Global March for Elephants and Rhinos

Date: 2014-10-10

The march itself was in many ways a representation of peoples concern over our continued and accelerating loss of wildlife. A recent study by the World. Wildlife Fund estimates that we have lost half the world animals since 1970! Elephants and rhinos are the most visible of the destruction of our natural environment as we see graphic images of these magnificent animals killed and their bloodied carcasses rotting in the African sun.

In every instance where there has been a positive change in animal populations it has always been due to passionate people and dedicated governments. And now people the world over are asking government to show their true grit and give the wildlife of Africa a fighting chance. Without real and powerful changes and backing from the government this fight will never be won and although this war is being fought on many fronts there are a few areas that can be strengthen right now and were immediate change will drastically improve the situation.

Every day poachers get caught and in many cases they are out on bail in no time and back in the game parks killing animals to fund their court case. Not only does that result in more dead animals it is also a blow for all those dedicated men and women who fight so hard to save our wildlife. Weak and ambiguous environmental legislation makes it possible from criminals to prosper and leaves wildlife vulnerable.

Changes in the National Environmental Biodiversity Act and the Criminal Procedure Act would change the way in which the poaching of threatened or protected species are tried in court and remove offenders from game reserves.

Law enforcement up until now has not succeeded in detecting and curbing the poaching in South Africa. When arrested poachers are released on bail and sentences imposed are highly unsatisfactory. Therefore it is submitted that the proposed changes to legislation will go a long way in sending the message to poachers that if they are apprehended and prosecuted they will be dealt with harshly in these circumstances.

The time has come to enact a prescribed minimum sentence of 10 years imprisonment for a restricted activity involving a rhinoceros, elephant or any threatened or protected species with a value of R100 000 or more and to categorize the offence under Schedule 5 for the purposes of bail applications in order to reflect the seriousness of the offence and to strengthen the hand of the prosecution and the court when dealing with such offences.

Yvette Taylor of the Lawrence Anthony Earth Organization, organizer of the

Durban event said,"There are many things in this world that we cannot control, but it falls on us to make sure that we positively affect those changes that we can make. We are asking those that lead us to take the protection of our natural heritage seriously and not to allow political gains, indifference or inaction to threaten that heritage. The lethargic reaction and deviation into unusual and unlikely solutions has waste valuable time and has seen our rhino population decimated. We need swift and sensible changes and those proposed in the Memorandum of Demand are exactly that. They are changes that can be made immediately and which will have a profound effect."

The Memorandum of Demand listing the legislative changes needed was handed over to Ms Thokozani Mkhize, Manager of Regulatory Services at Ezemvelo

KZN Wildlife, who pledged her full support for the changes.

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