South African rangers last week announced a plan to implant GPS devices in the horns of rhinos in a new effort to combat rampant poaching.
The GPS chips link up to a computer monitoring station where park rangers track the rhinos.
“The animal’s movements are then tracked 24/7 and if they are attacked, game rangers will be alerted via the alarms,” park enforcement officer Rusty Hustler told the Sapa news agency.
PHOTO: EPA 照片：歐新社
The alarm signal activates if the rhino lies inert for longer than is deemed normal, or becomes unusually active.
Five rhinos in North West province have already been fitted with the device, but more will follow if the program succeeds.
“If we prove it completely then my consideration will be that all the North West parks that have rhino should have the GPS device,” he said.
Poachers stalk rhinos by helicopter and tranquilize them with darts from hunting rifles. The horns are removed while the giant animals lay unconscious.
Rhino poaching has spiked dramatically since 2008 with 227 slaughtered so far this year, almost double the number slain in 2009.
Black market demand for rhino horn is particularly high in China and Vietnam, where poachers sell the horns for medicinal and ornamental purposes for up to US$20,000 per kilogram.(AFP)
南非保護區管理當局上週宣布，將於犀牛角內置入全球衛星定位系統，以打擊盜獵行為。
全球衛星定位系統晶片將與保護區管理員的電腦控制中心連線，方便追蹤犀牛。
保護區官員魯斯提‧哈斯勒告訴南非新聞通訊社說，「我們到時會全天候追蹤這些動物的一舉一動。如果牠們遭到攻擊，警報系統會通知保護區管理員。」
如果犀牛靜止得比正常時間還要久，或者變得不尋常地有活動力，警報系統也會啟動。
南非西北省有五隻犀牛已經置入這個裝置，但這方案成功的話，未來將會有更多的犀牛安裝晶片。
他說，「如果要全部實施的話，那麼我考慮西北省有犀牛的所有保護區，都該裝這個全球衛星定位系統。」
盜獵者以直昇機跟蹤偷偷接近犀牛，並在適當時機以來福槍的麻醉針，將牠們麻醉無法動彈。犀牛角就在這些巨大動物毫無意識的時候遭人類取走。
盜獵犀牛自二零零八年急劇上升。今年至今統計有二百二十七頭犀牛慘遭殺害，幾乎是去年整年的兩倍。
中國與越南黑市對犀牛角的需求特別高，用途以醫療與裝飾為主。盜獵者以每公斤犀牛角兩萬美元的價格販賣到這些地方。
（法新社／翻譯：吳岱璟）
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