Killing for Profit: Exposing the Illegal Rhino Horn Trade
Killing for Profitby Julian Rademeyer is an eye-opening and horrifying two year investigation into the poaching and trafficking of rhinoceri, which threatens to make these mammals, which have survived on earth for over 50 million years, and extinct species. Southeast Asia pharmaceutical markets are the ones buying these prized horns, and they are paying prices higher than gold or cocaine or heroin! And who besides the poachers are involved in these criminal slaughters of the near-sighted, helpless beasts? There are greedy syndicates who use gangsters, con men, mercenaries, killers, poachers, gunrunners, crime bosses and even diplomats and government officials (bribed enormously under the table.) The countries fighting this trade are South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, but the war against these corrupt, money hungry thugs makes dangerous conditions for those seeking to stop the atrocities against rhinos, all because the Asian population believes the horns are aphrodisiacs! For centuries the Asian people have believed that powdered rhino horns would cure everything from hang-overs to cancer, and although modern science has disproved this, the people still want to buy it, so Asian pharmaceutical companies and shops keep it in stock, resulting in thousands of rhinos being systematically slaughtered each year. The new rich in these countries don't care how much it costs or that it is illegal and still believe in not only the medicinal qualities but also want the horn to display as a prized status symbol of wealth. So sad, but the book is intriguing to see how far people will go either to destroy or save a species, which is irreplaceable on this earth!