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Fashion trends push rhinos toward extinction mongabay.com June 6, 2007
While rhino populations in some parts of Africa are increasing, poaching is accelerating in Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where poverty and failed governments have conspired to put rhinos at high risk from poachers and criminal networks. WWF estimates that 60 percent of the rhino population in Democratic Republic of Congo was killed between 2003 and 2005. In Zimbabwe the figure was 13 percent for the same period.
Meeting this week in The Hague, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has called for better collaboration between countries along smuggling routes to prevent horns from reaching the black market. WWF notes that such measures appear to be working in Swaziland and Namibia and that overall, rhino populations in Africa are increasing. "This population increase is of course very encouraging," said Dr Sue Lieberman, Director of WWF's Global Species Programme. "But better law enforcement and protection measures are still needed for African rhinos, particularly in the DRC and Zimbabwe." Related Rhino horn nothing more than keratin, calcium, and melanin confirms research (11/6/2006) Rhinoceros horns have long been objects of mythological beliefs. Some cultures prize them for their supposed magical or medicinal qualities. Others have used them as dagger handles or good luck charms. But new research at Ohio University removes some of the mystique by explaining how the horn gets its distinctive curve and sharply pointed tip. West African black rhino may be extinct (7/17/2006) Recent surveys conducted by IUCN in northern Cameroon found no evidence of the West African black rhino (Diceros bicornis longipes). The organization fears the sub-species is now extinct in the wild. This article is based on a news release from WWF Comments? News options
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