Black Rhino Extinction

Independent Films, Social Responsibility Movies

Black rhinos are now reported extinct in West Africa - commenting, on this announcement by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) that black rhinos are now extinct in West Africa, Secretary-General of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) John Scanlon expressed “great concern” for the species as a whole.

Speaking with UNTV in Geneva, Scanlon said that the illegal trade in wildlife was now estimated to be worth around ten billion dollars per year and that it was driving many species to extinction while perpetuating fraud and criminal activity and robbing countries of their own cultural and national heritage.

He said that a species like the rhino is such an iconic species and that if we cannot save the rhino, “how on earth are we going to save species that are of much less public interest.”

Still, Scanlon believes that it is not “a losing battle” but tough battle one and that “we have to be up for the fight.”

He also noted that there was knowledge about criminal gangs organized in the poaching and illegal trade of rhino horns and that there was need to involve the police to combat criminal gangs and also to involve world customs at a much greater level. “To get the international justice system to treat illegal trade in wildlife in particular rhino horn as a serious crime.”

Tags

• species animals

Directors:

• Muhamed Sacirbey (UNTV)

Producers:

• Susan Sacirbey (UNTV)