Pieces of rhino horns seized at Tan Son Nhat International Airport (Source: VNA) Eight pieces of horns (Cerathotherium simun) werediscovered in the luggage of a 36 year-old man and a 32-year-old woman who haveVietnamese citizenship, flying from Africa to Vietnam. Pieces of horns werehidden in cosmetic and cookie boxes, and glazed terra-cotta kettles.
The Customs Branch at the Ho Chi Minh city-basedTan Son Nhat International Airport prosecuted the case and is working withrelevant authorities on further investigation.
So far this year, the airport’s customs, thePolice Department for Smuggling Prevention and the Police Department forEconomic Crime Investigation – Ho Chi Minh Police discovered and seized 6 kg ofrhino horns and 10 kg of elephant’s tusks that smuggled across the airport.
There are only 25,000 wildrhinos in the world at present, with the population dropping by 95 percent overthe last four decades. South Africa is home to some 20,000 rhinos, or 80percent of the total.
Up to 1,175 rhinos were poached in the countryin 2015, down slightly from the record of 1,215 in 2014. However, many expertsbelieve that the true number of poached rhinos is much higher.
Poaching is attributed to rising demand forrhino horns in some Asian countries, including Vietnam, since many people inthese nations believe that rhino horns can cure illness, a claim notcorroborated by science.
Conservationists have warned that rhinos willbecome extinct within the next 10 years if poaching is not stopped. The lastJava rhino in Vietnam was killed at Cat Tien National Park in 2010.-VNA
VNA
