Rhino Poaching
Level
Communication
Objectives
Language
Objectives
Advanced
Discuss a problem and suggest possible solutions (I would...)
Skills
Debating an issue.
Documents
3x shortened reports on Rhino Poaching.
Images to aid the discussions.
curb, poaching, dehorned, strategies, surge, startled,
spokesperson, tranquiliser, amputation, veterinarians,
overdosed, emblematic, black-market, endemic, seizure,
illegal, syndicate, organised crime, sustainability, legality,
prohibited...
Vocabulary
Use subject-specific vocabulary.
Compile a report by forming complete sentences and using
correct sentence structures.
Method:
Ask students to read the articles to the class (ensure that each student has a turn to read).
After each report, explain new vocabulary and stimulate a short discussion on the report.
Create your own news report activity:
-
Divide class into pairs
Hand out the sentence snippets to each pair (each pair gets all the sentences).
Guide them to construct their own news report by putting the phrases into logical
order and forming complete sentences.
Ask them to read their reports to the class and correct their errors.
Read the original report to them and see who came closest to the original.
Rhino horn more expensive than gold
2011-02-02 22:34
Durban - Senior managers of the Kruger National Park and Hluhluwe Park on Tuesday
discussed strategies to curb rhino poaching, Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife said.
It was recently reported that the price of rhino horn had increased to R400 000 a kilogram,
making it more expensive than gold at R300 000 a kilogram...
...A total of 333 rhinos were killed and dehorned countrywide in 2010 and 162 people linked
to poaching were arrested.
The highest incidence of poaching was in the Kruger National Park where 146 rhinos were
killed. The North West followed with 57 rhino deaths, and Limpopo closely behind with 52.
KwaZulu-Natal was at the bottom of the list with only 38 reported rhino killings last year.
- SAPA
www.news24.com
Discussion:
- What is poaching?
- Why do people poach?
- How much is R400 000 in Euros?
- What will happen if poaching continues?
Rhino poaching soars
2010-03-21 13:06
Johannesburg - The rhinoceros walking down the road at South Africa's largest game reserve
had no horns, one of the few to survive a surge in poaching that has sent killings to a 15year high.
A startled tourist alerted game rangers to the animal, the first time a poached rhino had
been found still alive at Kruger National Park.
"That was really the first case that I know of where we found a rhino of which the horn was
removed and it was struggling on the road," said Kruger spokesperson William Mabasa.
His theory is that poachers used a tranquiliser to let them remove the rhino's horns silently.
Although the animal survived the amputation, veterinarians were unable to save its life.
Huge wound
"They eventually had to destroy it because the wound was rather too big," Mabasa said.
Two rhinos at a nature reserve near Pretoria suffered a similar fate earlier this month after
poachers overdosed them with tranquilisers.
Their fate is emblematic of an insidious turn in the poaching trade, a top agenda item at the
general assembly of the 175-nation wildlife treaty CITES (Convention on International Trade
in Endangered Species) underway in Doha.
Black-market demand for rhino horn has soared in the past several years, largely due to the
economic boom in east and southeast Asia, where the horn is used for medicinal purposes.
That surge in demand has combined with endemic poverty in many rhino habitats to push
rhino poaching worldwide to the highest levels seen in 15 years, according to the wildlife
monitoring group Traffic...
Series of arrests
In February the organisation carried out a month-long sting operation that led to the seizure
of $13.6m in illegal wildlife medicines and a series of arrests worldwide.
But more international efforts will be needed to reduce rhino poaching in southern Africa,
said Oubaas Coetzer, an inspector with the South African Police Service at Kruger National
Park.
Coetzer said local police have had success in making low-level arrests. Last year, they
arrested 47 rhino poachers for 50 poaching incidents.
But poaching only increased.
"We cannot do anything about the black market price," Coetzer told AFP.
"So you catch somebody in the syndicate, he's now out of action. But there are still lots of
others that can fill that space, because of the money. It's organised crime," he said.
"Arresting people and sending them to jail is not stopping (poaching). The only thing that
can help is to reduce or completely stop the trade in rhino horn."
- SAPA
www.news24.com
Discussion
-
How do poachers poach rhino horn?
Why do increased arrests not decrease poaching?
What is the solution to stop poaching (according to you and the report)?
Fears of canned rhino hunting
2010-10-07 08:22
Elise Tempelhoff, Beeld
Pretoria - The government is planning a scientific investigation into the sustainability and
legality of allowing national and international trade in rhino horn.
This would be in an attempt to stop rhino poaching.
Game farmers, hunters, conservation authorities and interest groups decided on
Wednesday at a two-day rhino conference in Pretoria, to task Buyelwa Sonjica, minister of
environmental and water affairs, to order such an investigation.
Trade in rhino horn is prohibited by Cites (the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species).
Delegates also decided that private rhino owners may dehorn their animals, where
necessary and in keeping with legislation, as "an interim measure" to protect these animals
against poachers.
The horns must be fitted with microchips and stored in a safe.
Both Wanda Mkutshulwa, SANParks communication chief, and Fundisile Mketheni, deputy
director general of biodiversity at the department of environmental affairs, said no rhinos in
national or provincial parks will be dehorned.
The majority of delegates made it clear that they were against placing a moratorium on
rhino hunting.
Limited hunting
Sonja Meintjies from the department of environmental affairs, when asked how many
rhinos have been hunted so far this year, said the current number is 101.
Last year 107 rhinos were hunted.
According to Meintjies, most of the applications to hunt rhinos came from Vietnamese.
Conference delegates, who often became very emotional about various aspects surrounding
the conservation and economic value of the animals, were also told that limiting rhino
hunting has caused poaching to increase.
Mketheni said researchers will have to determine whether the legal trade in rhino horn will
satisfy the demand and stop poaching.
He said South Africa can't make an independent decision on the matter, and that the report
- should it find that the trade in rhino horn should be allowed - will have be given to Cites
since the final decision lies with them.
John Hume, a well-known rhino owner, said during a presentation that he feels rhinos
should be bred, their horns sawn off and sold.
He said he thinks this industry should be legalised and used to the advantage of the poor.
He pointed out that rhinos can be bred intensively on a relatively small piece of land.
"If the animals are dehorned, this could mean an enormous income for people," he said.
Mketheni's response was that he is "wary" of this suggestion, since it could result in a
"canned industry".
Such breeding also threatens biodiversity, he said.
Referring to the canned lion industry which severely tarnished South Africa's image
internationally, Mketheni said the country "can't afford a canned rhino industry as well".
www.news24.com
Discussion
-
What are the solutions suggested in the report?
What do you think of the solutions? What would you suggest as a solution?
Compile your own News Report with the facts below in pairs.
Structure:
1. Headline
2. Date & place
3. Place the facts in logical order.
sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment
poaching charges
possession
illegal weapons
arrested in January
accused of poaching
standing trial
Joao Mdlovu
the Nelspruit Regional Court
two men
court has yet to rule
automatic firearm
court found the Ndlovu’s guilty
charges against
11 people arrested on poaching charges
Tuesday
believed to have been used in the poaching of a rhino
SANParks spokesperson said
13 rhino killed
Berlito Ndlovu
Kruger National Park
After students read their news reports, read the original report to them to see who came
closest to the true story:
Rhino 'poachers' get 10 years
2010-03-25 19:06
Johannesburg - Two men accused of poaching rhinoceros have been sentenced to 10 years'
imprisonment by the Nelspruit Regional Court for possession of illegal weapons, SA National
Parks (SANParks) said on Thursday.
The court has yet to rule on the charges of poaching against Joao Mdlovu and Berlito
Mdlovu, who were arrested in January.
Mdlovu is also standing trial in the same court on separate charges of poaching with
Phanuel Mnisi.
SANParks spokesperson Zakiya Fareed said the court found the Mdlovus guilty on Tuesday
of possession of an automatic firearm and a hunting rifle believed to have been used in the
poaching of rhino in the Kruger National Park.
She said 13 rhino had been killed in the park this year and 11 people arrested on poaching
charges. There had been 46 rhino killed throughout the country so far this year. – SAPA
www.news24.com
Images to aid discussion:
http://www.sprig.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/rhino_horns.jpg
http://www.dottyrhino.com/images/blogupload/babypose.jpg