South African rhino breeder auctions 264 horns online

A BREEDER launched South Africa’s first legal online auction of rhino horns yesterday, putting 264 up for sale.

John Hume, the owner of the world’s largest private rhino herd, was given a licence to auction the horns after winning a court case against the South African government. A court gave permission for the auction on Sunday and bidding is due to close tomorrow.

South Africa is home to more than 80 per cent of the world’s rhinos, whose population has been devastated by poaching for buyers in Vietnam and China, where the horn is coveted as an ingredient in traditional medicine.

Mr Hume, a game farmer with a 8,100-hectare ranch south-west of Johannesburg, owns a herd of 1,500 rhinos. He regularly cuts their horns off to deter poachers. The horn, which is primarily made of keratin, grows back if it is cut correctly.

After a rise in rhino poaching, South Africa banned the local sale of horn in 2009. However, Mr Hume and another game breeder sued to overturn the ban, arguing that he needed to sell horn to help cover the costs of protecting the herd.