Rhinos dehorned as protection against poachers

Botswana is to dehorn its entire population of rhinoceroses, in a desperate attempt to spare them from slaughter by poachers.

The radical plan has been settled on by wildlife officials, who fear that the species will soon be locally extinct for the third time in the country’s history if poaching trends continue.

The contentious scheme was made public, apparently in error, in a radio interview by Environment Minister Philda Kereng.

There are fears that the advance notice might panic poachers to try to reach the rhinos first, so rangers and veterinarians are scrambling to track, sedate and dehorn the most vulnerable ones.

Map Ives, Botswana’s leading rhino expert, is helping to implement the plan. ‘‘The onslaught is severe, and we are up against very organised, dangerous professional operatives with all the resources and weapons they need,’’ he said.

Ives’ organisation, Rhino Conservation Botswana, has Prince Harry as its patron, and he played a part in reintroducing rhino to the country two decades ago.

Between 2007 and 2017, only six rhinos were killed for their horns, but in the past year the government has confirmed that about 30 black and white rhinos have been lost from a population of approximately 300. Some conservationists claim the actual death toll is far higher.

Rhino horns sell for more than NZ$100,000 a kilogram on the black market in Asia, where they are used as status symbols and in medicinal remedies. An average horn weighs three kilograms.

Removing them to save the animals is not a permanent solution. The horn grows back in three or four years, putting the rhinos at risk again. There are also fears that to make up for lost income, poachers will return to targeting elephants.

South Africa has lost more than 7000 rhinos in the past decade. Ironically, most of the rhinos killed in Botswana had been sent there from South Africa’s Kruger National Park for ‘‘safekeeping’’ in the Okavango Delta.

The dehorned rhinos will be fitted with tracking devices. The project is expected to cost £1000 (NZ$2040) per animal.

Being without a horn is no guarantee of safety, however. Poachers often kill the rhino so they do not have to track it again.

GETTY IMAGES Botswana has lost more than 10 per cent of its rhinos to poachers in the past year, and plans to dehorn the rest to make them less attractive targets.