even more so they have many more buyers.
Advertising is a powerful tool. Public service announcements and education worked in the U.S. to stop littering in the 60’s and substantially reduced drunk driving. The same mass programs could work to stop the Asians from buying horns and ivory.
I am an admirer of the work you do in Africa but I believe you are wrong to promote one-off sales of ivory and horn.
Regards
Judy Merrick
USA
Hi John. I assume that this is tongue in cheek. I cannot believe that you would be for the legalization of the rhino horn trade. We have both been in the wild life industry all our lives and have followed the trends. Encouraging trade in wild life products with the East has never had any effect other than to feed their insatiable demand thus exponentially increasing the promotion of the illegal trades. Cheers Mike Gunn.
How sad that Mr Varty chooses this option for our wildlife knowing full well that the once off sale of Ivory to Japan and China has fuelled this Elephant poaching crises that we have today. Tragic that this is what he wants for our rhino. Trade will not stop poaching or illegal horns, proper protection and a willing Government will. Instead of opting for true conservation Mr Varty has opted for human greed.
How regretable.
Bet Regards
Melissa Weavind
Hi JV
I’ve enjoyed your antics (BTW: I say ‘antics’ in the nicest possible way) for a good number of years starting with the stuff you made with Elmon in the early years. The letter you penned to John Hume, posted widely on FB, leaves me a little puzzled. Controversy for the sake of controversy is fine but we live with the consequences. I suppose more correctly our children live with the dreck we leave behind. Are you really of the opinion that rhino horn sales be made legal? If so why?
Regards
Mark Kirk
Hi JV
I disagree with this strategy.
Whilst the sale of an already procured resource, accessed either by de-horning or the confiscation of poached items, may seem attractive and logical due to its value, that value is derived and supported by demand, a demand which will be further encouraged by this sale.
This is one of the most disappointing aspects of funding the protection of wild species, that the most valuable resource driving extinction can and should not be used to support conservation measures.
I agree that we need to develop large funds to support conservation efforts in all areas of the world and for all endangered species and habitat; some of the more endangered have little intrinsic value available to drive support efforts and perhaps it is here where the fundraising strategy which I hope to discuss with you soon could be most effective.
Unfortunately many in this world see nothing of value unless it can produce a profit. Wouldn’t it be great to turn this around in favour of natural resource management rather than bank balance management.
I hope we can talk soon
Steven Thompson
Australia
Hello friends,
Thank you to the above for carefully thought out emails.
When the National Parks had the auctions of ivory in the 80s, the Kruger National Park had 7000 elephants. The Sabi Sand Game Reserve, where Londolozi is situated, had 5 elephants. Today the Kruger National Park has 13 000 elephants and Sabi Sand can have as many as 1000 elephants in the dry season.
This seems pretty successful to me, especially as elephants are beginning to colonize the Transfrontier park into Mozambique.
So kindly tell me where the sale of ivory at auctions has fuelled the poaching of elephants in South Africa? The above example suggests the opposite.
In the 60's, the Sabi Sand owners introduced White rhino, purchased from Natal Parks.
For 50 years we have protected, conserved, bred and paid for our rhino, which is now a sizeable population. Over the years, rhino have died of old age, being killed in fights and died from disease. The horns of these rhinos have been collected and stored in safe places away from the Sabi Sand. The horns have no value, because under the present law private individuals cannot trade legally in horn.
By 2010 sizeable, sophisticated syndicates of rhino poachers were operating successfully in South Africa.
South Africa is the stronghold of the White rhino, with a total of 18 000, 25% being held and conserved by the private enterprise (South Africa has donated Black and White rhino to Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Malawi amongst others over the last 20 years).
By 2011 the poaching syndicates had identified the soft targets and 448 were poached in that year (2007 - 12; 2008 - 83; 2009 - 122; 2010 - 333)
The trend continued into 2012 and 10 have been killed this year (end of September; 4 rhinos were killed at Lalibela yesterday).
So how do we protect our rhinos that we have bred up for 50 years?
We protect them by becoming a hard target. You get a reputation amongst poachers that you will be killed if you try to poach rhino in our area. In order to be a hard target, you have to employ a small army of highly trained well-armed men 24/7.
To back up the ground crew, you need air power. A Robinson 44 helicopter flies at R2 600 per hour and fuel is increasing every 6 months.
You need a radio communication network and you need to be able to pay for information. When you do make arrests you have to hire skilled legal people to make the charges stick. The poaching syndicates are well represented legally and many are slipping away on technicalities.
As stated in a previous newsletter, the Government has done little or nothing to help the private enterprise combat the rhino poaching.
So how do you finance this war against the sophisticated syndicates? You finance it with money, lots of money! Where does the money come from? It comes from the rhino horn stocks that have been lying in vaults for many years. (some 20 tonnes of rhino horn are presently in stock piles)
I was in the rhino conservation business long before I was in the tiger conservation business. I and Sabi Sand owners invested in rhinos in the 60s. I and the owners of the Sabi Sand have paid to conserve and breed those rhinos for over 50 years. I and the owners of the Sabi Sand must now pay for the army to fight the syndicates (no Government assistance).
The success of the rhino will be won by those who have the ability to protect it on the ground and those who can enforce the big jail sentences in the courts.
Therefore, those who paid and invested in rhinos have every right to trade in the rhino horn that has been collected for over 50 years.
The inability to finance the army against the syndicates may well mean we lose the battle on the ground. This is not an agenda that I am contemplating. I intend to win and win big, to crush the syndicates and help move the South African rhino population forward to 36 000 in my lifetime.
If people like John Hume, and others will help me, I will go all the way to the Supreme Court of South Africa for my right to legally trade the rhino horn to further the aims of rhino conservation in South Africa.
Tread lightly on the earth.
JV
28 comments:
Kamberg, 28 September 2012
Dear JV
I agree totally with what your point of view is by selling the rhino horn in private stocks. If people can find another way to privately fund the helicopter and the army, could they make suggestions, as at the moment the amount of rhinos being killed is just ridiculous.
Thanks for spear heading this extremely critical cause.
Astley Knight
PS ‘SAVE THE RHINO, CAN THE POACHERS’!!!!
I truly now do believe you DON'T really care about animals. You care about your own selfish interests. It is all about you not about the animals. There will never be enough for China.
Jenny Forrest
Hi JV,
Hope you are feeling stronger and mending well.
You have always done while others talk, they tend to have a variable type of apathetic reasoning to cover there inability to do.
I question too most of these anti poaching funds, promotions - where does the money go and how is it distributed, the increase in numbers
reflects that these drives are not making any difference.
Corruption and greed is spread far and wide with total disrespect for our wildlife at all levels.
The stats say it all - a different route is required to do something meaningful.
I watch with interest, good luck I hope you and John Hume make it happen.
Regards,
Greg. Kietzmann.
Hi JV,
Thanks for your newsletters which are usually very interesting to read.
If, as this person mention, Chinese don't know about the impact of the
demand for such products on the wildlife, couldn't we imagine the
development of a chemical molecule that could provide the same (non)
effects that the real horns ? I suppose that a good lab could synthetize
this kind of product quite easily...
Keep well.
Bruno
Had I feeling you would not reply to me. As much as you will stand with John Hume I will stand with the right people on the other side. Since the days of Rick Lomba, when I first met you, always saw your movies, right from the first one you did and previewed at the Indaba Hotel, as what they are, all about you and the wildlife the props you use to sell yourself. All fine many have done it, i.e Mad MIke and Mark. Never thought you could be so short sighted as to have not learnt from the lessons of the past in terms of encouraging the Asian market. Cheers Mike Gunn.
Dear JV,
It never ceases to amaze me how those against the Rhino trade almost always start off with a false assumption: “any trade in rhino horn will fuel the demand”. Unlike the vices of our time, drugs, alcohol and tobacco, rhino horn is not addictive, and by all accounts, does not even have the medicinal properties that are claimed of it. So why should some supply cause a greater demand? It makes no sense.
Anyone with a knowledge of economics will know the very strict inverse correlation between supply and price. Given the same demand, high supply will mean low prices, and low supply will mean high prices. The current insanely high black-market price for rhino horn is a direct result of restricting the supply. With sky-high prices poaching is sure to follow.
Demand for Rhino horn in the East is driven by a centuries-old belief in its medicinal properties. Anyone who thinks the believers can be ‘educated’ out of those beliefs should consider the possibilities of ‘educating’ Europe and America out of believing in horoscopes and homeopathy. And then try educating indigenous Africans away from Sangomas and N’angas. Possible? Not likely. And by the time you try, the rhino will most certainly be extinct.
The other often-quoted misconception is that legal trade “could never supply the demand.”
Firstly, we have almost no knowledge of what the demand really is. As there is almost no supply into the market, it therefore has ‘mythical’ properties. Once you actually started meeting the demand, is it not probable that the ‘mythical’ status would fall away, revealing rhino horn for what it is – overpriced hair/nail?
Secondly, given a lead-up time to increase the herd, very significant amounts of horn could be produced by free-ranging ranched animals. These animals could be a huge financial benefit to the rural populations of Africa, as they are potentially more profitable than cattle farming. They are also indigenous, require almost no chemicals, and are therefore more eco-friendly than most forms of animal husbandry.
People’s reactions to farming rhino for horn are almost always driven by emotion. Shock! Horror! “It’s cruel!”. The world needs to learn to make decisions based on understanding and logic, not emotion. Rhino farming is less cruel than almost any other type of animal husbandry, and is probably the last hope for the white rhino.
40 years of traditional conservation has driven the rhino to the brink of extinction. Now is our last chance to try another option.
Regards,
Gary Hume
Hi JV
I trust you are well. I have tried calling quite a few times, especially after your accident, but haven't managed to get through
Thank you for your newsletter, I read them with great interest.
I would like to add my 2c worth to this debate.
For a long time I have been sitting on the fence with regards to the sale of rhino horn: I understand powerful arguments from both sides.
I respect you greatly as a friend, conservationist and pioneer, but must disagree on a couple of points.
In response to: So kindly tell me where the sale of ivory at auctions has fuelled the poaching of elephants in South Africa?
The sale of ivory has not fuelled the poaching of rhinos in South Africa. That I agree with. Not yet..but our time is coming.
It fuelled the poaching of elephant everywhere else, where the security is not the same as in SA: just like with the rhinos...even though SA has for most of recent history been the stronghold of the rhino, we were the last country to receive the focus of the poaching.
How many elephants were killed in Africa last year? Very few people know about this....... 38 000!
I see and agree with so much of the debate FOR the sale of rhino (bar my total disgust at giving into the evils behind it) BUT for me there is one big hole.
We do not know the market.
Legalize the sale of rhino horn and you legalise the market. And then you legalise marketing. Research shows most people in the East do not use or even know of the use of rhino horn. Imagine now suddenly we allow advertising to the populations of China and Vietnam. Massive billboards in their cities. TV commercials with famous Chinese actors grinding and ingesting the powder, endorsing it. Once that ball has started rolling it will be too late to reverse.
I believe frmly in focussing our attention on high profile delegates from the East: and this is where I believe someone like you or Dave with your spheres of influence can come in. It is said that the whole of China is governed by 10 men. Is it that impossible for us to get a few ministers from China and Vietnam out for a three day safari? Put them with the right guide, show them some live rhinos, show them the beauty of these creatures, and then tell them the story that they probably don't even know about?
I don't believe the helicopters and weapons and ground crew will bring this to a halt: and even if it did be sure that it would spell the end for all rhinos elsewhere.
I find myself wondering about a world where it is too much to ask our president to address his counterparts in China and Vietnam and ask for their help, while we spend millions fighting this war.
We need to find heroes. And we need them in the East.
In the meantime I will personally try to find a way to Mr. Zuma to implore his help.
I hope we can catch up soon
James
Hi JV
I read your first email in total horror and for it to come from all people, you had be a little shocked
However I have given this a lot of thought, read all the comments and now your latest reply
The U.S.A government use drug money to fund their drug wars, like you say we need a lot of money to out man and have use of the state of the art equipment which does not come cheap. Let the word get out if you are caught you are either shot or sent to prison for a very long time
So yes I will stick my neck out and say I support your decision, no Rhinos were killed for the stock pile of horn and let these horns save the one's living from a gruesome painful death
Amanda Ruddy
Hi JV,
Please understand Sir I like you and respect you, but we do not completely agree on this one. Since you want to know where you have it wrong I think I can help. While I agree that South Africa has had great Success, so many other countries have had the numbers plummet for Elephants and Rhinos.Asia included with Africa. Some don't have anymore. This is also indisputable brother. True armed guards on the ground and Air power help. Some places are not so armed in protecting these great animals. I get that, but your theory is not so clear cut.
One off sales do help feed demand and keep businesses involved in this trade in Asia, going. How often can you have one off sales? I doubt the same money overall can be made from that as straight up illegal trade. When your Rhinos and Elephants are the only ones left, you think the value won't be so high that those who pay poachers, won't arm them as well or better.
Mass education does need to take place in Asia. That has to happen as well as in Africa and the middle east, and Europe and America, etc otherwise armed people will only do so much. Even idiots outside of Asia take part in buying these things products made from the slaughter of magnificent creatures.
Let me give you a different analogy to help you understand where I am coming from brother.
In America drugs are illegal. Organized crime is illegal. Human smuggling of people to immigrate illegally is also against the rules. Our police, and federal law enforcement agencies are very well armed. Among the best armed in the world. We have always had harsh sentences. Building prisons is a big business in the United States. We also have the most legally well-armed citizenry in the world. That slows crime, but doens't stop it. We have many fools that murder each other, even people who once seemed normal then went nuts on the rest of us. You agree I am sure that so far I am giving you indisputable facts. We now even have a government that is using unmanned drones in the fight against crime despite the concerns of basic human and civil rights leaders
Our Military is even involved in some law enforcement for border defense because of human smugglers I think our immigration policy should be easier to become American, but the cartels would never stop and just find something else) , drugs, and gang activity etc.
We have millions of young people, especially men in jail all over the country. America has one of the highest percentages of its population in prison. Law enforcement uses deadly force if it has to and they do everyday, our criminals kill each other by the thousands every month, but millions of people continue to join the ranks of gangs, organized drug cartels, deal drugs, human smuggling, etc. They are not deterred. If a person is desperate enough, poor enough for long enough, they don't value their own life or anyone else' s. I have relatives in law enforcement. They've seen it all. It won't stop. The poverty abroad is even worse than America. If all of our guns and prisons won't stop those horrors what makes you think there won't be people who say I'll risk it, even when yours are the last. The Cartels on the US border are often better armed than our border patrol agents and police.
By the way Since Tigers and even now leopards in Asia are nearly wiped out, how much longer will it be before the African lions and leopards (who I understand are already being replaced for tiger bone) before they take the full brunt of it? After that it will be the Jaguar and the Mountain Lion. My country is proof , Force is not always enough, education is also needed as well as economic incentive. An extremely high percentage of people who go into crime come from impoverished situations.
You think all the armed guards for your parks will turn down money to look the other way or not even help in the poaching if they are paid more than what you pay? You going to give them a piece of the one -off sale as a bonus? Some one will be mad if they don't get a piece of the action. We always have law enforecement in the U.S. that turn over to the wrong side. Know why? Because the illegal side always pays better$$$.
Do you think the American govt should have one-offs of confiscated drugs just to help law enforcement fight illegal drugs? Should they have a one-off sale where human smugglers can pay to have a free day to smuggle human beings like cattle or slaves, in boats to our shores or across our borders? Do you think that would help stop those problems? Sadly, this last paragraph is in line with your thinking bro'.
Please re-think your position. I'd rather you gave the poachers the proverbial 'Yankee finger' and burned all of the tusks and horns! There must be a different answer!
Sincerely,
Jason Fisher
Las Vegas, Nevada
USA
I suppose you will have seen the attached short article which appeared in a recent SA Journal of Science but if not it might provide you with some ammunition because I think Brian Child is saying pretty much what you're saying just that he gives different examples.
http://www.sajs.co.za/index.php/SAJS/article/viewFile/1338/1324
MArk Ingle
From Facebook:
Tom L Tochterman I don't know Mr. Varty or even if he reads these these threads but in case he is/does, here we go again;
Mr. JV, how do you reconcile a legitimate government condoning the exploitation and fraudulent use of a threatened or endangered species (or for any living thing for that matter)? The argument that you and others have invested in Rhino over the last 50 years has no bearing on the question. Those monetary "investments" were simply choices made based on speculation. You, me and all interested parties must not lose sight of the ethical side of this crisis; you and me as conservationist are duty bound to take the higher road and selling animal parts to people for the purpose of status symbols or bogus medicine is simply not right and must not be tolerated. The likes of you and me must find a better way to deal with the well financed syndicates rather than simply work within their vision, mission, and objectives! Bottom line; you and I both know the end user is being defrauded, how do we sleep at night?
From Facebook:
Terry Bengis The real issue here is how to stop the Killing, Varty and others have a different view, that in itself has nothing wrong, we have to be careful not to judge people because the have that different view, what we need to do is to make sure that our view prevails. What we need now is an argument that finds a way that stops the killing, if we could find common ground then we might get somewhere, remember while we have all the good intentions and in our opinion the moral high ground it might just be that we dont know it all...
Terry Bengis Hett Hetty Vink, you are right and it is true that some are looking for a return, but as conservationsist and activists in that cause we have to look at the eficacy of what we do and decide if criticism, anger, finger pointing and so on is effective because given the figures this past week it may just be that all the wild rhinos will soon be dead and the survivors are on so called "looking for return" farms...
Elizabeth Davie
JV a billion Asians - a few tons of Rhino horn for sale: You do the math.........
Hi John,
I do believe it is disrespectful and disingenuous to talk about "there is no slaughter of elephants in SA" when we know I am referring to Africa and throughout your letter you talk about soft and hard targets and one day we may become soft targets too as we have become with the rhino, a very soft target. Anyway that aside, we are obviously talking at cross purposes, I am now of the belief that you wish the tiger trade to be open again and that maybe the sale of tigers and their parts will be available to you if you can fight for the rhino trade to be opened. Its the only excuse I can come up with or this letter to John Hume.
Regrettable
Regards
Melissa Weavind
Wynand Smit from Facebook
John Varty.
When they had a successful anti poaching team who reduced poaching in the Sabi Sands to virtually zero, why did you get rid of them?
These men at the time cost the Sabi Sands very little and they were actually, despite the good work they did, treated and paid like shit! That did not bother them because as they were not there for the money or because it was just another job, they were there because they had a passion for what they were doing and that is probably the reason why they were so successful.
Even the SAPS at Skukuza allowed them to operate outside the reserve to affect arrests without being accompanied by the SAPS.
You did have the small army of well trained men you refer to. This small army of men took no shit from any person including yourself and if I can remember right, you yourself were charged by them for the illegal shooting of an animal and an admittance of guilt fine was paid to MTPA. Perhaps they did their job to well and therefore they had to be worked out of the system!
That same team generated a huge income for the Sabi Sands through the sale of White Rhino to other game reserves but according to some people this was not acceptable.
How many of these men are still operating in the Sabi Sands? How many of them are sitting without a job right on your doorstep knowing what is happening in the Sabi Sands and knowing who is involved but because they were chased away like dogs, decided not to say anything about it.
Makes one wonder, who is actually responsible for the situation in the Sabi Sands.
Is the income generated by lodging in the Sabi Sands not enough to pay for your little army? At an average rate of R4 500 (which is probably far less than what is actually charged) per person per night with 38 lodges with an average of 20 beds and some with more than 60 and an average bed occupancy of 70%, the income generated is close to R72 000 000-00 per month!
Let the landowners pay higher levies!
If you and Hume and all the other rhino owners are so concerned about the killing of our rhino, why don’t you donate your horns to the people who desperately want it? That may just help to stop the slaughter of our rhino? No, it is all about the money for you and your cronies! Same as you pathetic little tiger project! Tell us the whole story about the charges which were brought against you by Li Quan and the outcome thereof!
If you were in the rhino conservation business as you call it for so long, why did you allow your trusted tracker, Elmon to get away with the shooting of a rhino?
And by the way, rhino conservation is not a business, it is a passion. And so is all conservation and if you have lost your passion, best you leave the bush and move to your cozy little beach house at Betty’s Bay!
And then you have the audacity to use the phrase “Tread lightly on the earth”
Great answer. Keep up the good work.
Regards
James Williamson
We are talking about elephants on the entire continent, not one area in SA. Perhaps you should look at the big picture to get a more realistic idea!!
Hi John,
Ok so here are my thoughts.
Trading rhino horn or ivory to find the fight against demand is like the DEA selling the heroin they get to fund their fight against it.
Not only is it morally wrong and sends out a double standard message but increases demand and dependency. We need to look at weaning populations off and more modern intelligent methods to do so.
Education is one, you don't need to be in China to educate them, you have the internet! Lobbying is another, Chinese will listen if communicated in the right way.
Think laterally, stay on the correct path and continue to be vocal and advocate both locally and internationally, don't opt for a quick winner, it'll take decades.
Best regards
Steve
Andre Pienaar
It is actually very simple; if you want to save the rhino as a specie, but disagrees with private owners; buy your own rhino, put him in your yard...and feed him. Soon you will understand private owners! But it is easier to fight a war on internet, isn't it?
Hi JV
I have read with interest the various comments.
Surely it is correct to sell rhino horn to help pay for protection and educate the Asian people at the same time. This will ensure success on all fronts. Fighting Rhino poaching is not one dimensional fight.
Regards
Derek Hutchings
Go For it John . You are speaking sense .
Kevin
Karen Paolillo John have known you since 77 but this time you are being too much a Sagitarian wild man! Selling ivory or horn is the most useless idea anywone can have. If people can make money out of something they will never stop utilising it. Burn all ivory, all horn and then there is no stockpile. By wanting to sell old horn you are just falling into the buyers hands. John you should no better. Mike Gunn thanks to you I live my dream here with the hippos of the Turgwe. Thanks Mike.
Barry Potgieter As a Wild life Worker and invoved in Game capturing and the likes, I and must agree with your Sentiments and those of Varty. There are Billions of Dollars of rhino Horn And Ivory Locked up in Vaults which could be sold to the STUPID Slant Eyes to gather extremely urgently NEEDED Finances for the APU`s of our World to really be Able to fight Poachers and Eliminate the Buyers Legally or ILLEGALLY seeing that NO GOVERNMENT in AFRICA has the INTEREST to stop this SCOURGE while the GOV.`s Squanders OUR TAX MONEY to pay for there Drunkan Parties, Flashy Cars and Living In POSH Neighbourhoods, SLAUGHTERING Live Stock at there home (Against The Law) while POACHERS and SENIOR GOV. Officials DECIMATE our Endangered Wild Life
To all of the above - just one question - will the people making money out of these so-called once of sales put the money into APU's and the like, or will they enjoy a comfortable retirement with the proceeds? What assurance do we have that those with the stockpiles will put even 50% back into conservation and protection, and not their own ventures to create even more stockpiles, to continue this circle?
Barry Potgieter Natalie Cilliers that is a million Dollar Quest. unless all the stock is not taken from all over the World and Stockpiled in a Neutral Country and the Sales not Overseen by an Independent Controled Organisation, the Idea will never work as you can not leave this type of operation in Any African Country or Governments hands as they are all Corrupt
No matter how practical and economical it might be to sell "legal" rhino horn or ivory, there is just, well, something RONG about it to me--like raising tigers in captivity like cattle for their body parts. We humans need to wean ourselves away from thinking we need these things, and let what little is left of the wild, remain as wild as possible. We've come a long way in discouraging the use of these unnecessary luxuries over the last few decades, and I think we shouldn't give up yet on convincing we humans of the world to be satisfied with our appendages, and let the animals keep theirs......Lane Batot
hi jv sir i am pfrom india and want to cotribute to ur mission learning things with u..i wan 2 contact u..and get traning 2 live with tigers like u,..contributing to save the species..i have no mode of contact..with u...please help me out sir..
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