A South African wildlife dealer was sentenced to eight years in jail over 38 horns cut off sedated rhinos, a measure which, he said Wednesday, was meant to protect them from poaching.
Jacques Els was sentenced in northern Limpopo against a background of increased rhino poaching which has left more than one animal killed a day so far this year.
"It is taking on astronomical proportions. It has to be stopped," Beeld newspaper quoted magistrate Pat Cloete as saying when sentencing on Tuesday.
The 39-year-old was arrested in 2010 after buying the horns for 760,000 rands ($100,000, 77,000 euros) from game farm manager Tommie Fourie who drugged the animals and cut off their trademark spikes.
"It was alleged that Mr Fourie tranquilised rhinos on the farm and illegally dehorned them. He then sold the 38 rhino horns to Mr Els," said police spokeswoman Ronel Otto.
Els pleaded guilty and was granted bail. He is appealing his sentence.
"It has nothing to with poaching," Els told AFP on Wednesday, saying the horns were removed from the animals "to protect them from poaching".
The manager, his fellow accused, committed suicide in 2010 because of stress, he said.
Beeld reported that none of the dehorned rhinos were killed.
By the end of February, the official rhino toll for the year was 80, but anti-poaching website StopRhinoPoaching.com listed 117 as of Tuesday. Last year, a record 448 were poached.
The horns are sought by international syndicates which sell them to the Asian traditional medicine market for their alleged healing properties.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/africa-game-dealer-gets-8-years-jail-rhino-153111190.html
benjamin netanyahu storm shelters nick lachey chevy volt christina hendricks lifelock camp david
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.