Any veterinarian found guilty of disgracing the profession through improper conduct may be barred from practising, the South African Veterinary Council said (SAVC) on Tuesday.
“The council may impose, if a person is found guilty of disgraceful, improper or unprofessional conduct … [punishment ranging] from a reprimand to the withdrawal of registration to practice as a veterinarian,” it said in a statement.
The SAVC was reacting to the arrest of nine members of an alleged rhino-poaching ring, including two veterinarians, one of their spouses, and a game farmer and his wife. They were caught during early morning raids on Monday at Modimolle, Polokwane, and Musina in Limpopo.
“The SAVC fully supports the investigation into all illegal activities. If any registered veterinarians are found guilty of criminal activities an investigation into their professional conduct will follow …”
The group, allegedly linked to “hundreds of rhino-poaching incidents”, will appear in the Musina Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, national police said.
“No further arrests have been made as yet,” spokesperson Colonel Vishnu Naidoo said.
The accused would face charges relating to breaching regulations governing the protection of wildlife.
“This was a joint effort between the Hawks, South African National Parks, the National Prosecuting Authority, and aviation authorities,” Naidoo said.
Beeld newspaper reported on Tuesday that the two veterinarians were well-known in Modimolle, and owned an animal clinic and a wildlife organisation involved in catching and transporting game.
The accused would be kept in custody until their appearance on Wednesday.
‘Everyone is connected now’
More than 200 rhinos have been killed for their horns since the beginning of this year — up from a total of 122 poached last year.
Conservation agencies, at a press conference earlier this month, said a growing, wealthier middle class in East Asia and widespread use of cellphones, making communication between poachers and customers possible, were some of the causes for the increase in rhino poaching.
“There is a growing middle class in East Asian society that can afford to buy rhino horn … which they use as medicine,” World Wildlife Fund (WWF) spokesperson Joseph Okori told reporters.
Rhino horn is incorrectly believed to treat cancer, among other diseases, in some Asian countries.
The spokesperson for rhino-conservation agency TRAFFIC, Tom Milliken, said: “There are 100-million cellphones in Africa. Everyone is connected now. A guy can make a call from a game reserve and say ‘I’ve got the horn, come pick me up’. Then a car is [organised] to pick him up and in a day or two he can be on a flight out of the country. This was not happening years ago.”
He also attributed the rise in rhino poaching to the growing Asian presence in Africa.
Wildlife Ranching South Africa recently called for rhino poaching to be legalised in an attempt to combat it.
WRSA manager Reinhardt Holtzhausen said the reintroduction of rhino horn to the trade industry, under strict control and standards and overseen by South African authorities, was the “key to the solution”.
Wednesday marks the WWF’s first “Make a noise for rhino day” initiative in support of the country’s “rhino warriors” — the men and women who risked their lives daily fighting gangs running the illegal rhino horn trade.
Apart from blowing vuvuzelas and tooting car hooters, the WWF encouraged people to make donations at www.wwf.org.za, which would be used to buy anti-poaching equipment for guards, including binoculars, radios, night-vision gear, body armour and tracking devices. — Sapa