South Africa: organisations, government lambast rhino trade ruling

27 novembre 2015

2 min di lettura

(AGI) - Cape Town, 27 nov. - Decision of the High Court inPretoria to overturn the South African governmental moratoriumon domestic rhino horn trading, has illicited fierce resistancefrom government and animal right organisations. The high courtgranted an order to two South African rhino breeders to setaside the moratorium because there was not adequate publicconsultation. The moratorium, which came into effect in 2009,was put in place to back up an international ban on rhino horntrading until regulations on how to deal with it had beenformulated. The rhino breeders maintained that the moratorium should beset aside because South Africa's Environmental Affairs MinisterEdna Molewa did not give proper notice of her intentions tomembers of the public and South Africa 400 registered rhinobreeders and owners. The minister intends to appeal thejudgment, the department of Environmental Affairs said in astatement. The minister intends to appeal, which means that theoperation and execution of the judgement will be suspended interms of section 18 of the Superior Courts Act, 2013, thedepartment said. In the absence of the moratorium, all trade inrhino horn will be subjected to the issuing of the relevantpermits by the relevant provincial conservation department. Commercial international trade in rhino horn is stillprohibited under the provisions of the Convention onInternational Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna andFlora. The World Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature said the high courtruling would encourage rhino poaching as it would now bepossible for individuals to buy rhino horn within South Africa.This ruling is a blow to the government, which imposed themoratorium in response to a sharp rise in rhino poaching andconcerns that the national trade was facilitating the illegalinternational trade in rhino horn, said Jo Shaw, rhinoprogramme manager for WWF South Africa. (AGI).