Across many Asian regions and particularly in India, poaching of the endangered tiger has increased dramatically as the demand increases the price of parts. Everything from bones, fur, paws, whiskers, testicles, penis and eyeballs are used for various Asian medicinal purposes, most predominantly in China. In 1900 there were 100,000 tigers in India, now there are less than 5,000. China now has less than 100 tigers. Some uses for tiger parts in the Far East include; hanging a tigers nose over the marriage bed to increase the chances of having a boy; soaking the penis in alcohol to increase virility, and using the whiskers to cure toothache.
 
The Plight of the Rhino
The resources made available to rhino poachers are similar to that of ivory poachers. Black market crime syndicates order the horn for interested clients and then task a poaching unit to slaughter as many animals as it takes to make up the quota. They operate with modern equipment using ruthless tactics before taking the horn and leaving the carcass to rot. Female rhinos that lose their calves to poachers go through a period of mourning, in which they will frequently return to their dead calf’s carcass. When poaching gangs manage to kill a calf, but not the mother, they exploit this behavior in order to kill the mother too.
 
Africa’s Situation
The scarcity of rhinos today and the corresponding intermittent availability of rhino horn, only drives the price higher, and intensifies the pressure on the declining rhino populations. The situation for rhino in Southern Africa is particularly bleak with the slaughter now at a 15 year high. The desire for the prized rhino horn has become insatiable in the Far East. In South Africa alone nearly one hundred rhino are being killed each year to supply the superstitious need. In Zimbabwe, statistically the situation is worse with over 15 per cent of the surviving population poached in 2008.
 
What is Rhino Horn Used For
Rhino horn has been traditionally used to treat a variety of diseases and ailments. Contrary to popular belief, one of the only things it not used as is an impotence drug, although many take it due to gullible beliefs. One would be well justified in asking, “Surely they have heard of Viagra?” A Vietnamese woman who recently claimed to be cured of cancer by taking a potion made from the crushed horn has further added to demands in the region. The makeup of the horn is actually not more than a fingernail with extra calcium and phosphorus – two substances readily available at any butcher.