Swaziland has submitted a proposal to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to sell its rhino horn stocks to help pay for anti-poaching efforts, according to a copy of the submission obtained by Reuters.
Swaziland’s bid is a surprise after neighbouring South Africa, which will host the next major CITES conference in September, decided not to push to loosen a global ban in trade in rhino horn in force since 1977.
It also comes against the backdrop of a surge in poaching of rhinos for the animal’s horn, which is coveted in Vietnam and other Asian countries as an ingredient in traditional medicine. A record 1,305 rhinos were illegally killed in Africa last year.
For Swaziland’s proposal to succeed, it will need to get two-thirds of the countries attending the September meeting to support it - a difficult task as the issue sharply divides conservationists.
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