The ConCourt finding has massive implications for the future of the ungulate.
Buying and selling rhino horn is now legal in South Africa following the department of environmental affairs’ failure to convince the Constitutional Court of the need to appeal a High Court decision to overturn the moratorium on domestic trade in rhino horn.
The ConCourt finding has massive implications for the future of the ungulate.
In its application to the ConCourt, the DEA noted “government would effectively be facilitating the unregulated and illegal flow of rhino horn into the international market. This would violate the Cites ban on the import and export of rhino horn for commercial purposes”, which could result in an “overall trade suspension if rhino horn is exported in violation of the Convention. This will have a significant socioeconomic impact on the country”.
“There would be a reduction in State’s ability to detect and prosecute poachers. The reason for this is that the process to capture all the information relating to the rhino horn in private possession on the national database must be finalised and verified by either the national department or the provincial conservation departments,” the DEA said in its application.
“If the authorities are not able to establish how many horns there are in private stockpiles, who owns the horn or where it came from, they will be unable to effectively prevent laundering of illegally obtained horn.”
How frickin' stupid...I have no words for this ''decision''...
Another species extinct because of the stupidity of mankind. In this case, it's all in the pursuit of the perfect "boner".
Sickening!