Let’s get this straight: in differing tongues our Princes tell the world how jolly cross they are and what a despicable thing the illegal trade in animal body parts is. The ‘London declaration’ is going to be signed thank goodness. Almost as many politicians were trying desperately to get a warm off this feelgood junket as charities were. And as for the poachers and dealers in this multi-billion pound industry? They must be quaking, scared witless as they destroy then disgorge yet another priceless harvest of illegal horn, bone and ivory.
Acres of column inches have covered this conference, very few reporting have looked at any sort of solutions. Talking, declarations and anger, although worthy, are not solutions. Incidentally these ‘unprecedented’ pow wows are not new, one of the more recent tiger conferences was held in Russia. At a casino. Many people have been laudably passionate in their condemnation of this despicable trade. However, almost all have also shown a complete lack of common sense and practicality.
Number one for crassness are the royals themselves. It is daft to try to classify the hunting of wild boar in Spain alongside butchering tigers, before parcelling them piecemeal to the Far East. Yet, the mere fact that Princes Charles and William attended this conference with the blood of their Spanish quarry still on their hands shows utter insensitivity and a startling example of how out of touch they are. The rapacious press were ready for this and ravished them. It was nothing new; Prince Charles, for all his sentiment, has spent a good chunk of his life shooting the crap out of the grouse populations in the highlands.
Alongside crassness is myopic optimism: ‘If we follow the money and take back organised crime’s ill-gotten gains, it will send a strong message that there are serious consequences when they kill’ – oh, they really are cross. How precisely is this going to be carried out, do they honestly believe they will get penalties raised to the level of those given to drugs barons and cartel hoodlums – incidentally, another battle being lost badly.
Inevitably celebrities have jumped on this, eager to shed crocodile tears in front of flattering cameras. I just wish some of these people would issue some home truths. Just claiming a sympathetic exposure will help elephants or rhino is trite, misguided and invariably self-serving. Although it is better than nothing, the endangered species need more. William Hague says it is: ‘ a powerful declaration that we will not tolerate this abhorrent trade’, just as ‘we would not tolerate’ a Middle Eastern leader murder 100,000 of his defenceless people. He is deluded if he thinks the ‘full force of the law’ will be used in bringing the perpetrators to justice. Take a look what punishments are currently given out to poachers and dealers - little more than a gentle slap on the wrist –both insulting and derisory and as statistics show, not remotely a deterrent. Every few months a fraction of the illicit trade are punished more severely but this is only political lip service. If Mr Hague, or any of the leaders jumping on this, wants to make bold declarations why don’t they not bring in some stipulations that might actually make a difference.
On BBC Radio 2 an ex-Guardian editor was making a very valid argument for farms for these endangered creatures, allowing the old animals to be shot by trophy hunters for vast sums of money. ‘If the game can pay, the game can stay’ is an old argument and not without merit, but if it means the only place to see these animals is in gated communities, it does not work. There are plenty of countries in Southern Africa that have looked after their rhino and elephant far better than their Eastern neighbours and they resent the single rule on horn and tusk. However when the stockpiles were sold in the one-off ‘Beijing exemption’ in 2008 it was a green light for every piece of contraband to be sold and continue to be retailed all over China under the venal pretence of being legal.
It is fact that horn, tusk, whiskers or bone are useless in medicinal terms. Most Chinese don’t care, despite being a country where losing face matters so much. Their burgeoning middle class buy their bones and trinkets mainly now because they are rare. The dealers want these animal populations wiped out so their stockpiles grow in value exponentially.
Are we going to savagely shame them like we should, are we hell. In human rights they dwell at the lowest and murkiest level, what chance have animal rights? Perhaps the ‘Telegraph journalist’ that tells them ‘they need to embark upon an education programme to debunk the idea that tusks, horns and tiger bones have any medical properties’ should take an excursion to one of their insidious and ghoulish tiger farms.
Before this stereotype gets broader, let’s be clear, most Chinese want a world with tigers but there is something very few know: that a dead one can fetch up to $30,000 in their, still legal, market but a live female in a reserve that lives a fertile life is probably worth, with all ancillary benefits, around 100 million. Kill them all and the high carat goose lies down forever.
This persecuted triumvirate of box office species are worth so much more alive; people will pay large sums to see, not shoot them and the livelihoods they support are numerous. Some species provoke contentious debate. The WWF. has a panda as its logo. I am told this is symbolic, correct: symbolic of failure, ask anyone you know if they have ever seen one in the wild. The answer is no. Any pandas seen are in zoos where they are rented out by the Chinese for over a million dollars a year. If those monochrome bears are not having cubs they will not cover their costs, but still someone will get fat on them. They are beyond saving, sadly; the other three and countless others are not.
1000 rhino were killed in South Africa last year. Do not have notions of poachers being loin-clothed with bow and arrows, these are high tech assassins with equally high grade weapons. Over a 1,000 rangers have been killed in protecting them too in recent years in Africa. This is a very bloody business that will not be defeated by words or anger alone.
Some might say "why should anyone care in the west what happens to elephants and tigers"? Animal rights activists may say eating factory-farmed animals is a far worse crime. Conservationists and environmentalists (titles not requiring qualifications) will ask for help from governments knowing deep down it will achieve little. There are cries of using NATO to police the populations (never going to happen). Others say the UN should get involved – wrong on so many levels – take a look at their record in Rwanda if you need a UN case study. There are always calls to boycott Chinese products – just as unlikely and also another cry, one that has some substance – a shoot on sight policy for poachers. A desperate situation needs drastic action.
In the 80s Kenya was about to lose all of its elephants until Richard Leakey brought in this policy. It worked, it has pedigree. It is also difficult. People will always argue that when there is huge demand for a product the financial temptation will always outweigh the rights of the animals. So this has to be done at two levels. Every time a conservationist, politician, or A-lister mentions these animals they do not forget to savagely shame the perpetrators in the Far East. Big name football and basketball stars have huge kudos there and if they say it is wrong and very publically deride the butchers who call the shots, people will take notice. If they continue to just talk of their own personal angst it will achieve nothing. Then it’s time to go after the poachers.
The poachers at the very bottom of the food chain earn a fraction compared to the dealers. If their illegal shooting is now inviting a legal bullet, it will surely make a difference. Is the parsimonious $80 really worth it, when it could be them ending up on the slab? If that still does not work why not a bounty on any poachers head, the blood money used on more protection.
If the professional hunters can honestly tell me every penny of the massive fees spent on shooting an animal goes where it should I will listen to them. Personally I find it hideous that someone could look down the barrel at a rhino or tiger and pull the trigger. But think on this, an old elephant will die a terrible death of starvation as its final set of teeth file down. Imagine if every cent of the $50,000 spent by the fat hunter was used looking after the rest of the herd and the local custodians?
A pipe dream? Maybe. So for now, stop the empty promises and start shaming the end users and major players. Tigers, pandas, rhinos and elephants get plenty of money but it must be used sensibly. If local people are feeling a good warm off their striped, horned or tusked neighbours they will be their most effective guardians. Is this extreme? Yes, it has to be. The time for words, promises and declarations is long gone.
As for Charles and William, perhaps selling off their ornately built royal Purdey shotguns might at least be a start, it will give the press less reason to shoot them down. Forget conciliatory discussions Charles, ignore diplomacy. The world listens to you, most like and respect you, so next time you have one of your tax-payers conservation get-togethers with the planet’s media: name and shame, flush them out from behind their millions.
As for last week’s conference, perhaps cynicism is wrong, perhaps the world’s king-pins in this massively lucrative industry will have a change of heart, perhaps the poachers will turn gamekeepers, perhaps the millions who use tiger and rhino products to massage their flaccid libido’s and ego’s will turn to Viagra……perhaps. Perhaps it is too early to judge the conference. Many defend it saying it is better than nothing.
Currently these three signature species’ numbers are tumbling just as many other endangered ones are dwindling, let’s keep judgement reserved for a few months and see if anything has happened. Anyone optimistic?
Do you agree with Paul? Let us know in the comments below!
