John Hume and the Rhinos
In October, I travelled to a secret location in South Africa to see the rhino farm owned by controversial figure John Hume, and to witness the rhino horn trimming process that he believes sets him aside from other conservationists.
As with a number of stories that I've worked on over the years, this was a perfect example of being able to see both sides of the story so keeping my mouth firmly shut. In a nutshell, Mr Hume's theory is that he currently protects and nurtures a herd of around 1500 white and black rhinos that otherwise would be at risk of death at the hands of poachers in the wild. His 8000 hectare property is patrolled by armed security teams at considerable cost and the rhinos are cared for by a veterinary team to ensure they're at peak health.
All good so far.
However, the questions from detractors come at the next stage of the process, where the veterinary teams regularly trim the horns of the herd, to remove the temptation for poachers in the area. However, these horns aren't destroyed but have been offered for sale at auction, onto the international market.
Mr Hume believes that the only way to slow the market in illegal horn is to introduce official "ethically-sourced" horn from breeders such as himself. The theory goes that when a steady flow is entering the market, the high prices demanded for illegal product will fall.
Now, time for the flip-side of the rhino coin. Other rhino conservationists believe that this will just serve to stimulate the market and encourage the market to continue for many years to come, resulting in the rhinos still being killed but just for less money.
Seeing the trimming process, it's clearly a very well-rehearsed procedure that ran like clockwork during my time on the site. A mounted ranger rides ahead on his horse to locate the next rhino, followed closely by veterinarian Michelle Otto in a pickup truck with a team of staff, handing her darts, DNA packs and other items as needed. On finding the next candidate, Otto tranquillises the animal with a dart fired from a rifle.
While some fought the effects, running for a while, they soon slowed and succumbed to the drug, falling to the floor and rolling over. Some battled the effects, resulting in strange moments where the sedated and blindfolded rhinos stumbled across the fields, pursued at a slow walking pace by the handling teams.
Once down, the teams quickly blindfold the rhino and lift it upright to allow the horn to be accessed. A new blade is fitted and work begins straight away. While one man cuts through the horn with an electric saw, another sprays water onto the area to prevent heat building up through friction. The whole process is over in a couple of minutes.
While the white rhinos proved to be reasonably calm, the black rhinos were a different animal altogether. When word went out that the next on the list was a black rhino, the mood suddenly became very serious and safety precautions were scrutinised. While the trimming process was the same, the evacuation back to the vehicles was certainly a more rapid affair, with the whole team making a break for the nearest truck and, hopefully, safety.
Closely scrutinised by the Government, an official was on-site throughout the day, ensuring that procedures were followed and the welfare of the rhinos was observed. Every trimmed horn was weighed, measured and marked as soon as the area was safe, with even the trimmings from the saw being collected up into bags.
As I stated above, this is a really fascinating story that will go on causing debate and controversy for years to come. While there are a large amount of healthy protected rhinos living in safety, is the sale of the horn justified? This is one story that I'm happy to let the viewer decide how they feel about the issue.
