A unique look at the business of wildlife poaching through the eyes of trainee rangers.
With over 500 rhinos killed in South Africa this year, rhino poaching has reached an alarming rate with the demand in Asia for rhino horn threatening to reduce the world(***)s rhino population.
Published On 8 Oct 20138 Oct 2013
South Africa is home to the majority of the world(***)s rhino population. However, over the last five years, the rate of illegal poaching has increased to record levels.
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Every year law enforcement officials in South Africa make dozens of arrests. Convicted poachers can be sentenced to up to 12 years in prison.
Poachers target the animals by tracking them on GPS and mobile phone, then shoot them with guns or darts, working on foot or in helicopters. Their horns are then hacked off with axes, chainsaws or similar weapons.
The kind of people involved in poaching has changed over the years to include those formerly involved in wildlife conservation, who have been tempted by the profits. Gangs now use tranquilisers and certain drugs which indicate the involvement of veterinarians.
With the horns selling for about $60,000 per kilo, poaching is worth $17bn a year.
The risky and illegal trade is being fuelled by demand in Asia, where rhino horn in particular is believed to have, unproven, medicinal properties, including the ability to cure cancer.
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Rhino horn is also prized in Vietnam, where it is crushed up as a drink or drug, as it is considered a status symbol of the super-rich. All rhinos in Vietnam are now extinct.
Rangers working in the bush risk their lives daily to protect wildlife from poachers and traders who are motivated by the lucrative business.
A new batch of trainee rangers are put through their paces over 38 days, during which they have no access to the outside world. They are pushed to breaking point, both physically and mentally.
Being a wildlife ranger is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. (***)Being shot at is hard to describe. You see the weapon coming up and you hit the deck. And you close your eyes and pray,(***) says trainee ranger Chrisjan Visser.
(***)We cannot have people here that are soft. We cannot have people that will crack under pressure. The reality of this situation is that you are going to be given a semi-automatic weapon when you finish this training. You will have 100th of a second to decide whether you can pull the trigger or not,(***) Vince Barkas, the head of the training course, explains.
The rangers must be as fit as the heavily armed poachers they will up against.
For some trainees, the chance to become a ranger is a way out of poverty. Lunga Nyawe says, (***)I hope this is going to change my life. I don(***)t want to be stuck here and have no opportunities to go further in life.(***)
(***)Many of the trainees want to become rangers to protect their habitat. There is no doubt in my mind I will love what I will be doing. It is to protect the rhinos... protecting what I love,(***) Trainee Nabiel Leon said.
(***)There really is a (***)war going on South Africa between rangers and wildlife poachers. Both humans and animals are suffering, with many casualties on either side,(***) filmmaker Mark Strickson says.
