LEGALIZATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL RHINO HORN TRADE -- A WAY TO SAVE RHINOS?

Any benefits resulting from the forty-year international ban on the rhino horn trade have been fully exploited, and the rhino population has started to decline again even with the international trade ban. It is time to start exploring an alternative way to save rhinos by lifting the international trade ban and by reintroducing a regulated rhino horn market. This seemingly counterintuitive approach should increase the rhino population as current concerns on the rhino horn legal market are based upon the outdated assumption that people purchase rhino horns mainly for practicing Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Recent surveys and interviews show that rhino horns are no longer obtained solely for practicing TCM. Treating and regulating the rhino horn as a consumer product creates consistency with how it is currently perceived by customers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]