E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
Workers hold a rhino during a media demonstration at the Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve outside Johannesburg, South Africa, on Thursday. The rhino later died.
A conservation group demonstrating an anti-poaching method for reporters in South Africa accidentally killed the rhinoceros they were using in the demonstration.
The rhino, nicknamed Spencer, went into convulsions and died after he was shot with a tranquilizer dart in front of a crush of TV cameras and photographers who had been invited to document an operation to insert a poison capsule into his horn.
The private reserve near the capital, Pretoria, calls in veterinarians to sedate rhinos so their horns can be treated with a dye and an insecticide, and tracking and identification devices can be inserted.
A male in his mid to late 20s, fairly old for such an animal, could not be revived after being sedated Thursday, said Rhino Rescue Project spokeswoman Lorinda Hern.
"The rhino had an unfortunate reaction to the anesthesia," she said. "Every time you dart a rhino, you take a risk that the rhino might not wake up and unfortunately today was one of those days."
Conservation groups insert poison capsules into the horns of rhinos, which release poison into the horn when it is removed from the animal and are meant to render the horn value-less for hunters seeking to sell it on for use in traditional medicine.
Conservation groups sometimes remove horns from rhinos to deter poachers, as msnbc.com's Dara Brown reported in the video below. The horns are similar to hair or fingernails, and grow back after several months.
South Africa is trying to save black rhinos by having veterinarians cut off their valuable horns before poachers kill them. Msnbc.com's Dara Brown reports.
Both anti-poaching procedures require the rhinos to be sedated.
A decade ago South Africa, with more than 20,000 rhinos, was losing about 15 animals a year to poachers. But poaching has increased dramatically since about 2007 as the spread of wealth in places like Vietnam and Thailand has enabled more people to buy rhino horn, which is believed to have magical or medicinal properties in some cultures.
In museums across Europe, rhinoceros horns have been the target of thieves at least 30 times this year, as they go for $99,000 per kilo. Europe NBC's Jim Maceda reports.
A record 448 rhinos were killed by poachers last year in South Africa, home to the greatest number of the animals. The number was up sharply up from 122 in 2009 and 333 in 2010, according to a report by AllAfrica.com. A majority were killed in the Kruger National Park, which borders on Mozambique, the report said.
"It's sad for us; it's the loss of another animal," Hern said, referring to the rhino's death. "It's a death that I still chalk up to poaching."
Msnbc.com staff and Reuters contributed to this report.
More from msnbc.com and NBC News:
Leave a Comment:
In this life you have to grab the rhino by the horns
I looked up "irony" in the dictionary and it pointed me to this article! The best part was the quote from one of the rhino killers:
Yes, we will blame the poachers for this one, too, because without them, we would have never killed this beautiful animal. That is called "rationalization". Do these people not KNOW that sedating a rhino can be life threatening? But their lust for the cameras and the press coverage blinded them....
I feel really bad for the animal, but once again we humans cast doubt on our status as the most intelligent species on earth!
absolutely right, I believe that they were concentrating too much on the media coverage, and should have been monitoring this creature more closer.
They probably either used too much sedation or they let the animal lay on it's side for too long!
It has nothing to do with the animals age. An animal that big is not supposed to lay down on it's side for too long because it would crush it's internal organs especially the lungs...that's why it's rare to see animals this big sleep on their sides....
Rookie mistake by people who claim to be protecting these animals....somebody somewhere screwed up big time. More training is required on how to handle animals weighing
The Onion couldn't have written a better headline. All I can say is Hahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!! Too funny!
Nope, they are saving these animals and for the record, anytime an animal or human are given anesthesia, they are at risk of dying. It is the poachers fault...if they weren't having to try to intersect before the poachers get to them, this would have never happened to begin with. Wow, humans are some stupid animals...and from these comments...rather cold hearted.
What I'd like to know is why they call it "traditional medicine" regarding the poaching of rhinos for their horns.
It's not medicine, it's primitive witch-doctoring no different than blood-letting or chicken sacrificing.
Call it what it is. Quackery
Wow Bruce - you're not too bright are you. Clearly he was chalking the death up to the poachers because if people weren't killing these animals then they wouldnt have been having these demonstrations to begin with.
Clearly they know that sedating Rhino's are dangerous - said so right in the article if you happened to take the time to read the whole thing. Lust for the cameras? It's called PR and getting the word out about their mission and the work they're doing. You sir, are an idiot.
Bruce, of course they knew the dangers, just as doctors know the dangers associated with anesthesia. In both cases, the benefit is worth the risk. There is nothing to indicate that this was a publicity stunt or people looking for publicity. The people involved are trying to save these animals and would have performed the procedure even if the cameras weren't around. You can call it rationalization, but in fact it wouldn't have happened if there weren't poachers killing them.
Any time anesthesia is used in humans or animals, there is the risk of numerous unfortunate outcomes. That is why these risks are explained to you before you have surgery. Several years ago, my brother-in-law had relatively minor shoulder surgery. Everything went fine, except that he didn't wake up from the anesthesia. It's very sad, but it's a chance we take and the reason anesthesiologists have about the highest liability insurance rates in the medical profession.
Guy is smiling in the picture!!!
"That is why these risks are explained to you before you have surgery."
Show me Ronny Rhino's consent statement. To my untrained eye, one indicator of a publicity event would be the presence of a mob carrying cameras.
Morons!
They should not have needlessly risked the animal's life just for a photo shoot.
For those who think it's funny.... Never mind. You are probably beyond hope of realizing your own immaturity.
This is tragic. Unfortunately there would not be conservationists available to quietly go about their preservation activities if they didn't have a little PR event from time to time.
It's possible they didn't do it right, or it's possible it was a rare reaction, but if these people regularly sedate rhinos I would go with their SOP rather than the "experts" on this message board who seem to know a better way to do everything, from landing a manned spaceship on Mars, to righting a listing cruise ship.
So it's okay that they killed a rhinoceros so poachers couldn't? Little on the stupid side if you ask me. Kind of like tree huggers driving spikes in trees that kill the trees eventually so they can't be logged. Or throwing blood on someone wearing a fur coat to save an animal. Then the rich throw the fur out and go get another. So more animals can die. I'm not saying it is right or wrong, JUST POINTING OUT THE OBVIOUS.
So, how many of those commenting have the knowledge and training required to sedate and monitor a rhinoceros under anesthesia?
Any time anesthesia is administered, there is a risk of death.
This is an unfortunate incident, and this was certainly not the desired outcome.
This isn't a publicity stunt you morons. Has it ever occured to you that they may want the public to know this way people who are trying to poach ivory can know that technology is on their heels in beating them to the point.
It is very tragic that this animal had to die, none the less. But did any of you read the part where it said the animal was in its 20's and that is old for an animal of this caliber? Did it ever occure to you that maybe it had other complications and the anthesia may have brought out the possible under lying problems within an animal in its 20's?
I will tell this much, do you think the animal died in pain? The animal was sedated. This animal had a better death than by the hands of poachers which else shoot them and let them bleed out, or trap them and saw their horns off and they bleed out that way. Look up poaching, there are elephants that have been caught, their tusks removed, there is blood pouring out of the animal and it is still walking around, dying slowly.
Take some time people and weigh out both sides before you start snapping at people that have spent years trying to preserve wild life. Their entire life revolves around saving the speicies.
Hey, if you take your pet to the vet, especially if it is very young or elderly, the vet will be concerned that the animal will not recover from the anesthetic.
We should test these anesthetics on poachers (who will use poverty as an excuse) and the end users (who are wealthy, but delusionally ignorant - ground-up rhino horn is NOT an aphrodisiac) and cross our fingers they THEY do not pull through. But we will all be better off.
I heard that the rhino in question was also known to do lots of heroin...I bet the combination of the drugs killed him...If only he could have quit the junk before the procedure!
Just kidding people...We pretty much are damned if you do or damned if you don't sometimes...Because as we all know...People suck when they mess things up, and then others try to fix it...And you get this...A dead heroin addicted rhino...
;)
OOPS !!!!
Yeah, I just don't get how they're blaming the poachers for this one. The poachers were nowhere around. Just admit it was an unfortunate accident and give yourself some credibility.
My take: Absolutely horrified. The story brought tears to my eyes. Somehow grisly...made me sick in the pit of my stomach, something akin to the story of when, in the late 19th Century, an elephant was electrocuted as a demonstration on the safety of AC electrical current.
It is too well-known to veterinarians, that animal tranquilizer is unpredictable. Nobody can be 100% certain of the affect a given sedative shall have on any species, and a terrified animal, at that.
the older the rhino the stiffer the horn...what she said...
The poachers should just sedate the rhinos instead of killing them before taking the horns. Buy anesthesia instead of bullets. That way everyone wins. People get their stupid horns, the animals get their lives, and conservationists can move on to something else.
This reminds me of when, some years back, the largest Elk in Pennsylvania was found shot. This was also first blamed on poachers. When the truth came out it was due to a game "protector" having improperly tranquilized the animal then made it looked like poachers had killed it!
Note to class: This session will be how to kill a helpless sedated Rino without even trying..
Just disgusting. If u don't want ppl killing the animals. Don't kill the animals! Really, pretty much one of the dumbest things I've seen.
One more prime example of educated idiots screwing up.
Wanna get rid of the poachers? Shoot them full of tranqualizers instead of these magnificent animals. Or better yet, forget the tranqualizers for the poachers and just whack 'em with a 600 gr Mag. They'll get the message then.
Ummm, okay...so what did they do with the horn?
Waste not, want not.
I agree with Svenolafson!
I'm not surprised. These "animal rights" groups do dumb crap like this all the time.
There was a 60 Minutes piece a couple of weeks ago about a Texas hunting ranch that has taken an endangered antelope species and repopulated the species. They do however use 10% of the herd for big game hunting. The cost paid by the hunters allows the rancher to feed and care for the herd. An animal rights group has successfully fought the rancher and now he won't be permitted to use any of the animals for the hunting ranch. He won't be able to afford to maintain the herd so as a result the herd will completely die out. So in order to save 10% of these animals from hunting the animal rights activists have guaranteed that 100% of this herd of rare animals will die off. Nice going.
This is why I don't like groups like PETA and the rest of them. Their intentions might be good but they never think big picture. Just like this group today with the rhino. They caused the death of this animal, but due to overt denial they still try to blame someone else.
There was probably 1 or two people there that knew what they were doing , looking on thinking wow what a bunch of a-holes.I'm surrounded by idiots. Theres like 40 people there. I build bikes every year for toys 4 tots, and the "radio station" you know the one.. it plays the same rock songs now for 30 years and is somehow still popular. they send idiots, like 8 of them in four big ass trucks. They get me to stop what i'm doing to show them how to assemble a bicycle, they bring no tools and after I show them, they use my tools slowing me down where I have to work late. They do half a bike then all start talking with each other then their friends come to say oh how cool your station is so cool to do this for the little ones, meanwhile I'm walking around the tables to get a tool I need, with a-holes just in the way taking credit for NOTHING BUT BEING IN THE WAY and slowing the few people actually doing something. YOU KNOW WAT PISSES ME OFF.. they are being paid by the station to come and F things up! SEEMS KINDA THE SAME, AND ITS SAAAD.
Post #1.1 by Bruce-308647
Said, "Do these people not KNOW that sedating a rhino can be life threatening? But their lust for the cameras and the press coverage blinded them...."
No I doubt that Veterinarians and other wildlife experts know that...are you joking? Of course they know it is a risk, so is getting some medical treatments that can save your life! It all is a matter of how relatively few will accidentally die from this treatment to prevent them from being a sure target for a poachers bullet and how many will be saved by preventing them from being a sure target for a poachers bullet.
Many wild animals are sedated and the vast majority regain consciousness fine. Many humans go under general anesthesia and regain consciousness fine. Every once in a while things go wrong and they die. That is the price we pay for the greater good.
Chalking this Rhinos death up to "lust for the cameras and the press coverage is an ignorant statement when you consider that these people devote their life to the well-being of wildlife. If these Rhinos were left alone...many more would die. So what's the best thing to do? That's right, treat the Rhinos horns and police for poachers at the same time...cover all the bases.
Has anyone ever noticed that when 1 animal dies under the care of a conservationist, the media is all over it, but when thousands are euthanized by PETA, it's okay and nothing is said. This is an unfortunate accident; don't let PETA near your puppies and kitties, though.
Obviously they are claiming that because if it weren't for poaching, they wouldn't have been in that position in the first place. These antipoaching methods save a lot more rhinos than they kill.
Equating all conservationists to PETA is like equating all Christians to Westboro Baptists.
I'm a conservationist and an avid hunter. PETA is just a bunch of crazies... I wouldn't even call them conservationists since ultimately their methods are only harmful.
MattfromNY, you're suspended for a day for violating #1 of the Code of Honor.
So... conservationists kill a rhinocerous and now, they absolve themselves of any responsibility by blaming the poachers who were NOT there and had nothing to do with their jackass stunt for photographers and reporters. So now, conservationists are going to kill a percentage of rhinocerouses to poison the horns so that poachers who don't care that the horns are poisoned will harvest as many as before and now harvest horns that will kill people in Thailand and China. Seems like its a net loss of animals plus a method to exterminate the demand by killing everyone who uses rhinocerous horn. I agree that the animals need protecting, but killing some of them and murdering the customers to do that is something that only the environmentalist wackos would dream up.
@ORB
1943
"who uses poverty as an excuse".
I take it you’re someone who lives in a reasonably comfortable and safe society
that has a culture that values animals very highly (sometimes more so than
people) and is also very far away from war and starvation. Again, I don't know
you, so I might be wrong, but what you said, I can't help but wonder.
Anyway,
with that aside I would go on and on about how people here need to shut it
about these people being a but bunch of selfish attentions seekers who don't
care about animals when it's obvious they care very much and this was an
unexpected accident... but I think PointsToPonder covered it
nicely enough. Also I think the reason the person is smiling is because the
photo was taken before the animal died and I doubt a conservationist would enjoy the sight of a rhino dying.
Poaching isn't likely to stop until we start removing body parts from the convicted poachers.
It isnt likely to stop until the market for them is killed. It's just another form of drug or human trafficking. As long as the demand is high, and people are willing to pay high dollars, then some spearchunker bite on the money bait.
Unfortunately the poachers are like the horns they seek. They grow right back.
There are preserves were they already shoot poachers on sight. The problem is the people buying the stuff... poachers are willing to risk their lives for the money.
My thoughts exactly, Schwy. First offense? Remove a foot. Second, the other one. Third...if it's a male remove his 'horn'. Eventually the cost of being caught will overpower the cost of poaching.
Humans are the most intelligent on Earth. But, we are also greedy, attention whores.. both qualities that got this innocent animal killed.
Also, what is it with the Chinese thinking a Rhino horn can cure any ailment? China is living 1,000 years in the past just like every country in the Middle East. No wonder they support Assad!
How about we apply the same type of punishment to anyone caught dealing, dispensing or using animal parts?
Rhino horn? Lose your "horn". Tiger paw? Lose a hand. Shark fin? Lose an arm. Sounds fair to me.
That is the best idea I've heard in a long time.
Sign me up.
If the poachers used tranquilizer guns instead of real guns, the whole problem could go away.
It is amazing that the Asian markets still seek rhinoceros horn as an aphrodisiac. Witchcraft, really; incredibly expensive, too. And all while proved effective drugs are available; Cialis and Viagra. Both legal and comparatively inexpensive.
Why? Could somebody please translate this into Mandarin and then, post it in Chinese newspapers.
It's too bad these majestic animals have to be brutalized because of some weird people who wrongly believe their horns help them get a woody.
I'm not surprised. These "animal rights" groups do dumb crap like this all the time.
There was a 60 Minutes piece a couple of weeks ago about a Texas hunting ranch that has taken an endangered antelope species and repopulated the species. They do however use 10% of the herd for big game hunting. The cost paid by the hunters allows the rancher to feed and care for the herd. An animal rights group has successfully fought the rancher and now he won't be permitted to use any of the animals for the hunting ranch. He won't be able to afford to maintain the herd so as a result the herd will completely die out. So in order to save 10% of these animals from hunting the animal rights activists have guaranteed that 100% of this herd of rare animals will die off. Nice going.
This is why I don't like groups like PETA and the rest of them. Their intentions might be good but they never think big picture. Just like this group today with the rhino. They caused the death of this animal, but due to overt denial they still try to blame someone else.
It's not that some Asians think Rhino horn can cure any ailment. They think it can alleviate impotence, so these animals are dying so that some old geezer thinks he can make it with a hot chick. Pretty disgusting, huh?
Its all about the asian penis envy syndrome. So many creatures have been brought to the brink of destruction and remain straddled along that thin line because of this strange and uniquely asian sense of sexual inadequacy that it truly defies reason. Yet the asian countries are indisputedly the most populated regions on earth.... You'd think sooner or later they'd look around and figure they weren't nearly as bad off as they thought they were. The problem is that there is a tremendous amount of money involved in it and Africa is, well...Africa and as long as somebody is willing to shell out a small fortune for it its going to continue no matter how many poachers they shoot. They aren't just fighting the poachers,but bribes and corruption in goverment, law enforcement,customs officials,boarder patrols and baggage handlers for airlines ,dock workers, shipping chandlers ....you name who else. And of course the lives of most of these people are far less valuable than a couple of ounces of powdered horn...so exactly who is going to step up for the good of the few remaining rhinos around? Its a friggin mess and you'd likely have to shoot or arrest a quarter of the population in these regions to clean it up.... if that would even dent it.
"It's a death that I still chalk up to poaching."
Try to shift the blame if you want, but YOU caused the death, not poachers.
Humans are a plague. Killing rhinos for hard ons....Nature will end us soon
@Hunt-797031: I seriously don't think it's a "uniquely asian sense of sexual inadequacy." Have you seen the amount of spam advertising pen15 pumps, pills, and even surgeries, all aimed at the insecure males of the world? All you really need to do is watch late night TV and see the ads. The uniquely Asian thing is the superstitious remedies that for some reason have survived to this modern day and age, it truly boggles the rational mind. Oh well, then again millions of people believe in little green men that fly around in saucers, miracle magnetic bracelets that cure all ailments, and let's not forget thousand-year old religions!
Lets send lots of Viagra and Cialis to Asia and tell people they are made out of rhino horn. Problem solved.
As an animal lover, that story was a real tragedy.
Hey Skorned - can't wait.
RIP rhino..were is PETA when you need them..or was it PETA that killed the rhino???
Does anyone believe in God anymore? Who created the heavens and the earth? The beautiful animals we love, nature as we see it, life as we know it? I used to make fun of people like you, nature lovers. I was arrogant, ignorant. However, so many people still do not see the bigger picture. This kind of stuff is going to continue until the kingdom of god is established on earth. Some will think I am nuts, some may actually know what I am talking about.
Just leave God's creatures alone
Who needs poachers when you have conservationists like this...
@the one and only
Equating all conservationists to PETA is like equating all Christians to Westboro Baptists.
I'm a conservationist and an avid hunter. PETA is just a bunch of crazies... I wouldn't even call them conservationists since ultimately their methods are only harmful.
There is a difference between "animal rights" groups and conservationism. True conservationists are rational people who understand the importance of balance in a world dominated by humans... 'animal rights' folks reject the rational approach outright.
Now in this case, we had an accident that can happen when you put any living thing under anesthesia. Regardless, the number of rhinos saved by such anti-poaching methods outweigh the risks that tranquilizers pose.
Grant - What ARE you talking about???
All - Hern, The self-righteous tree hugger that was interviewed for this story still chalks this death up to poaching. Did anyone tell her that she was the one who chose to sedate one of God's creatures that was old and vulnerable? That was reckless and irresponsible behavior that was "rewarded" with a foreseeable outcome. The woman even said this sometimes happens and is the "risk you run". Stop playing God and running risks with innocent and endangered species. If you want to help, grab a sleeping bag and spend your life in the bush chasing down the poachers.
Putting "poison capsules" in the horns does not stop poaching! It only makes the poachers pissed off after they kill the animal and come to the conclusion that the horn is useless. Worse, yet, if they don't find the capsule - you are then responsible for killing people as well as the rhino. Do the right thing and protect them - DON'T put them in further danger or "take chances" with their lives.
These zealots do more harm then good when they resort to such idiotic and ridiculous efforts.
@Shuklack: I agree with much of what you said. It is both unfortant and ironic that this rhino died in the process of doing a demo to help prtect the lives of the rhino. As you correctly said -- putting any living thing under anesthesia can be risky - (including human being and pets) especially if the subject is old, weak or sick. Hopefully the death of this one animal will not be in vain -- and will help to save the lives of many others moving forward.
Unicorn! Unicorn! Their horns hold about the same amount of medicinal healing power as that of a Rhino.
Come to think of it, as the poor fools that use it are taken in by the proffered power of the Rhino Powder, it would make sense to grind up the nails of humans and substitute that for the medicine.... HEY! That's a great idea, kill the poachers and use THEIR nails instead of the Rhino Horns.
@ Shuklack: I agree there is a difference between PETA and Conservationsists, as well as "animal rights" people. To clarify, there is also a BIG difference between "animal rights" activists (ie, those who are rescue, anti-abuse and anti-dogfighting activists - take a look at what some humans do to their pets, and what the US Military does with their "war" dogs) and PETA activists. Most who do care about "rights" of animals to live and not be beaten, discarded and fought (or used for bait) do NOT like PETA, as they are MASSIVE hypocrites - They kill 95% of the pets coming into their Norfolk, VA "shelter," yet they stand for "ethical" treatment of animals. (!) They do some good work (like building adequate shelters for chained dogs who have no shelter), but essentially they are extremists who believe that domestication is a form of slavery and want to see ALL domestication of animals eliminated. I agree with you, most PETA extremists are "crazies". But dividing people into Conservationists vs. PETA may confuse those who dedicate their lives to rescuing, treating and placing abused, tortured, neglected and discarded pets with PETA extremists (although I realize the article is about poaching a wild animal). Just clarifying FYI....
It is unfortunate that those countries where Rhino horn is favored as a cure-all do not educate their people that the horn is the same material as hair and finger/toenails (or hooves, and horse manes/tails, for that matter). Tell them to go chew on their own hair, a hoof or a horse's tail if they are sick - no difference. The practice of eating Rhino horn is much like the now defunct practice of humans eating the body parts or drinking the blood of their vanquished enemies to "ingest their strength" - barbaric and archaec. Hopefully someday these folks will join the 21st century....
Its a shame we can't develop a type of synthetic horn which has the same proerties as 'the real deal', then flood the market with them, much the same way that counterfeit money undercuts and destroys the value of authentic currency- the supply would flood out the demand, value would drop immensley, and (with some heavier punishment) the cost would far outweigh the profit.
Poaching is banned in Islam. JUST SAYING!
Why do you think they went extinct? :)
@ alrerian
so is violence against Christians and Jews. Just saying!
Can you say "egg on your face"? There mustve been a bunch of "ohhhh f@#ks" going on around there.
Yeah and why is the person standing at the rhinos rear end have such a big smile on his face?
I wonder if they all strated crying.
I'm afraid you all don't realize that these people are certainly NOT rocket scientists. They obviously are untrained and had no idea there was danger to the animal. They are like children and just don't understand. That is not to excuse them but it is reality in that part of the world. If they DID understand what they were doing they wouldn't have done it. The smiling person is just 'going with the flow' not knowing that he is helping to kill the rhino. Doesn't matter if it is a poacher or someone like him-- the rhino is still dead.
"I'm afraid you all don't realize that these people are certainly NOT rocket scientists." Sounds like those people over at PETA. I wonder if there will be a story about PETA's outrage over this?
Diana, exactly what do you mean, "that part of the world"? I hope you don't mean that the way it sounds, because it smacks of prejudice. There are, actually, a fair number of highly educated folks out there, even in Africa. Even the wise, enlightened folks of the Western world experience adverse reactions during medical procedures. There is always a risk when sedating anything -- human or animal. It has nothing to do with "that part of the world." It is a tragedy and I hope they can learn what went wrong and avoid it in the future (though it could just have been that individual animal and not a procedural issue). The fact of the matter is, poaching is a huge problem and the risk associated with it are getting to the point that it is worth the risk of sedating an animal to possibly give it a better chance to survive the poachers. There is nothing to necessarily indicate these individuals are inept or untrained. Risk is a part of the process and they may have been fully aware of that but seen it as worth the risk, anyway. Very sad for the animal... but if the #%$#@ poachers would vanish from the face of the earth, then there would be no need to risk it.
Did everyone miss the third paragraph?
The conservationist group had called in the media to promote this anti-poaching process that the private reserve was conducting. It apparently wasn't some "ignorant" person doing the sedation.
@MBinCoeur,
2K lbs of meat???
@MBinCoeur - because if you actually read the article instead of just trolling the comments you would realize that the picture was taken before the rhino died. Not after.
Daniel, look at what time I posted. Just trying to make light of a crappy situation. Actually read the article twice. Lighten up. And Dano that could be one heck of a bbq!
They might as well eat it, presuming that rhino meat is something that one actually wants to eat...
Dammit I said 20 CC's not 200 you idiots!!!
Unbelieveable. This sickens me and is exactly why I am not sympathetic to activists. Further this statement "It's sad for us; it's the loss of another animal," Hern said, referring to the rhino's death. "It's a death that I still chalk up to poaching" is even more sad in the unwillingness to take responsiblity. Force is the only thing that poachers will understand. Although these activists are well intentioned their efforts are futile and even hinder the necessary steps that need to be taken to deter poaching. They are truly out of touch.
I bet tthey had a whole carton on their face.
This is just to f'in funny. People are a riot
Tim-629707 It is absolutely correct to "chalk it up to poaching" as he said. The accidental death happened while trying to make the Rhino safe from poaching. The fact that it died is unfortunate, but it was an accident. People die all the time under anesthesia while undergoing operations to either save or extend their life. No poachers, no need to treat the horns. They treat the horns and police for poachers. When most poachers are spotted they are shot on the spot...but they still risk it to poach. If the poachers have no reason to risk their lives for a worthless (treated and marked) Rhino horn then they will stop. It is the smartest way to go about it and all in all saves the Rhinos, even in the rare instance of one dying while getting this treatment. Hard to grasp I know...but it is.
These people are not out of touch...they are very much in touch.
Points has it exactly right, 'nuff said.
No, Points doesn't have it right. This group killed the rhino, not poachers. Saying otherwise is like saying troops killed in a training accident were killed by the enemy. The statement is illogical and not true. BT
What are they doing with the horns that they remove from the Rhino's before the poachers can get to them?
Do they take them to the market?
i think those people should be fired for putting the animal at risk like that. fired, then put into solitary confinement for six years.
Do you have any idea whatsoever how many times animals need to sedated in zoos, wildlife preserves, etc? Almost any medical procedure on a large animal requires it, and even small animals need anesthetic to some extent to counteract their natural fear and reaction to pain and not knowing what's going on. Risk is involved in every one of these procedures.
@ Just Me - exactly. And it's always a trained specialist who handles the anesthesia, just as they would when operating on a human. Unfortunately, just as people die from bad reactions to anesthesia, this poor rhino died from anesthesia that might not have even been improperly administered. Some systems just can't handle it. Not all rhinos are identical. It's just like how some humans are allergic to penicillin. It's a damn shame, but I don't think there's anyone really to blame for it.
Isn't that a little extreme, Petra? Even though the death is very unfortunate, they didn't intend to kill the animal. Using anesthesia on any creature has some risk. You can't predict when an animal (or a human being, for that matter) will have a bad reaction that leads to death.
Petra, did you even read the accompanying article or just stop at the headline? The conservationists are trying to protect rhinos from poachers by rendering the horn poisonous and useless. If the rhinos weren't being poached, this wouldn't be necessary. This was an old rhino, and even though the anesthesia was administered by trained veterinary professionals, the animal had an unexpected adverse reaction and died. It's very unfortunate, but I agree with the quotation from the article -- this animal's death is attributable to poaching, not conservation.
the article states the animal was over 20 years old and unusually old for a rhino. unfortunate but i don't think there was any negligence involved.
If it was that old, why did they do a procedure on it? It wasn't like it was life and death. The same measuring stick is used for pretty much all surgical procedures. If it isn't really needful, especially on an old geezer, don't do it.
It's just sad no one needs to be punished they feel bad enough. They are out there actually taking action, had I not had several hundred thousand in assets stolen by the banksters at Ameriquest/Bank of America and millions in collateral damage. I would be out thier doing something like this and I certainly would not be happy if someone was mad about me making an honest mistake while trying to save these magnificent creatures. God judges the heart condition it would be smart if humans did the same. GOD will also destroy those who destroy the earth it would be smart for poachers and the people raping the earth recklessly to take that into account. Don't get me wrong I'm a pro wealth Republican but waste not want not is the foundation of true Conservatism. I don't go outside of the Bible for wisdom often but Gandhi said The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated
PetraGunt has it all figured out. Look at the big brain on you!
HShaver - I must say that in light of the terrible outcome of the teams' efforts to prevent poaching, I think the fact that they did use an older rhino was quite brilliant. . . Still it's awful that an animal was lost, but at least he has lived his life to the fullest, and his sacrifice has hopefully allowed younger generations to prosper even more. : ) Long live animals (or rhinos, if you want to be specific!)
Yes, there are always risks that go along with necessary surgery - problem this was completely UNNECESSARY. This surgery WILL NOT stop poaching, and it will certainly not help the rhinos or the people it may poison. Sometimes self-righteous over-zealots need to go to jail! They KILLED this rhino in cold blood with their reckless stupidity! This is NOT a poaching death. It is an irresponsible actions death, and should be treated similarly to "involuntary homicide". Maybe a charge of "involuntary poaching" is appropriate?
The sad part is the rhino did fine with tranquilizer dart. They gave him a transfusion when he woke up, but un fortunately they used Keith Richards blood by mistake.
Really? No idiotic comments slamming this group over an unfortunate accident encountered while working to save a species from extinction? Maybe all the trolls are busy attending a troll convention somewhere?
***
Oops, too late. Petra got in just under the wire.
I think you just filled in fine for them.
So, someone please explain to me how tagging them saves them from poachers? Honestly, it seems really unnecessary.. are they keeping track of the rhino's position from a couple hundred miles away? How does that protect the rhino? Yeah, great idea.. in fact, let's start tagging every animal on earth with a GPS locator! What a waste of money that has ZERO chance of protecting the animal.
Tagging these animals is just how research scientists justify the grant money being spent on them. Just sitting in an office isn't enough. You gotta be in the field, putting their lives at risk by sedating them for the cameras while trying to look like a hero, saying you're protecting them. What to help the Rhinos? Leave them ALONE!
John D, you hit the nail on the head here. These people are trying to prevent the real killers of these majestic critters, the poachers and the nimrods who use their horns for sex toy erections or other weird uses.
XDollz,
Tagging them and implementing the poison renders the horn useless for the purposes of the poachers. Read the article next time.
NewStart2012 Exactly what I wanted to say. So many people either don't read the article and go off others comments, or can't comprehend the article.
poisoning the horn does NOT stop the poachers, it just makes them say "Christ what a waste of time" when they shoot one and walk up to it and realize the horn is implanted. When you read the article you have to process the words as well, and not just take the media's word for it. The poison does nothing until after the horn is removed and ground up! But I guess a few dead orientals is not nearly as bad as a dead rhino - after-all PETA would gladly kill a person to save an animal!
Idiots. That's like sedating an 80 year old human-not smart at all.
Like they do for heart surgery? Not to mention the rib cage being separated and the body temp being lowered.
Never sedate an animal that does not need it.
Now that's a whole new debate: should these rhinos be sedated in order to administer the anti-poaching measures? Remember that the article says that the sedation is necessary for this.
Well what are the stats for death by anesthesia as opposed to death by poaching? If the sedation carries far less risk of death than the possibility of the animal being poached, then the preserve should continue with their mission of poisoning the rhino horns.
Good point Rob, and there doctors right???OMG!!!
Crying shame -- Ahhhh, an actuarial and logical approach. A [person] after my own heart!
That'll never fly, though. People tend to gravitate towards the polarizing and emotional solutions.
As sad as this is, this articulates one of our world's biggest problems. It isn't just evil people, good people have virtually no idea how to do good these days. We're left with pointless demonstrations and being railroaded by big business, special interests, and your passing troll.
Then people get so fed up with the good people, as many of them just patronize people rather than accepting their limited ability to do that good. We're left with disgruntled people such as myself or unfortunate rogues like anonymous who hurts everyone with no rhyme or reason or comprehension of the consequences of their actions...lawlessness rules when the laws are pointless.
RandomFox, I completely agree with you.
I wonder what the odds are of killing a rhino by sedating it. In that this is the first time I've read about it, and it's such a big deal, the odds are probably low....maybe 1 in 100? I wonder what the odds are of a rhino dieing when it is poached for the horn....maybe 100 in 100?
All in all, a very good means or protecting the rhinos.
Again...it's those MF Asians with their perverted idea that the grinding a portion of a nearly extinct animal will heal them of what ails them...how about this...lets just start pumping anti-biotics and viagra into their water systems for the real effect they are looking for!
Viagra can't fix small.
Listen patHuntington NY, why don't you read the article correctly and then bring race into a posting if race was a factor. MF Asians? Hello!!! This happens in Africa as well. Poachers are all over the world. Yes, back in the days and still today, Asians may use animals for medicinal purposes: However, 21st century has proven that there are plenty of meds out there that can be used for treating diseases and such. Back then, people all over the world didn't have many resources, and they used animals for clothing, medicinal purposes, food, etc. I am not condoning this at all. I am a true animal activist, but when someone so ignorant and naive to write "MF Asians..." needs to be put on blast. Keep running your mouth like that and see where this gets you. It is sad that these demonstrators clearly used a tranquilizer as a demo, but these days, there are other ways for hands on demonstrations. My heart hurts for unnecessary killing for human benefits this day in age. We have too many resources in this world now we do not need to hurt these animals for any human benefits...no matter what race they are.
I think it's fair to say that every race has caused their fair share of destruction on this planet. There is no reason to pigeonhole Asians for a situation that is going on in Africa...
Asians are the ones BUYING the horns......If they stop buying them, African rhinos would be left alone to live out their lives and reproduce.
Bacon fixes everything.
patHuntingtonNY deserves an award for a great post!
The Asians certainly are to blame for the destruction of these fine animals.
Haha. OOPS. Haha this is hilarious. WWF has just killed another Rhino and chalked it up to poaching instead of their Dumb A$$ery? rofl.... awesome!
Why is it that nobody accepts accountability in this world? Did parents forget to teach that? My kids own up to their mistakes instead of blaming others.
Will you take responsibility for being a douche, Mike? People's characters are shown by what they laugh at.
If you don't find this extremely hilarious there's no helping you. You must be a riot at parties.
Sven, Actually it's a bit disturbing that you find humor in the death of an endangered species and I have a pretty morbid sense of humor. This in NOT hilarious. It's just another sad loss for the species.
Uh Newsprism,
I do believe Mike was being just a little sarcastic...??
I'm sorry but I actually read the headline and thought it was funny. After I read the article I thought it was even funnier- and I like Rhinos. Doesn't anyone appreciate irony any more?
movingout, tell me where "funny" comes in cuz i just don't see it !
"funny" comes in where the tree huggers kill what they are charging themselves to "protect".
"funny" is these guys are murdering idiots with blood on their hands, and they are trying to push it off on someone else to keep their ability to sleep at night. THEY killed the animal NOT poachers. That is FUNNY
Instead of rolling the dice on killing them, why don't they just try to protect them and not take chances. They could sell their houses and pitch in together for a big fence to keep the poachers out. Or hire security to secure the perimeter. Or simply live in the bush with the rhinos and not in a "command center" watching for gps's that stop moving so they can come in too late and look at a carcass with no horn...
Good job you @!$%#ing idiots.
Well....at least they tried. Ugh that was a big ooooooops
Nothing beats a try but a failure...
I say don't try in front of cameras if there is any chance you'll fail. You'll have egg on your face for sure.
Do gooders are often incompetent, and sometimes just plain stupid.
Much like the people that criticize them. Here's your sign.
L
let me get this straight...."a conservation group DEMONSTRATING an anti-poaching method for REPORTERS"????????...."A death they can still chalk up to poaching"?????? Are you kidding me?? This is pathetic....
I feel bad for them - they were trying to help. They must feel terrible about how this ended up.
Epic FAIL.
"Leave the Rhinos alone! Like this one... oops... $hit..."
Ever hear "Practice what you preach"? Leave the rhinos alone.
...and the poachers? Personally I would prefer to invest the comparatively small amount for long range rifles and bullets and cap the poachers in the act, but this was a good try. Any animal can have a poor reaction to even the most standard anesthesia, but if this was the only one lost (which is horrible) lets maybe compare it to how many were saved by the process too. I'm wondering if the poachers know somehow before killing the animal if the horn is rendered useless though? or are they killing them anyway and then finding out, in which case it's not doing a hell of a lot of good. I much prefer removing them but that still involves anesthetizing them; and removing the horn does render them more helpless among their own species also...the horns are there for a reason after all.
I've the perfect solution to the poachers: Blackwater.
Hire some para-military mercenaries to hunt the poachers. A stick figure with a rifle putting a bullet through the head of a stick figure with a rifle should serve as adequate warning, and if not, well, the world is better off without them anyways.
In related news....Sea level rise activists accidently melted the Greenland Ice cap during a melt demonstration pushing sealevel up 20feet. The coodinator of the event simply stated ,"oops. My bad"
And then followed the comment by saying: 'It's an accident that I still chalk up to Global Warming.'
Wasn't this a Monte Python sketch?
No it was the Goodies. They went up on a tandem bike hot air balloon with a sun lamp and melted the North Pole so they could compete in the Winter Olympics that they had practiced for in England with no snow. They ended up tying off the heat lamp to a big ass butterfly that started flying around when all the ice started to melt. Very funny episode.
What a bunch of morons. They did the poachers' job for them. Their intentions were good, but they need to know what they're doing first of all before trying antics like this. No wonder the wild animals in Africa are attacking white people.
Oops...
I don't understand the poachers. If the horn can be removed without killing the rhino, why do they kill it? Especially considering it will grow back.
Problem being you can't remove the horn from a living rhino that isn't sedated (well you can try, but I have a feeling that would be a case of one less poacher). And we just saw how that goes.
Way to go D---A---s.That was a real effective demo
Hahahahahahahahahahaha! Dead Rhino!
I can understand their efforts, but this was a preventable tragedy. You wanna stop the poachers from killing the rhinos? Kill the dang poachers! Or cut off their hands, isn't that what they do to thieves in some cultures? There's no reason to torture the poor rhino, or remove its defenses in the name of "conservation". Grow some gray matter, people!
Of Course! I'm sure they never thought of prosecuting poachers before...jesh
What was John McCain doing in Africa?
Zing!
making sure cheney put the right amount of tranquilizer in the dart...
I agree with the One and Only, this rhino was killed by the very people that are trying to save it. I cried about it when I read it. If you know that not all animals will live thru a tranquilizer, why do you demonstrate with them. That's not the chance I would take, why do they? Just because you think you are an animal rights activist, doesn't give you the right to take their life. Why can't they do an animated version of what you are doing, why do they use a live animal. I don't like this at all. Why not do more to prevent poaching. Poachers are the devil in disguise, I can't understand why they do this and I don't understand why people in this country have to have a wildlife reserve (or whatever you call it) so people in this country can hunt animals down and kill them for sport. These people are all sick if they think they can take the lives of animals on this planet. I'd put them in the jungles without any tools or weapons and let the animals devour them.
well grannynanny they still have to tranq them to process the horns safely, even to remove them. As usual the media is making this sound like more than it is, which is a rare incident. it's like saying you should geld colts standing and awake because one in 100 dies during anesthesia. The risk is worth the end, and I'm sure this animal is not an example of what normally happens...poor thing, it's people who need altering and emasculating more of the time than animals....I am not a PETA nut either, and had the animal died naturally would have been all for doling out the meat (and YES, I forget who asked but Rhino is a very viable meat source) but you can't eat an animal that's been anesthetized, it would kill the consumer.
The wildlife reserves in the national parks in Africa only allow "cull" hunting, where the older weaker animals are the ones taken. They are told which to shoot, and while I don't personally ever want to shoot something as majestic as an Eland or Kudu (or Rhino), it is a necessary evil that the older bulls and injured do need to be removed, and the local people get to eat the product without getting to go take whichever one is closest themselves without regard to good animal management. I don't think I have ever desired to travel to such an amazing country, with amazing people and traditions, and stunning wildlife, just to kill something and bring home its head and skin, but I guess to each his own. I bet some of the good sport hunters here wouldn't mind taking the head off a poacher or two though, maybe they should open a season on them too. That I could get on board with!
This is a sad story. Both unfortunate and ironic. Causing the death of the every creature you are trying to save & protect. You would have thought these people would have known better. As others have already said -- you have to be very careful when you use anesthesia on any living thing - be it a Rhino, a pet, a human being -- especially a small child or an old person. Clearly, these people intention were good -- but I am not exactly clear what the point of the demo was -- I understand that if you "taint" the rhino's horn it is made unusable by those who poach and sell them -- but how will this stop the killing of the rhinos? The poacher will kill it anyway -- only then to find out that the horn is of no use to them -- then what? You got another rhino who is dead for no reason @ all!"
Well, at least I hope the death of this one old rhino will not be in vain-- and in some way helps stop the unnecessary death of many others in the future.