South Africa combats rhino poaching with chips and DNA

A South African minister yesterday said the country will tighten regulations on rhino hunting and use microchip, DNA technology to deal with rhino poaching.

>>>African rhinoceros is about to become extinct

AFP said, the new laws will only allow hunters to kill a white rhino every year. If the rhino hunting registrant comes from a country without a legal instrument to prevent rhino horn trade, officials will have to consider it carefully. Horns are rewards that rhino hunting subscribers are allowed to bring home.

Edna Molewa, South Africa's Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, said new provisions and standards will help the government to more closely control rhino hunting and rhino horn trade.

'Stricter provisions concerning rhino hunting are issued to ensure that processes are standardized and reduce the level of abuse of the current legal system,' she said.

South African white rhino

Under the new laws, those who are allowed to hunt rhinos in South Africa must be a member of a hunter association recognized by the government in their country. In addition, they must submit a curriculum vitae and a copy of the passport.

Rhino horns that hunters will bring will be fitted with chips. The chip clerk will take a small part of the horn piece to compare in case the horn is exchanged. Hunters must present a paper that allows them to trade products from endangered animals.

Any rhino sold or moved will be fitted with a chip in the left shoulder and two horns. All horns that hunters are allowed to cut must be fitted with chips. In case the rhino dies naturally, officials must also attach chips to their horns after cutting.

All horns longer than 5cm must be marked with a number, date and weight. Such information will be stored in the national database.

Blood and horn samples of live rhinos will be collected for the government to analyze their DNA and put the analysis results into each child's records.

Mr. Albi Modise, spokesman for the Ministry of Water and Environmental Affairs, said the black rhino would be taken out of the list of animals allowed to hunt for rewards.

448 rhinos were killed in South Africa last year and the number of rhinos killed since early this year is 171. Illegal rhino hunters often cut their horns for sale in Asia - a part of the population Thinking that rhino horn can cure cancer and many other incurable diseases, despite scientific objections.

In early April, South African officials announced that they dismissed all rhino hunting applications of 23 Vietnamese nationals this year. Minister Molewa said she was worried that Vietnamese hunters would sell rhino horn instead of keeping private property in accordance with South African law.