12/28/2022 0 Comments Pictures of rhinoceros![]() They snapped more than the typical number of photos of the animals with their cell phones and spent more time with them than Weaver has observed during his 20 years working in Namibia. Weaver was recently exploring the Namibian desert with some guests when he came across a group of tourists who took an unusual interest in two white rhinos. Would-be poachers or informants can then send a photo with a location tag to anyone or return to the spot later to seek out the rhino. Guides, of course, lead their visitors right to where the rhinos are, and the faux tourists may then snap photos without raising any suspicions. It’s even happened in India, where poachers killed a pair of one-horned rhinos in Kaziranga National Park. The first time this happened, in South Africa’s Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park, two men killed a pair of white rhinos. And some illegal hunters even pose as tourists, going on guided expeditions on game farms or in national parks. ![]() Poachers can also examine your photos and identify markers in the background, such as a particular grove of trees or a mountain peak. To combat this, several organizations have started educating travelers about how poachers can pluck GPS coordinates off photos that tourists post on social media sites. “While Namibia would love to boast about its success with relocation of protected species into private parks and the growth of its rhino population and rhino tracking activities, unfortunately such positive news may draw poachers to our area,” said Gitta Paetzold, CEO of the Hospitality Association of Namibia. In fact, they try not to discuss the animals publicly anymore. (Martin Harvey / WWF-Canon) Faux TouristsĪs more and more of the endangered rhinos are killed, conservationists and government officials in some parts of Africa have become extremely protective. Though there is no scientific proof of such medicinal value, rhino horn is nonetheless highly prized-so much so that a single rhino horn can fetch $250,000 on the black market. Some believers of traditional Asian medicine think pulverized rhino horn will cure strokes, convulsions and fevers, among other ailments. Rhino poaching has dominated the news recently, as the number of endangered animals killed over the past few years has risen astronomically-all in an effort to sell the horns of the prehistoric mammals. “If you’ve got a fresh GPS coordinate for a rhino-or you know where it’s going to water every night-it’s very easy to quickly find and poach it,” explains Chris Weaver, director of the Namibia program for World Wildlife Fund (WWF). ![]() Combine that with the fact that rhinos are very sedentary and often hang out in the same general area for days at a stretch, and you have a potentially serious situation. Plug the longitude and latitude into Google Maps, for example, and you could discover the exact spot where the photo was shot, give or take a few feet. When you share your photos with others, the information is embedded within the photograph, and anyone with access to the Internet can extract that data from your picture. Geotagging is the process of automatically including geographic information in cell phone pictures. Turn off the geotag function and do not disclose where the photo was taken.” The Hospitality Association of Namibia recently posted a photo on its Facebook page of a sign hanging in a safari vehicle that reads: “Please be careful when sharing photos on social media. (Martin Harvey / WWF-Canon) Finding Rhinos Or perhaps you’ll take quick pics on your cell phone and post on Facebook or Instagram within minutes.Įither way, what you might not realize is that the second you share that photo online, you could be helping a rhino poacher find his next victim. Maybe you’ll zoom in with your SLR camera and snap some great shots that you’ll edit later and share online with friends. This is what you came to the continent for, right? Seeing a rhino in the wild is one of Africa’s quintessential safari experiences and a lump-in-your-throat moment for those lucky enough to realize the dream.
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