National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, 2004: marking of rhinoceros horn and hunting of white rhinoceros for trophy hunting purposes (No. 756 of 2009)

3 STAATSKOERANT, 20 JULIE 2009 No.32426 GOVERNMENT NOTICE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS AND TOURISM No. 756 20 July 2009 NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT: BIODIVERSITY ACT, 2004 (ACT NO. 10 OF 2004) MARKING OF RHINOCEROS HORN AND HUNTING OF WHITE RHINOCEROS FOR TROPHY HUNTING PURPOSES I, Buyelwa Patience Sonjica, Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, by the powers vested in me under section 9(1 )(al of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, 2004 (Act No. 10 of 2004). hereby issue national norms and standards for the marking of rhinoceros horn and the hunting of white rhinoceros for trophy hunting purposes in Schedule hereto. .......... "\ .·II)/j;::f ! ,,--r (.( .,z.J BUYfLWA SONJICA MINlfTER OF WATER AND ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS Creamer Media Pty Ltd +27 11 622 3744 polity@creamermedia.co.za www.polity.org.za 4 No.32426 GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 20 JULY 2009 SCHEDULE MARKING OF RHINOCEROS HORN AND HUNTING OF WHITE RHINOCEROS FOR TROPHY HUNTING PURPOSES 1. Marking ofrhino horn: 1.1 All live rhinos sold"and transportedatterthe commencement of these norms and­ standards that have not been micro-chipped before, whether on private or state land must be micro-chipped with one microchip in each of the horns. All individual detached rhino horns in private or state possession must be micro-chipped in accordance with Regulation 70 of the Threatened or Protected Species Regulations, published in Notice No. R. 152 of 23 February 2007, as amended (TOPS). 1.2 When an application for the possession of rhino horn is submitted to the issuing authority, information on the circumference, inner length and outer length of each individual detached hom, as well as the weight thereof, must be provided by the applicant. In addition to this information the applicant must photograph each horn. Photographs must be oEa good quality for easy identification of horns. The photographs must accompany the application. These requirements are applicable to all individual detached horns obtained after commencement of these norms and standards. 1.3 Before apossession permit [s issued by the issuing authority, an official must conduct an inspection of the horn and verify the information supplied by the applicant. 1.4 Rhino horns originating from natural mortalities or horns already in legal private possessions, and which are not micro-chipped, must be micro-chipped by the permit issuing authority and all relevant information as prescribed above, must be captured from the date of commencement of these norms and standards. Mortalities must be reported to the authority as soon as possible after the death of the animal. Micro­ chipping of individual detached rhino horns must be done by the relevant issuing authority. The owner of the rhino hom is responsible for the costs incurred by the issuing authority to purchase the microchips. 1.5 The above information must be kept in aprovincial database and any changes resulting from translocation, export out of a province, natural mortalities, hunting etc. must be refiected in such database. The national Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) will develop the database and must keep anational database. 2. Management of the hunting of white rhino: 2.1 Trade in individual rhino homs and any derivates or products of the homs are prohibited in terms of anational moratorium which has been approved by MinMec and published in Government Gazette No. 21301 (Notice No. 835). Only horns that are exported as part Creamer Media Pty Ltd +27 11 622 3744 polity@creamermedia.co.za www.polity.org.za 5 STAATSKOERANT, 20 JULIE 2009 No.32426 of a hunting trophy may be exported with the necessary TOPS and Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) permits. 2.2 Alirhino-huntS"mustoo strictlye6ntrolled-bymeans of an individual TOPS hunting permit issued by the issuing authority and must not be included on TOPS standing permits or game farm hunting permits. This will ensure that all rhino horns can be traced to the property where the hunt took place. .. 2.3 All applications for the hunting of rhino received by the issuing authorities must be referred to the Directorate: Regulation and Monitoring Services at DEAT for recommendation within the time frame as provided for in terms of Regulation 8 of the TOPS. This will enable DEAT to compile a database for hunters and ensure that a hunter does not hunt more than one animal in different provinces per year. 2.4 Rhino hunts should, where possible, take place under the supervision of aconservation offICial from the province concerned, subject to apermit being issued in the name of the hunter. Such official, whose contact details must be provided by the issuing authority, must be informed by the permit holder of the date and place of the hunt at least 24 hours before it takes place. 2.5 Aperson may only hunt and export one rhino for trophy purposes per year. 2.6 A person will not be allowed fo export the horns of a rhino hunted as a trophy in personal baggage and hams may not be separated from the rest of the trophy immediately after the hunt. All parts of the trophy, including the horn must be transported to the taxidermist. 2.7 The horns must be micro-chipped on the property where the hunt took place immediately after the hunt in the case where an official supervised the hunt if it is not already micro chipped. In the case where an official did not supervise the hunt, the rhino hom must be micro-chipped before it is transported from the property where the hunt took place. Only an official from the issuing authority may micro-chip the horns of the hunting trophy. 2.8 The professional hunting register must be completed immediately after termination of the hunt 2.9 The TOPS hunting permit must be signed by the hunter before commencement of the hunt The owner or the manager of the game farm must sign off the permit after termination of the hunt, to confirm the success of the hunt. 2.10 The hunting permit and acopy of the professional hunting register must accompany the rhino products (including the horns) which forms part of the hunting trophy, when being transported between destinations. 2.11 The CITES export permit for the white rhino trophy must be. endorsed by aconservation official at the port of exit prior to the export of the trophy. Creamer Media Pty Ltd +27 11 622 3744 polity@creamermedia.co.za www.polity.org.za