Military-tactics against poachers. "Shoot to kill"

[Al Gorefiend]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/...9AA0VH20131112

New infantry-style tactics of concealment and ambush by armed park rangers are credited with turning the tide in the war against poachers of the endangered rhino on one front, in South Africa's Madikwe Game Reserve.

The slaughter of rhinos - a creature regarded as an icon of African wildlife - for their horns to meet soaring demand in Asia has raised alarm bells among conservationists.

Since April, Madikwe rangers previously so under-equipped that they lacked even boots have been undergoing military training overseen by a former British special forces soldier.

They have been kitted out with state-of-the-art gear provided by the Ichikowitz Family Foundation, a charity that supports anti-poaching initiatives on the African continent.

The numbers suggest this strategy is working. "Since the training started in April, we have not lost a rhino that we know of," said Declan Hofmeyr, chief of operations at Madikwe.

To be precise, the last rhino known to have been poached in the park was on April 6, more than 200 days ago, a remarkable turn of events given the onslaught that had been taking place.

Poachers have gunned down rhinos indiscriminately to meet demand from newly affluent economies in Asia, notably Vietnam and China, where the animal's horn is highly prized as a crucial ingredient in traditional medicines.

At $65,000 a kg (2.2 lb), rhino horn on the streets of major Asian cities is now more valuable than gold or platinum. South Africa, which is home to the vast majority of the world's rhinos, has become the epicenter of the slaughter.

Last year the 680-square-km (260-square-mile) Madikwe lost 18 rhinos to poachers, a dramatic surge from 2011 when two were slain. In the first 3-1/2 months of this year a further nine were killed in the park for their horns.

Then the killing stopped in Madikwe, while the toll has continued to rise in the rest of South Africa. According to government data, as of November 6, 825 rhino had been poached in South Africa in 2013, compared to 668 for all of last year.

If the trend stays at its current pace, more than 1,000 rhinos would be killed in 2014, putting the roughly 22,000 animals in South Africa on the brink of population decline.

FROM RANGERS TO SOLDIERS

The rangers in Madikwe, mostly rural Africans drawn from the region, have bushcraft skills and a rich knowledge of flora and fauna honed from lifetimes spent in the rough countryside.

But their equipment was shoddy and they had no military training, putting them at a distinct disadvantage when confronted by well-armed poachers backed by international organized crime syndicates.

Ex-British army soldier Alan Ives, who has been overseeing their training, told Reuters: "It's easier to make a soldier out of a ranger than it is to take a trained soldier and teach them about the African bush."

The Madikwe rangers now have scopes mounted to their rifles and torches or flashlights for night patrols, among other equipment upgrades.

This does not mean they are cowboys rushing out to shoot to kill - South Africa does not officially have such a policy - but the training and firearms improvements are seen as potential deterrents to poachers.

Some of the rangers previously didn't even have boots and showed up for patrol in jeans. "Not all of us had boots before, I used to bring my own but they were too tight for me, I couldn't even walk 3 kms without taking a rest," said 26-year-old Given Nitmane.

The military has been deployed elsewhere in South Africa to tackle the rhino poaching problem, such as in the Israel-sized Kruger National Park, where former special-forces soldiers have also joined the ranks of park rangers.

The success of such tactics in Madikwe compared to Kruger - which has lost 500 rhinos so far this year, and counting - may come down to size and geography.

At almost 20,000 square km, Kruger is nearly 40 times the size of Madikwe, and even putting 40 times the number of boots on the ground there may not help that much because its wilderness areas are so remote and far off the beaten track.

Kruger also has a 350-km (210-mile) long border with Mozambique, one of the world's poorest countries where rural villages are often densely populated, providing plenty of recruits for the lucrative business of rhino poaching.

Madikwe by contrast shares a border with sparsely populated and relatively affluent Botswana.

Still the Madikwe success could be rolled out elsewhere in the country if donor or state funds are made available.

Small local populations also mean word spreads fast. "We are also doing a lot more live ammunition training now. People around the reserve can hear this and it sends a very clear message about our abilities and intentions," Hofmeyr said.

http://www.savetherhino.org/rhino_in.../shoot_to_kill

Last year, Save the Rhino received an email from a concerned supporter after a comment on a well-known rhino conservation blog apparently ‘celebrated’ the death of five poachers, shot by rangers in South Africa. What were Save the Rhino’s views on the shooting, they asked? Is it ever OK to defend a policy that can mean the loss of human life in order to protect wildlife?

Save the Rhino’s position, and the policy adopted by most of the programmes that we support, is to shoot-to-kill only as a last act and in self-defence. Anti-poaching rangers must first do all they can to avoid this. In the event of a contact (a ranger meeting a poacher), it would be much more beneficial if they were caught and arrested, giving the opportunity to recover valuable information about who has commissioned them to turn to poaching, information about the supply chain, and smuggling routes. If a poacher fires – they virtually all carry guns these days – and endangers the ranger’s safety, then rangers may fire back, with the chance that lives may be lost in this exchange.

Shoot to kill is one of the most controversial issues facing rhino conservation

Many anti-poaching and monitoring programme staff in the field are armed but not all. Those protecting National Parks or Game Reserves usually are, while those protecting rhinos and other wildlife in conservancies (private or community-owned) are not. It’s a tough ask to face a poaching gang when all you possess is a torch, a phone and a GPS. Some rhino holders are applying for Police Reservist status, which would allow named individuals to bear arms; others have come to arrangements with local police forces or the government department to carry out joint patrols. Whoever is protecting the rhinos, is it morally acceptable to shoot to kill?

Very occasionally, shoot-to-kill is not only tolerated but encouraged, as a way of sending a very clear signal to poaching gangs, and rewarding the bravery of the rhinos’ protectors. In Kaziranga National Park, India, forest guards receive a cash bonus to their salary if they successfully wound and kill a poacher. This stance has affected funding; indeed this policy caused the BBC Wildlife Fund to pull out of planned funding for the programme a couple of years ago.

Furthermore, in Kaziranga the forest guards will not be prosecuted for shooting a poacher, whether in self-defence or as a pro-active ambush or attack. The issue of indemnity for armed wildlife guards is an important one for many field programmes, whose staff risk being caught up in lengthy court cases and even prison, while acting in the line of duty.

Protecting rhinos endangers lives. Mohammad Hasen Ali, a ranger at Rajiv Many anti-poaching teams are armedGandhi Orang National Park in Assam, India was fatally wounded when apprehending a poacher and declared dead on arrival at the nearest medical centre. His family received $2,000 in compensation. Conversely, a Zambian poacher has just been killed, one of a group of three armed poachers who resisted arrest and shot at rangers in Tshakabika, Sinamatella in Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. There are casualties on both sides.

In South Africa, 232 suspected poachers were arrested in 2011. But of these how many will actually end up being sentenced? Why we don’t hear of more poachers going to prison, and why is it so hard to convict a poacher?

The disparity between sentencing in different countries is great. The law in many countries does not assign long prison sentences to wildlife crime. In Zambia, possession of rhino horn or a conviction of poaching can receive a sentence of 20 years, while in Kenya, the penalty for poaching is simply a fine (and a relatively low fine at that)
Even where tough laws do exist, for a criminal case, it is difficult to prove beyond all reasonable doubt that a poacher is guilty. To do so would require DNA analysis linking the rhino carcass, the horn and the poacher. Too often, the expertise is not available for this type of sophisticated analysis. Even in South Africa, where this facility is available, many poachers are currently awaiting trial dates, and appeals have been sent out for more evidence from the public to complete these prosecutions. If a poacher is apprehended before an attack, there is very little to prove, except armed trespass
There is general frustration about the prosecution of rhino poachers. It is important to build the political will to ensure that prison sentences are given. Time and time again, poachers are acquitted at trial. If this is the case, then legal measures to crack down on poaching are not working. Poachers who do not receive a prison sentence are free to return to national parks and poach more rhino.

The highly organised nature of poaching syndicates means that the poacher ‘on the ground’ is doing the dirty work, but somewhere much higher up the chain is a criminal gang, very literally, calling the shots. This makes convicting poaching offences harder, and means that killing a poacher will achieve very little in terms of reducing the number of poaching incidents. Syndicates can easily find another person willing to take the risk and shoot a rhino. And that puts those who protect the rhinos in an unenviable position.

Poaching is a major problem around the world and the basis to many issues surrounding the African continent. Poachers are slaughtering the critically endangered Rhinocerous species for their horn, which in the Asian market is more valuable than gold and diamonds. Animal conservationist are fighting back against these poachers by valuing the lives of the animals over the lives of the poachers - killing them on sight.

Another article by the Huffington Post brings the issue further

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/1...n_4065740.html

Elephant poaching has become such a widespread problem in Tanzania that one official suggested an extreme approach to reduce the number of incidents: Shoot poachers on the spot.

Speaking at the International March for Elephants last week, Khamis Kagasheki, the Tanzanian Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, said that the country needs stricter punishments in order to curb elephant poaching.

"Poachers must be harshly punished because they are merciless people who wantonly kill our wildlife and sometimes game wardens," he said before suggesting the "shooting on the spot" policy, according to the Tanzania Daily News.

Kagasheki then preemptively addressed concerns from human rights activists, arguing that poachers do not only harm animals, but also do not "hesitate to shoot dead any innocent person standing in their way."

The minister made the comments after announcing that next month the National Assembly will review a new bill outlining heavier punishments for poachers.

Officials around the world have proposed a variety of unconventional strategies to curb poaching practices -- from using drones to injecting poison in rhino horns. Though many have recommended harsher penalties aimed at deterring poaching, conservationists nevertheless took issue with Kagasheki's extreme statement.

"It's important the punishment for poaching is a deterrent, but killing poachers is not part of the measures we have been advocating. It would lead to an escalation of violence," Bell'Aube Houinato, World Wildlife Fund's Tanzania director, told The Guardian, adding, "[I]t's very difficult to control who is actually killing."

Home to the Serengeti National Park and game reserve, Tanzania has one of the largest elephant populations in the world. However, the country in recent years has seen a drastic decline in its number of elephants, due primarily to poaching.

According to the government-run Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute, poachers are responsible for the deaths of 30 elephants per day. From 2009 to 2011, 37 percent of all elephant tusks seized originated in Tanzania, making it the world's leading exporter of illegal ivory at the time.

So, it looks like a popular opinion that the lives of endangered animals are of higher value than those of illegal poachers. What are your stances on this? I personally rally on the side of the conservationists, as poachers are unreasonable and usually armed with weapons powerful enough to take down these animals - its either kill or be killed.

[Sky High]

would I shoot a guy for killing an endangered animal? no. but if the rangers that spend their lives side by side with these animals have the desire to then more power to them.

[chazus]

I feel that killing is always wrong.

Buuuut if something unfortunate happened to these guys, I really wouldn't feel bad. What goes around, comes around. And yeah, I think I'd rank endangered animals higher in value (of life, not dollars) than the poachers.

- - - Updated - - -

would I shoot a guy for killing an endangered animal?

Would I kill a man? Naw.

Would I put a bullet through his knee? Certainly not.
>.>

<.<

Yeah I would.

[Sky High]

Would I kill a man? Naw.

Would I put a bullet through his knee? Certainly not.
>.>

<.<

Yeah I would.

I have a baseball bat for that.

[Zethras]

I feel like I agree with chazus, shoot them in the legs to make them unable to run away, and apprehend them, but, I won't lose any sleep if one of them happens to bend down to tie his shoe at the wrong time and said bullet hits him in the brain instead.

[Tradewind]

I have a baseball bat for that.

Arrows work better.

huehuehue

[Deleted]

would I shoot a guy for killing an endangered animal? no. but if the rangers that spend their lives side by side with these animals have the desire to then more power to them.

This pretty much. I don't care for criminals or what happens to them, but if they would be hurting something I love I'd prob react to it.

[Wilian]

Shoot to disable.

[King Shark]

I have a baseball bat for that.

And the poacher has an elephant gun. So, good luck with that.

On topic- if this is what it's come to, then this is what it's come to.

[Deleted]

I feel that killing is always wrong.

Buuuut if something unfortunate happened to these guys, I really wouldn't feel bad. What goes around, comes around. And yeah, I think I'd rank endangered animals higher in value (of life, not dollars) than the poachers.

- - - Updated - - -


Would I kill a man? Naw.

Would I put a bullet through his knee? Certainly not.
>.>

<.<

Yeah I would.

Depends, I wouldn't value endangered animals higher then innocent lives...but I would compared to some criminals.

- - - Updated - - -

Shoot to disable.

Disable for life.

[Sky High]

And the poacher has an elephant gun. So, good luck with that.

as if I would be galavanting through the grass with just that. I'd be packing this:

isn't make believe fun?

[Tradewind]

South Africa is like Africa's Florida.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

As much as I hate Poachers. I believe military tactics should strive to be the better men(And women to!).

South Africa is like Africa's Florida.

South Africa is now insulted by being compared to Flordia of the States

[Kellhound]

Given the general willingness of the poachers to kill the wardens, I has little issue with it.

[jaykaywhy]

From an objective standpoint, there's what.. 6-7 billion humans in the world? Compared to the fact that they're hunting endangered species, facing threat of being permanently wiped off the map forever, because of greed.

No problems with it.

[Deleted]

I'm glad animal conservation is being taken seriously in some parts of the world. Poachers are often armed themselves with the potential to kill, I don't see a problem with equal retaliation.

[Al Gorefiend]

From an objective standpoint, there's what.. 6-7 billion humans in the world? Compared to the fact that they're hunting endangered species, facing threat of being permanently wiped off the map forever, because of greed.

No problems with it.

I'd like to add to that by saying greed is the only motivating factor to poaching. "Desperation" doesn't put you on a plane to Africa, load you with weapons, and slaughter one of the most threatened animals on the planet.

[King Shark]

as if I would be galavanting through the grass with just that. I'd be packing this:

isn't make believe fun?

Now we're talking. That shit would make a T-Rex.... a little uncomfortable right before he ate you.





But those poachers, fucked.

[Al Gorefiend]

I'm glad animal conservation is being taken seriously in some parts of the world. Poachers are often armed themselves with the potential to kill, I don't see a problem with equal retaliation.

All parts of the world have conservation laws of some kind. Even the historical slaughterfest that is China had strict conservation laws for Pandas.

[Deleted]

South Africa is like Africa's Florida.

whats somalia then?