On Tuesday, about 200 representatives from women’s organisations across Da Nang discussed how to raise public awareness about the need to reduce the use of rhino horns in Viet Nam.

Rhinos are killed only for their horns (Photo : tuoitrenews)

The event was jointly organised by the municipal Women’s Union and the Viet Nam Management Authority for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

Nearly one year after the implementation of a campaign to reduce the use of rhino horns in large Vietnamese cities, the demand for rhino horns has dropped by 38%.  Meanwhile, there has been a 25.4% decrease in the number of people who still think that the horns, which are made of the same keratin substance as human finger nails, possess powerful medicinal properties. 

The Director of Wildlife for the Humane Society International, Mrs Teresa Telecky, remarked that rhinos are at high risk of extinction due to illegal poaching for their horns.  The majority of this animal’s horns from around the world have been illegally transported into Viet Nam or into other Asian countries.  She added that black and white rhinos will soon become extinct unless effective measures are introduced to stop the illegal trade in the horns.