Rhino hunting on the Rise….AGAIN!

In a shocking decision, Botswana legalized trophy hunting again and the immediate results already suggest that the African nation is orchestrating a wildlife disaster that might not be controlled.

Anti-poaching and trophy hunting campaigners have been critical of these policies but so far, their remonstrations have fallen on deaf ears.

While people seem to think that there’s a difference between poaching and trophy hunting, the fact of the matter is that it is one and the same. And it is the rhino population that has faced the most immediate consequences of what should be considered a callous and ill-thought-out law.

According to estimates, 10% of Botswana’s rhino population has already been killed since April 2019. And while the government is trying to put a lid on the issue, wildlife conservationists are calling out for more efforts to be made to save a species that is expected to go extinct by 2021 if trophy hunting and poaching are not curtailed.

Reduced Rhinos in Africa and Asia.

From 2007 till 2017, only six rhinos were killed by poaching. However, trophy hunting and illegal trade of their horns are back in the country with as many as 30 black and white rhinos being killed.

What is even more shocking is that the total population of rhinos is about 500.

However, there is some hope for these majestic creatures to thrive once again. They are a protected species in the country so the government’s decision to lift the five-year ban on trophy hunting licenses pretty much declares open season on rhinos.