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[DrGonzo615]

Not sure what the difference between a healthy rhino and a sick rhino is but that one looks like death.

but yea, like someone else said, I thought rhinos didnt take too kindly to people invading their space but this one seems as calm as a big cow.

 

[dc89]

An absolute disgrace.
And why? So some cunts can have a meaningless trinket.

 

[Icefire1424]

Not all species result in deformity from inbreeding. So maybe the rhino is like that, I actually don't know...

True, and I wasn't suggesting that deformity as a result of inbreeding would result, but it would certainly limit the amount of variation in the species due to the similarity of genetic material. Limits diversity of future rhino generations (if they survive, that is).

 

[entremet]

Elephants are next sadly.

As long as demand continues to rise and China gets richer.

And sadly, many of those African countries do not have the manpower and infrastructure to deal with poachers effectively.

 

[Azuran]

Can be? We are the worst species on this planet.

And that won't change until we (or all life) is extinct.

I was trying to be nice man

 

[Thequietone]

It's not only china tho! My memory is hazy on this, but I read that the NRA opposed a bill that would've limited or ended import of ivory into the US. I think it was about elephant tusks, but still.

Yeah, because, some antique guns have ivory for the handles and even though the law allowed the use of antique ivory they pointed out how can you tell what is antique and what is not. So they decided to just oppose the law. At least that is the excuse they gave anyways.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

big guy looks positively ancient and incredibly tired.

they may need to look into doing the first ever white rhino artificial insemination.

 

[boinx]

fuck poachers, what a disgrace really

 

[Fox Mulder]

sad, the west probably did plenty of damage before the relatively recent spike in chinese demand though.

wish they could just genetically modify them to not have ivory horns or something since the only thing that will stop poaching is their extinction.

 

[OldAsUrSock]

sad, the west probably did plenty of damage before the relatively recent spike in chinese demand though.

wish they could just genetically modify them to not have ivory horns or something since the only thing that will stop poaching is their extinction.

The animals themselves will evolve accordingly.

 

[ReAxion]

sad, the west probably did plenty of damage before the relatively recent spike in chinese demand though.

wish they could just genetically modify them to not have ivory horns or something since the only thing that will stop poaching is their extinction.

rhinos horns are made of keratin, just like your fingernails.

 

[Air]

This should be posted in the 'pics that make you lose faith in humanity' thread.

 

[-COOLIO-]

I don't think that means what you think it means

interesting, why do you think he's confused?

 

[Mengy]

Elephants are next sadly.

As long as demand continues to rise and China gets richer.

This is what pisses me off. Elephants are awesome creatures, and unless there is intervention they will eventually be shot to extinction too.

 

[shira]

china

china

china

Apparently it's Vietnam for Rhino horns

According to the article some Vietnamese politician was supposedly cured of cancer

 

[Reverend Funk]

This would make a sick album cover.

 

[Heaven's Thunder Hammer]

God, how depressing. I do remember reading as a kid, about 15 years ago that I could probably expect to see the white rhino go extinct in my lifetime due to poaching.

 

[Goro Majima]

They're already doing that in several places. Sad but probably one of the best interim solutions we have until the Chinese and Vietnamese traditions start to change

EDIT: Meant rhino reserves that are essentially adding supply - The situation actually sort of resembles the war on drugs, not the case of the buyers but managing supply - you centralize it, do it in a more ethical manner that discourages uneducated poachers from just straight up torturing and killing the animals

Rhino and Elephant farms should be a thing somewhere like Texas or something so the Chinese can have their horns and the animals don't go extinct. I wonder if it'd be possible?

 

[Eegah]

Why aren't there individuals in zoos around the world. Keeping the last few survivors of a species safe from poachers is one of the most important roles of zoos.

Also, stories like this make me hate the world.

 

[Buddha Beam]

We should start poaching the dicks of people who poach animals, as well as fat assholes primarily found in China who commissioned these things. I hear if you dry and grind their cocks up into a tea and drink them, you can sustain an incredible erection for hours at a time, with the effects lasting for days on end.

 

[TeddyBoy]

A truly horrible photo, I hope we save their DNA for us to regrow the population in the future since that's the only option remaining with so few left

 

[ConsumerSquare]

Hell of an image. Those guards have a job worth doing. I hope they're serious about it.

 

[SamVimes]

The animals themselves will evolve accordingly.

Evolving meaning extinction?

 

[spectral_method]

Could we theoretically clone this species like we did with Dolly the sheep?

 

[ReAxion]

Why aren't there individuals in zoos around the world. Keeping the last few survivors of a species safe from poachers is one of the most important roles of zoos.

Also, stories like this make me hate the world.

Apparently breeding wasn't going well in captivity so they started programs to send them back so they'd be errmm... horny again.

 

[riskVSreward]

The animals themselves will evolve accordingly.

Uhhh... you seem to have a very tenuous grasp on evolution.

 

[RPG_Fanatic]

Well, probably because you need to feed a family, or yourself, and the market is willing to pay you for it.

I mean, these..are..keychains... with living things inside.

You know, for kids..

Its just a mindset of not acknowledging the life of animals. The demand is there, and people need to live, so they'll always gladly do something for money. I blame the gross/growing demand. As they'll always get someone to do something for a buck.

Ugh, those are actually a thing. What kid would be happy with that kind of keychain. That is really depressing.

 

[hydragonwarrior]

Chinese demand.

I can't deny this. China is full of old superstitious and rich (through legit means, obviously) motherfuckers. And said people have little to no concern for animal rights.

And most recent article I found that we're still at it: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...-for-illegally-trading-rhino-horns-and-ivory/

 

[erlim]

How can China not understand what they are doing? They probably spend as much money conserving pandas as they do poaching rhinos.

 

[a Master Ninja]

Whats fucked up is we have viagra now.

Yep. I don't get how this is still a thing when cheaper, scientifically proven boner pills exist.

 

[massoluk]

Uh.. guys. Rhino horn is considered by supersitituous fools to have more medicinal effect than being a sex pill. It's not known for aphrodisiacs, that's usually animal's penis like tiger's.
And if I'm not mistaken, some used it as a cup for the effect like Indiana Jone's cup.

 

[hydragonwarrior]

How can China not understand what they are doing? They probably spend as much money conserving pandas as they do poaching rhinos.

I was going to rebuddle with "it's not the whole of China, just the wealthy" but wikipedia set me straight: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivory_trade#The_rise_of_China_and_the_modern_poaching_crisis

Pisses me off.

 

[ffdgh]

The fact that it had to come to this is rather surreal.

 

[Ingueferroque]

Heartbreaking and stunning picture.

 

[Clydefrog]

I hate it when animals look like they're crying..

 

[EmCeeGramr]

Yep. I don't get how this is still a thing when cheaper, scientifically proven boner pills exist.

IIRC, the "rhino horns are boner pills" thing isn't true, and a conflation of two things: tiger dicks being aphrodisiacs, and the use of rhino horn in general in traditional Chinese and East Asian "medicine." It's supposed to be less of a specific medicine and more of a vague "it increases your life energy" thing so that people can delude themselves into believing that it was responsible for healing them of anything from cancer to a toothache to just feeling crappy one day.

 

[zeemumu]

Try killing it now, Spider-Man!

 

[Any Questions]

how the fuck is demand for ivory rising?

Makes some cunts horny. Genuine thoroughbred cunts of the highest order.

 

[Escape Goat]

Try killing it now, Spider-Man!

Spider Man never tried to kill anyone. Trap them, put them in a cage maybe. But never kill.

 

[Griss]

Yeah, I went to to Tsavo in Kenya last year and we drove by the Nguli Rhino Sanctuary but didn't go in. All the rhinos are under armed guard. (They're black rhinos, obviously). Poachers reduced the population from 80,000 to 20 in about 40 years. Since then they've been guarded by armed solidiers, and the numbers are back up to about 50 I believe. They have tons of space, too, which is great.

Having met a lot of the Kenyan rangers I just can't say enough about them. The Kenyan government + charity subsidies pay these guys proper money so that they get competent people to do the job, and I'm delighted that in a poor country that they are able to do that. I was super impressed by the massive amount of resources going into conservation in Kenya.

 

[Gordon Shumway]

Straight up sad..

 

[RomanticHeroX]

Poachers are vilified, and rightfully so, but equally severe punishment needs to be placed on the people who create the demand, and everyone along the chain who allows hunting and trade of endangered species to continue. The people who actually purchase rhino horns need to receive the most severe punishment. Like, life in prison, complete financial ruin level of consequence. When you consider the damage done by completely eradicating a species from the world, from denying its presence to the countless generations of people after us, there's no deterrent too severe.

 

[radioactivez0r]

Dear North White Rhinos,

On behalf of the rest of us who don't need to kill you to feel better about our lives, sorry man.

Signed,
The good ones

Also, while one would think that at some point genetics might advance to where we can maybe stave off proper extinction, I worry it would only create a slippery slope wherein we go "meh, we can always make more" when faced with this situation.

 

[Palculator]

Evolving meaning extinction?

Well... it's not as daft as it sounds:

The 1.8 million species of living organisms so far identified and named are but a fraction of the totality of life on Earth. Thanks to the fossil record, incomplete though it is, we can estimate that more than 99 percent of all species that ever lived are extinct. In a deep sense, our understanding of the future of evolution is rooted in the past.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/09/opinion/sunday/prehistorys-brilliant-future.html?_r=0

Going extinct is part of evolution after all. There's never been a state of prolonged balance where every species just carried on.

By which I don't mean to defend this Rhino business at all. It's incredibly dumb a species might go extinct because a bunch of idiots can't get it up.

 

[DiipuSurotu]

ITT: People say they care about animal life and then they'll still have steak or bacon at diner

 

[Producer]

rip white rhinos

ITT: People say they care about animal life and then they'll still have steak or bacon at diner

there are plenty of cows and pigs in the world. I wouldnt eat rhino steak

 

[Jenov]

ITT: People say they care about animal life and then they'll still have steak or bacon at diner

Are cows and pigs going extinct? news to me!

 

[Rookje]

 

[Regulus Tera]

how the fuck is demand for ivory rising?

Like amiibos, scarcity makes ivory more desirable.

 

[YoungFa]

Wouldn't it be natural if the rhinos go extinct?