The role of women as providers and caretakers is pivotal to eliminatingthe belief in and habit of using rhino horns as medication, said DoQuang Tung, Director of the CITES Management Authority of Vietnam, onMarch 13.
At a workshop held in northern Hai Phongport city, Tung underlined that profit from the global trading ofelephant tusks and rhino horns reaches 15-20 billion USD a year, andAsia is the main consumer of both animal products. In recent years,Vietnam has become one of the world’s largest consumers of rhino horn.
Every year, the Hai Phong Customs Department seizesabout 20 tonnes of rhino horns hailing from Africa and intended to betransported through Vietnam to other countries, he added, noting thatgrowing poaching levels are pushing rhinos to the brink of extinction.
Teresa Telecky, Director of Wildlife for HumaneSociety International, highlighted that five rhino species exist in theworld at present, including 275 Sumatra rhinos and 60 Java rhinos. Thelast rhino in Vietnam was killed for its horn in 2010.
The demand for rhino horn is based on the inaccurate belief that thepowder can treat cancer and improve health conditions, she said,demonstrating scientific evidence that rhino horns have similarcomponents to those of human fingernails and are completely unable tocure illness.
At the workshop, the CITES ManagementAuthority also warned that rhino horns are usually injected with toxicchemicals to protect the animal from being poached. These poisons arenot absorbed into rhino bodies but can cause adverse affects in hornconsumers.
Meanwhile, a number of horns sold in themarket are fraudulent and made of plastic, posing a significant risk tousers, the authority noted.
Telecky suggested Vietnamese women communicate these important facts to their relatives to raise their awareness.
Taking affect from July 1, 1975, the Convention on International Tradein Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was first signedin 1973 with the aim to protect certain wild species againstover-exploitation through commercial trade. Vietnam joined theconvention in 1994, becoming its 121 st member. As many as 180countries have participated in CITES so far.-VNA
At a workshop held in northern Hai Phongport city, Tung underlined that profit from the global trading ofelephant tusks and rhino horns reaches 15-20 billion USD a year, andAsia is the main consumer of both animal products. In recent years,Vietnam has become one of the world’s largest consumers of rhino horn.
Every year, the Hai Phong Customs Department seizesabout 20 tonnes of rhino horns hailing from Africa and intended to betransported through Vietnam to other countries, he added, noting thatgrowing poaching levels are pushing rhinos to the brink of extinction.
Teresa Telecky, Director of Wildlife for HumaneSociety International, highlighted that five rhino species exist in theworld at present, including 275 Sumatra rhinos and 60 Java rhinos. Thelast rhino in Vietnam was killed for its horn in 2010.
The demand for rhino horn is based on the inaccurate belief that thepowder can treat cancer and improve health conditions, she said,demonstrating scientific evidence that rhino horns have similarcomponents to those of human fingernails and are completely unable tocure illness.
At the workshop, the CITES ManagementAuthority also warned that rhino horns are usually injected with toxicchemicals to protect the animal from being poached. These poisons arenot absorbed into rhino bodies but can cause adverse affects in hornconsumers.
Meanwhile, a number of horns sold in themarket are fraudulent and made of plastic, posing a significant risk tousers, the authority noted.
Telecky suggested Vietnamese women communicate these important facts to their relatives to raise their awareness.
Taking affect from July 1, 1975, the Convention on International Tradein Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was first signedin 1973 with the aim to protect certain wild species againstover-exploitation through commercial trade. Vietnam joined theconvention in 1994, becoming its 121 st member. As many as 180countries have participated in CITES so far.-VNA
