By Tom Heap, BBC
Radio 4's Costing the Earth
A new DNA
database is being set up to hold genetic information on all the rhinoceros horn
in the UK
It's probably
not every day that a museum will get a couple of drill bits in the post
accompanied by a polite request to bore a hole in one of their highly valuable
exhibits.
But those
holding rhino horn can expect just such a package in the next few months as the
National Wildlife Crime Unit roles out its database.
"The
illegal trade in endangered species is one of our six wildlife crime priorities
and, within that, the number one issue for us is the illegal trade in rhino
horn," says unit head Det Insp Nevin Hunter.
In Africa , white rhino numbers are rising.
But despite
this, a rapid rise in the incidence of hunting means that, if present trends
continue, it won't be long before the population begins to dwindle.
Poachers are
driven by the high prices paid in China
and Vietnam
Stealing
antique rhino horn kept in the UK
“If we want to make inroads into the illegal
trade in endangered species, DNA will certainly be the key tool to do that” Ross
McEwing, Trace
As one curator
in East Anglia
In the past
two years, there have been at least 20 criminal incidents involving rhino horn
in the UK
PC Andy Long,
a wildlife crime officer in Essex who advises
Colchester Zoo on keeping its rhinos safe, says it is "highly-organised
crime at an international level".
"They
know how to obtain the horn and they know how to dispose of it - you can't just
sell it on eBay," he says.
Some criminals
also try to pass off freshly-poached specimens as antique.
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