When one thinks of a museum being robbed, the image of the
famous ‘Mona Lisa’ being stuffed in a black bag comes to mind by people in dark
clothing and covered faces. A high tech and thought out movement that could
contain a number of gadgets and weaponry that would not be out of place in a
Bond movie. But now for the past year, the museums of Europe have been ravaged
by a different sort of robbery. It was one that started many years ago in the
plains of Africa and has since, apparently, moved on to the marbled walls and
hallways of some of the finest museums in the world. Rhino Horn.
During the past 12 months, museums across Germany and Paris
have found themselves targeted as an organised criminal gang use sledge hammers
and even at one point, gas, to remove the horns from the mounted heads of the
long dead animals.
The gang, believed to be operating out of Dublin, are then
selling the stolen, hacked off horns to markets in China and Vietnam for
hundreds of thousands of euro for their continued use in traditional Chinese
medicine.
The Natural History Museum located on Upper Merrion Street,
a short five minute walk from Pearse Street train station is a popular location
for tourists, school trips and a simple day out for many. Though not targeted yet
as have other museums in England, the staff in the museum had to make the
difficult decision to remove
the rhino horns from one of their most magnificent
displays.
Markus Cashen, who works at the museum, says they had been
aware of the robberies around the world,
“There was a museum in England and
they tear gassed the place. They didn’t realise the horns were made of fibre
glass.”
The museum was quick to fit CCTV cameras around the rhino
display and removed the separate rhino horns from the walls so any visitors
looking forward to seeing authentic rhino horn will be disappointed that they
have had to be hidden from sight.
It is not surprising that the museum took the measure of
removing the artefacts as the buildings in France, Germany and Britain have been
targeted with gas and even sledge hammers.
Nigel Monaghan, the keeper of the Natural History Museum in
Dublin says, “We took the decision to remove the horns to reduce the risk of
anybody wishing to target them. Our concern was the endangerment of our visitors
and staff.”
The danger was there as Mark Cashen recalls the people who
had been noticed paying a little bit too much attention to their rhino.
“More and more strange looking people were loitering with
intent in the museum around the rhino horns. We put up the CCTV cameras but
people could be seen congregating around the rhino very often and in a
suspicious manner so the Gardai looked through our CCTV footage and said, ‘you
have to take the horns down.’ “
But why have these rhino horns suddenly been targeted? It is
a known fact that rhino horn has been used as a product in Chinese Medicine for
hundreds of years, a belief that has caused the wild rhino population to drop
to near extinction. Rhino horn can be shaved into a fine powder in countries such
as China and Vietnam and when dissolved in boiling water, the ingredient is
used to treat ailments such as fever, rheumatism and other disorders. It was
even at some point believed to be an aphrodisiac, though this has since been
denied.
The recent spate of robberies however, has been born from
another theory that rhino horn can now cure cancer, putting the item in rich
demand in China, Japan and Vietnam.
However, rhino horn is purely made up of keratin, a substance that can
be found to make up our own nails and hair and does not contain any healing
properties.
The American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine made a
statement confirming the ideas of medicinal purposes in rhino horn was rubbish.
The president of the organisation, Lixin Huang said, “That there is no
traditional use, nor any evidence for the effectiveness of, rhino horn as a
cure for cancer.”
The Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine in the UK was also
quick to issue a statement last September when the thefts began. It strongly
condemned the illegal trade in endangered species and has a strict policy
prohibiting the use of any type of endangered species by any of its members.
Many wildlife and environmental organisations were thrilled
to see the statement made and not only that but the RCHM marked the World Rhino
Day on its website which falls every September.
Though it is illegal to sell endangered species for the use
in medicine, much of the buying and selling is done in Asian black markets
where it is difficult to pinpoint the exact culprit of the crime.
It can be hard to change a long tradition, especially one
that’s millions of years old such as traditional Chinese medicine. Not only is
this medicine used in Asia but has become increasingly popular across Western
countries as alternative medicine. However, this kind of medicine and its
effectiveness has not been researched as thoroughly as modern medicine.
A majority of ingredients used in traditional Chinese
medicine are plants and were not considered endangered. But with the increase
in human population and the demand in this medicine growing along with the
decline in animal species, more and more animals are starting to rapidly
decline in number to a terrifying result of possible extinction. Rhino horns
are most commonly known but Saiga antelope horns are also being used and
endangering the species. Tigers, leopards, green sea turtles and sea lions are
all on the ingredient list as well as some plants such as American ginseng root
which are threatened and protected species.
Efforts have been made by countries to prohibit the trade in
endangered animals and protected plants. A wildlife treaty, CITES, was signed
by more than 160 countries and it prohibits international trade of many animal
and plants species.
Despite this, it is obvious trade is still occurring even
with old rhino horn stolen from a museum. At the start of the 20th
century, there was almost only 200 rhinos left in Africa but due to work put in
by reserves and conservationists, this number has reached almost 18,000 in the
white rhino species. Whilst much improved from a couple of hundred, the rhinos
are still in a vulnerable position.
The Black Rhino is the most endangered breed of the hefty
animal and its numbers have been in a scary decline. They number 4,200
throughout Africa today but are still in danger from poachers for their
valuable assets.
The threat of poaching has put conservationists in a
difficult position. Because of the value of a horn and the price paid for them,
whether it is for medicinal use or for jewellery design, the rhinos are often
shot dead for even a stub of a horn, leaving the people that have cared for the
animals and their survival, heartbroken.
Rhino calves are often left orphans when their mothers are
shot, horn hacked off and left for dead by poachers. This leaves reserves to
build an orphanage where rhino calves can live in safety but what about when
they older and grown their own horns? How can the reserves choose to protect
them when it has proved so impossible in the past?
In efforts to protect the rhinos from poachers, rangers have
started using rather unorthodox methods to save them. Recently, poison was
injected into an old bull rhino’s horn by veterinarians in an effort to
dissuade poachers from taking them for medicinal purposes. Though it was
declared the poison would not harm the rhino, the tranquiliser used on Spencer
the rhino, triggered a suspected heart defect and he never woke up.
Though not
directly responsible, in a way, poachers had claimed another life.
Other reserves have also been removing the horns themselves.
Tracking their rhinos, they tranquilize the animal and move in quickly to
perform a quick and almost painless procedure. They quickly saw off the horn,
leaving only a small stub. They can also tag and place a tracking device on the
rhino for monitoring and tracking.
Though it may seem unnatural, the rangers are protecting the
rhinos from further harm from poachers and have said that the male rhinos
inflict less damage on each other during wild fights as neither has their horns
originally used to gore each other in conquest over a female.
Though the poison treatment did not work on Spencer, rangers
and conservationists refuse to stop trying to protect their beloved animals.
Lorinda Hern’s family owns the Rhino and Lion reserve in
South Africa and is prepared to fight for the rhino’s lives. In a recent
interview with GlobalPost, she describes the need to do something.
“We effectively lost three rhinos in one incident,” she
said. “We felt a desperate need to do something urgently.”
The distress in all reserves is obvious as it becomes harder
to protect the rhinos with the growing demand in rhino horn. With steady
breeding programmes in zoos around the world, the breed will never truly go
extinct but rhinos in the wild may sadly become a thing of the past unless
something major is done to stop the poaching. Even people refusing to buy items
of Chinese medicine associated with rhino horn would help.
Mark Cashen remarks sadly as he looks at the hornless rhino
in the Natural History Museum, “Even after his death, he’s still under threat.”
Chinese Medicine is useful in terms of natural, fast growing
herbs and acupuncture but when it comes to using keratin in horn to cure
cancer...well, you might as well chew your fingernails for the good it will do
you.
Side Panel
For alternative medicine that is not putting some of the
world’s most beautiful animals in danger, acupuncture is effective for many
kinds of treatments.
Acupuncture is when non hypodermic, steel needles are
swiftly inserted into acupuncture points on the body. There is minimum pain and
the sensation is believed to mean that the treatment has begun and ‘energy’ is
dispersed throughout the acupuncture point. The needle can be left for only a
few minutes or up to half an hour. The traditional acupuncture is along the
lines of what the Chinese call ‘qi’ and how it moves. When qi moves throughout
the body, helped by the needles in the point, a person can remain healthy. When
there is too little or too much of qi, sickness can occur within a body.
Acupuncture influences the flow of qi throughout the body and its effect on
blood and fluids.
‘Cupping’ is another popular Chinese method. It is
essentially cups being placed upon bare skin. The skin inside the cup swells up
as air is withdrawn and into the space inside the glass. It is left on the skin
for some time and then removed and the skin falls back into its normal place.
There are many different ways of cupping, some the air is
heated, others tools are used to withdraw the air.
It can also be used over
acupuncture needles or moved across the skin. It has been used for thousands of
years for all kinds of ages. It can be used for diseases, or to cure boils or
even encourage bleeding.
Colds and fevers can also benefit in the early stages from
cupping as well as bad circulation and emotional stress. It helps the body
clear out toxins, move around lymph and repair damages tissue.
Not all of Chinese medicine has a bad name, and referring to
methods such as cupping and acupuncture which have registered effect rather
than unproved believes such as powdered rhino horn can help show the world what
really works...and what really doesn’t.
Madam Tussaud fled France several years earlier with her waxwork figures and her young son. With a grim sense of determination and a work ethnic that would please any soldier, Marie Tussaud is determined to make her waxwork show a success. Under Tussaud's guidance, Marguerite slowly begins to come out of her shell, rediscover her creative flare and maybe even fall in love. Marguerite also becomes entangled with a famous man of history - Lord Nelson!
