Culling the Herd and Another Reason Why People Suck

The continued social and political turmoil in Zimbabwe has led to a dramatic surge in rhinoceros poaching.

In a desperate attempt to to stem the tide of destruction of these already critically endangered animals, government officials have announced plans to de-horn the population of Rhinoceros.

The hope is that a Rhino without a horn is worthless to poachers and not worth the effort of killing them.

Initial plans call for de-horning 780 Rhinos, starting in the southeast corner of Zimbabwe.

We spent three days in Zimbabwe in 2004, staying at the Victoria Falls Hotel, a remnant from the country’s colonial past and an oasis for “rich” tourists, where we were shielded from the ongoing strife taking place just beyond the grounds of the hotel.

Still, almost at the very foot beyond the hotel boundary, we ran a gauntlet of hawkers down the trail leading to the entrance to Victoria Falls. On one excursion a friendly police officer offered to escort us to the park gate and come back for us in a couple of hours to escort us back. 

The van driver taking us to the airport the next day spoke of the land he once owned that had been confiscated by the government of Robert Mugabe.

The strain of human society is palpaple, even to the pampered and shielded tourist.

Unable to do anything for the throngs of people that lined the path from the hotel to the Falls as they thrust trinkets, carving, and worthless souvenirs in our faces, I remember do this day as one lady told Jayne as we walked past her little booth near the entrance to the Falls, “I am only trying to make a living ma’am”.

It is dubious for me to judge what it is like to survive in the circumstance of this woman and all the others that plied the mile long walk between the hotel and the Falls, hoping to get some of the wealth that we tourists brought with us. For the most part little more than an “annoyance”, as it is impossible – even of someone could or wanted – to accommodate the crowd of peddlers and impromptu tour guides.

The friendly policeman knew people aren’t always nice when faced with a tenuous grip on survival.

The Rhino in Zimbabwe is killed for the wealth it provides, a horn used for dagger handles and potions throughout Asia and the Middle East.

Perhaps it is easy for me to condemn the actions of poachers that would wipe out a species of animal just to acquire the horn to sell as the handle of a dagger, likely itself used for further violence. I live a comfortable existence and my belly is full.

I remember the woman: “I am only trying to make a living, ma’am”. An honorable living need only be a modest booth selling snacks or trinkets for rich tourists. It shows that an impoverished existence does not necessitate or justify succumbing to the worst of human nature: violence, greed, and indifference. These are traits that inhabit all of humanity, rich and poor alike. 

A dishonorable living includes anything to do with killing a Rhino for nothing more than its horn; killing it to the point of extinction. And then moving on to the next act in the play of human darkness.