Buchmann speaks about endangered rhinos

Buchmann’s presentation titled “Rhinos, Elephants, and Vultures (and a few Lions),” included photos of Victoria Falls in Zambia, known as one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Buchmann commented on the size and scale of the waterfall.

“It is so big you can hear it from miles away and see it from miles away,” she said.

Victoria Falls is surrounded by several National Parks, an ideal location for volunteer work since the parks’ wildlife are protected, Buchmann said.

The rhinos Buchmann and her group followed were located on a 4,000-acre parcel that is home to many black rhinos. The land, originally farmed, was eventually purchased and developed into a hotel site.

“The hotel was basically meant to be for rich people to come do safaris. And it was originally thought of to be hunting safaris,” Buchmann said.

The previous owners of the land didn’t like the idea of hunting safaris, so they turned the land into a wildlife preserve. They started with four rhinos, one male and three females. When Buchmann visited, they had 12 rhinos.

Buchmann also spoke about poaching of rhinos. After doing some research she found that the average horn weighs about seven pounds. She also found the horn is sold from $65,000-$100,000 per kilogram, meaning that one horn could sell for as much as $300,000.

She said there is a big market, especially in Vietnam and China, for rhino horns because of its many uses. Although there are many claims about the healing qualities of rhinos’ horns, none of them have actually been scientifically proven.

“The horns are also used in traditional Chinese medicine and modern versions of traditional Chinese medicine,” Buchmann said. “The idea of it being a medicine that can cure everything is kind of a myth.”

Poachers will fly over in helicopters and tranquilize rhinos from above, then crews on the ground cut off the horns, according to Buchmann. She said since poachers normally do not have the well-being of the animals in mind, they harm the animals that ultimately results in many rhino deaths.

Buchmann said there have been a few conversations amongst countries to try to figure out how to save the animals and how to prevent further endangerment. Right now, international trade is illegal for rhinos’ horns. Limited sport hunting is allowed in South Africa, and horns can be sold domestically in Africa.

She concluded her presentation by discussing the large population of elephants and how they sometimes fall victim to large flocks of vultures and shared photographs and videos of lions and their cubs.