Don't Let The Rhino Horn Trade Come Back To South Africa

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The South African constitutional court has officially dismissed an application to appeal the legalization of the buying and selling of rhino horns \[1\]. This means that **soon, the rhino horn trade will once again become totally legal in the country of South Africa.**

More and more rhinos are being poached every single day in order for hunters to get their hands on the valuable horns. Just in the four-year span between 2008 and 2012, rhinos killed by poachers jumped from 83 to 688 \[2\].

Currently, almost 70 percent of the world's rhino population is located in South Africa, meaning that that vast majority of the earth's rhinos would be in jeopardy from this decision \[3\].

"If these regs are promulgated, we will see a significant rise in poaching, as poachers use the significant loopholes to cater to the increased demand for horn in the Far East," Morgan Griffiths, of the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa.

Rhino horns are so highly sought after by poachers because of the ridiculous amount of money (as much as $300,000) they fetch from countries like China and Vietnam where they are believed to help cure diseases, and even hangovers \[3\].

Even though some believe that legalizing the rhino horn trade will actually help prevent poaching, many conservationists argue that it will only increase the killing of rhinos for their horns \[4\].

When this ban is officially lifted, it will put a massive amount of the world's rhino back in danger of being needlessly killed unless we intervene and stop this legalization and increase enforcement of the current ban. **Sign to show your support of the ban on the rhino horn trade!**