Rhino video goes viral on YouTube

2012-01-17 10:28

Alani Janeke

Cape Town - A South African living in London is protesting the hunting of endangered rhino with a video that has gone viral on YouTube.

Mr Mark Warren, who is known on the internet as Pharside, says he cannot understand why hunters should be allowed to pay enormous amounts of money to hunt rhino, while the animals are becoming more and more endangered.

The video, which makes simple but yet shocking statements, has already reached 266 000 views on YouTube.

Warren also urges those that watch the video to spread the word and create awareness around the issue.

Meanwhile the Private Rhino Owners Association (PROA) says a moratorium on the hunting of rhino will not do anything to solve the poaching problem in SA.

According to Mr Pelham Jones, chairperson of PROA, the legal hunting of rhinos contributes to the survival of the species.

Jones said private rhino owners allow the hunting of their rhino to promote breeding of the animals. He claims that 50% of born rhinos are male and that too many males in the same geographical area van lead to aggression and animals attacking each other.

"This is the reason why it is to advantage of private rhino owners as well as the animals themselves to allow legal hunting," said Jones.

According to Mark's video a kilogram of rhino horn can fetch up to R69 000 on the black market. Jones said the biggest issue with poaching is the fact that a dead rhino's horn is worth more than that of a living rhino. This is the reason he believes trading in rhino horn should be legalised.

Here's the YouTube video:

 

- Landbouweekblad