Julian Rademeyer

Research report · TRAFFIC · September 2017 · with Sade Moneron and Nicola Okes

Pendants, Powder and Pathways: smuggling routes and techniques in the illicit trade in African rhino horn

How syndicates in South Africa began processing rhino horn into beads, bracelets and powder before smuggling it to Asia.

By Julian Rademeyer, Sade Moneron and Nicola OkesFirst published by TRAFFICRead on TRAFFICDownload PDF

Context

The illegal trade in African rhino horn is driven by consumer demand in Asia, with Viet Nam and China the main markets. South Africa holds 79% of Africa’s rhinos and suffered 91% of the continent’s known poaching losses in 2016.

The assessment draws on 456 seizure records in TRAFFIC’s global database of wildlife seizures, covering 2010 to June 2017. It maps the smuggling routes between Africa and Asia, identifies the main hotspots and describes the methods traffickers use to conceal horn. The report was produced under TRAFFIC’s ReTTA project, funded by Arcadia.

Key findings

  • Small home-based workshops in South Africa were processing horn into beads, bracelets, rough discs and powder to evade detection and supply ready-made products to consumers in Asia. Earlier seizures were mostly whole or roughly cut horns.
  • At least 2 149 horns, weighing more than five tonnes, were seized worldwide between 2010 and 2017.
  • Most horn is trafficked by air, and at least two tonnes were seized at airports.
  • About 24% of seizures also involved other wildlife products, particularly ivory.
  • Concealment ranges from crude wrapping and odour masking to disguising horn as curios, food or machine parts, often on indirect routes.
  • Fraudsters are exploiting demand by selling fake products made from cattle horn, which further complicates detection.

Recommendations

  • South Africa should approve and implement its National Integrated Strategy to Combat Wildlife Trafficking as a matter of urgency.
  • China, Viet Nam and Lao PDR should expand enforcement at airports, borders and markets, and scale up demand reduction.
  • Origin, transit and destination countries should share data on seizures, routes and smuggling methods, and keep accurate seizure records.
  • Seizures should be treated as the first step in targeted investigations of the networks and individuals behind the trade, with arrests, prosecutions and convictions as the measures of success.
  • Law enforcement agencies should use all applicable laws, including money laundering, asset forfeiture, tax evasion and fraud laws, to prosecute criminal syndicates.

Cite as
Moneron, S., Okes, N. and Rademeyer, J. (2017). Pendants, Powder and Pathways: A rapid assessment of smuggling routes and techniques used in the illicit trade in African rhino horn. Pretoria: TRAFFIC East/Southern Africa Regional Office.