Rhino horns trafficked with impunity: report- UPSC Important Topic | 12 December 2022

Rhino horns trafficked with impunity: report-

✅Recently global threat assessment report mentioned there has been an increase in the seizure of rhino horns after 2017.

✅Global Threat Assessment’, was presented at the meeting of the Conference of Parties organized by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

● Illegal supply chain:

✅Prolific Vietnamese & Chinese criminal networks drive the trafficking of the horns.

✅Corrupt element helps the traffickers move the horn shipments without bothering to disguise the products.

● Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC) report:

✅Supported by World Wide Fund for Nature

✅Rhino horns are most frequently smuggled on commercial airlines.

✅More than 7.5 tonnes of rhino horns were seized globally during the decade.

✅The average shipment weight increased markedly after 2017.

✅South Africa, Mozambique, Malaysia, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Vietnam, and China dominated rhino horn trafficking.

✅Vietnam is known to be the primary destination for rhino horn.

✅Horn entering Vietnam is sold to Chinese buyers & smuggled overland into China.