Dehorning thwarts rhino poaching
Costly, continuous task
Rhino trophy hunting serves a dual purpose: removing problematic, older animals and providing financial support for dehorning and other conservation initiatives.
Dehorning rhinos is done not only to protect them against poachers but also to prevent the animals from killing or injuring each other with their horns.And, because dehorning is an expensive exercise, allowing trophy hunts of older, problematic animals helps provide the necessary financing for dehorning.
During a dehorning exercise in Etosha National Park, environment minister Pohamba Shifeta said: "In the absence of the horn, the animals remain valueless to the poacher because he is looking for an animal with horns."
The minister said the process of dehorning rhinos is a continuous one, as it takes approximately four to five years for horns to grow back.
"It is a very expensive exercise; you have to use two helicopters, you have to use manpower, and you need other resources."
Between 15 and 20 rhinos can be dehorned per day, depending on the temperature and the weather.
Protection from each other
Shifeta added that another reason rhinos are dehorned is because they are able to injure and kill each other using their horns.
"Most of the natural fatalities happening among rhinos, especially black rhinos, are because of fighting. Males, of course, because of dominancy, are territorial and fight for their wives. You know they are polygamists. They have wives, and they have their territory, and if another one intrudes, they will fight."
Shifeta said that while female rhinos do not fight that much, when they get older, they do get paranoid and are afraid that the smaller rhinos will come in and take over, so they kill the younger cows and the calves.
Shifeta said problem animals are made available for trophy hunters.
"That is why we put out those ones for trophy hunting, because we will have to put them down in the end anyway, because it kills calves because of the paranoia. It knows it cannot mate anymore; it will kill the calves and also the cows, so it has to be put down."
Moreover, he explained that trophy hunting boosts resources for the costly and necessary dehorning work.
"So that is the circle and the process of how we do it in the conservation world."