A Vietnamese delegation has just signed agreement on rhino conservation with the South African Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA). The agreement aimed to fight rhino horn smuggling.
Last year, a pioneering conservation campaign focusing in raising citizen's awareness of the perilous state of Asia’s endangered tigers was launched in Vietnam. The campaign attracted a large number of participation of young people because tiger is known as one of the 12 animals in Vietnamese calendar.
This year, Nguyen Trung Kien - a senior official of Vietnamese Embassy in South Africa hopes a similar effort will turn public attention to the plight of South Africa’s rhino.
Nowadays, both rhino species (black rhinos and white rhinos) are threatened by extinction in the whole of Africa and even in the National Parks, highlighted by the fact that 311 individual animals have been slaughtered since the beginning of 2011.
“In Vietnam, people don’t know much about rhino. But we have a billion people (also in surrounding states) who use oriental medicine and believe rhino horn is a treatment. It’s a false belief, we need to tell them that, and that wildlife here in South Africa is connected to their lives in Vietnam.” Kien said.
Fundisile Mketeni, the Deputy General Director of Biodiversity and Conservation Division of DEA said that South Africa would work with China and Thailand in a bid to sterm the rhino carnage.
In the context of wildlife is under threat everywhere, the society need join hands to protect them from unlawful hunting as well as to prevent using rhino horn as medical treatment.
Compiled by Thanh Pham (TITC)
