Question

1. What is the objective and mission of SANParks/Kruger National Park? Is selling rhino horn consistent with their objective and vision? If not, then should it be? Defend your position.

2. Identify the price and the sources of demand and supply of rhino horn. What trends do you identify and what are the likely effects of these trends on the long-term problem of poaching?

3. Identify solutions to the problem of Rhino poaching. What are the pros and cons of each?

4. How can NGOs and non-African governments help to reduce the rhino poaching problem?

5. Construct a five forces model for the rhino sales industry. What competitive threats are associated with the rival sellers, suppliers, buyers, substitutes, and new entrants?

Answer 1

1.

The objective of Kruger National Park is to protect the wildlife in their most appropriate surrounding. Due to increase in human population, many of African forest land has been occupied by humans and as a result has created a misbalance in the ecosystem. The objective of this national park is to preserve the wildlife and make sure that different species of animals are kept in their natural habitat. Overall, the goal is to preserve the wildlife as we know today and protect it from human developmental activities.

Selling rhino horn is obviously not consistent with their objective and vision. This is because rhinos are one of the heavily poached species on the planet and one of the objective of Kruger National Park was to protect wildlife from human activities. This includes protecting the rhinos from being poached. Thus it is not part of their objective and vision.

Selling rhino horn should not be their vision and objective. The challenge with rhino horn extraction is that I leaves the animal vulnerable to various infection once the horn has been removed. Many of the rhinos die after the extraction of the horn (even in case of rhino farming in SA) and thus it impacts their lives directly. Being a national park and being on a mission to protect animals contradicts with this view directly. However, if a rhino dies of natural cause, the national park can have the legal authority to sell the horn of the deceased rhino.

2.

Rhino horns are prices vary from places to places but according to Al Jazeera a rhino horn may fetch up to $60000 per kilo in the black market. This is because in most of the countries, selling of rhino horn is illegal and prohibited.

The supply of rhino horns are usually from natural rhino habitats. Currently different types of rhinos are available in Eastern and Southern Africa, India, Nepal, Malaysia and Indonesia. This means that the supply of rhino horns are usually from these places. These are the sources of rhino horns around the world.

The demand for rhino horns originate mainly from the South East Asia. The well documented demand is from Vietnam where it is used in traditional Vietnamese medicine. However, even though there has been no scientific proof that rhino horn has medicinal value, the poaching of rhinos has not stopped. In some of the cultures rhino horns are considered to hold various medicinal and other values and this is where the demand is generated.