The African rhinoceros, or rhino, is hunted for its valuable horns, which are sold as ornaments and for other purposes. Every year, thousands of rhinos are lost to this illegal hunting, or poaching, Some conservationists have proposed a project to capture 100 rhinos from South Africa and relocate them to the nearby country of Botswana in an effort to save them from poachers. However, this relocation plan is misguided.
First, the process of relocating rhinos is difficult and risky. In fact, the process has a 2-5 percent mortality rate, which means that as many as five rhinos may die during the course of the relocation. The total population of rhinos on the African continent has fallen dramatically over the years and is now considered to be critically low. Extinction is a real possibility, so every rhino is important. Losing even five is too big a risk. The relocation plan may do more harm than good.
Second, because the population of rhinos is so small, each rhino could potentially play an important role reproductively or socially. Relocating some individuals could harm the population left behind. For example, male rhinos can take up to twelve years to mature before reproducing. lf too many males of reproductive age are relocated, the rate of reproduction among rhinos left behind may decrease significantly. Furthermore, female rhinos and their calves(young rhinos) sometimes travel in groups and can form strong social bonds with one another. Separating them could have unforeseen negative effects.
Third, the relocation plan may not actually stop poaching; instead, it may simply change where poaching happens. In other words, it is possible that the rhinos will be poached in Botswana. Rhino horn is worth $65,000 per kilogram, so poaching is very profitable despite its dangers. Poachers will not stop just because some of the rhinos are moved to a different country
Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they cast doubt on the specific points made in the reading passage.
In the lecture, the professor casts doubt on the reading passage’s idea that relocating rhinos from South Africa to Botswana is misguided. The professor asserts that the relocation project will effectively protect rhinos from poaching and has minimal negative consequences.
Firstly, the passage claims that the relocation process is risky, with a mortality rate of 2-5 percent, meaning that up to five rhinos could die. The author argues that since the rhino population is critically low, losing even a few individuals is unacceptable. By contrast, the professor asserts that while some rhinos may be lost during relocation, this short-term risk is far outweighed by the long-term benefits. Rhinos in South Africa face extremely high poaching rates, which are expected to rise. If they are not relocated, many more rhinos will likely be killed by poachers over time.
Secondly, the author of the passage points out that removing rhinos from South Africa could harm the remaining population, as males take a long time to reach reproductive maturity and relocating too many could reduce the birth rate. Additionally, separating socially bonded individuals could have negative effects. However, the lecture notes that the relocation plan carefully selects rhinos of different ages to ensure a balanced population remains. Moreover, the strongest social bonds in rhino groups are between mothers and their calves, and to prevent disruption, no mother-calf pairs will be relocated.
Lastly, the reading states that relocating rhinos will not stop poaching but will merely shift it to Botswana, since rhino horn is highly valuable and poachers will continue hunting them. On the contrary, the professor contends that Botswana is a much safer environment due to its strong anti-poaching enforcement. The country’s army is responsible for enforcing anti-poaching laws, making security efforts highly organized and effective. Additionally, Botswana’s vast wilderness areas make it difficult for poachers to locate rhinos, unlike in South Africa, where rhinos gather in small, easily accessible areas.
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