M99 - Etorphine - Rhinoceros Poached 28 Sep 2012 - 412

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South Africa again sees another four Rhinoceros slain in cold blood for the greed of bloody fake medicine of which has neither medicinal value nor chemical properties. The Rhinoceros death toll hits 418 and although by the time I have written this another Rhinoceros would have been sized up ready to fill Asia’s traditional Chinese medicine markets full of FAKE medicine.

How many times does one have to advertise though to Asia that Rhinoceros horn does not cure headaches, migraines, hypertension, rheumatism, arthritis, cancer, diabetes, pneumonia, to skin ailments and sexual dysfunction to many more other illness and hypochondria.

Well you can advertise it as much as you want, sadly where there is money there is life and a much better one to say the least when it comes to the slums and ruins of China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, to Sudan of which many of these poachers will travel from. You also have those that are South African’s themselves that are entombed around this vast dollar sized horn that consist of corrupt Veterinary staff, Police officers, to Game rangers themselves.

2011 and 2012 start saw many corrupt “Rhinoceros keepers and law enforcement” members arrested that had deliberately set out to harm the Rhinoceros or had been bribed to even having their families to themselves held at gunpoint of which the poachers had set. Farmers to where also included within this along with poachers themselves, couriers and rarely triad kingpins.

International Animal Rescue Foundation has carried out much work on the Rhinoceros however seeing the numbers now rise to a staggering four hundred and eighteen then we have to now start placing ourselves back within the public domain making ones presence felt and to not as a successful, well supported and powerful organisation both land and on-line be seen to lack in this area of which we are extremely frustrated at the lack of government action, funding, support to even awareness of organisation and anti-poaching units.

International Animal Rescue Foundation has made much awareness on the Rhinoceros crisis now but one thing that we have not documented on is that of the poacher themselves and how they have modernised from the nineteenth century to the twenty-first century using an assortment of modern warfare items that is seeing more Rhinoceros slaughtered than ever before.  Where the hell are these weapons though coming from and why are they using such an array of different modernised weapons?

We need to cut the crap first of from which we are going to continue to state and that is China is the number one kingpin in this massive genocide of our animals in the Republic of South Africa and animals worldwide. That we have already gone into in detail on showing the increasing rise since China and the Republic of South Africa started to trade and work together. We are though fascinated at one aspect within the Rhinoceros trade and that is not so much the weaponry that is used to remove the Rhinoceros horn that is worth on the black illegal market in excess of hundreds of thousands of dollars just for one intact horn, but more the weapons used to render the animal unconscious from which the poachers then remove the horn either savagely or cleanly from which the Rhinoceros is ninety per cent of the time never murdered during this vicious removal but sleeping from the drug that it has been darted with then dies a slow and painful death.

M99 or Etorphine a powerful semi-synthetic veterinary opiate that one to three thousand times stronger than the human morphine equivalent and which can kill you (human) if it comes in to contact via the bloodstream within seconds from repertory depression, cardiac arrest to blood poisoning. Etorphine (M99) is strictly regulated by governments and is only to be used in sedating large animals such as that of the Rhinoceros, Elephant, and Wildebeest, plus other larger animals at least over one ton in weight. Etorphine is also a powerful analgesic of which can help to alleviate pain by suppressing the nervous system thus sedating or temporarily rendering the animal unconscious although it is not recommended to be used at long intervals as it can cause cardiac arrest hence why it is only used BY and registered TO veterinary staff that work in the fields with large game wild and non-wild game.

Below is an extract from Wikipedia – “Diprenorphine (M5050), also known as Revivon, is an opioid receptor antagonist that can be administered in proportion to the amount of etorphine used (1.3 times) to reverse its effects. Veterinary-strength etorphine is fatal to humans. For this reason the package as supplied to vets always includes the human antidote as well as Etorphine”.

Large Animal Immobilon is a combination of etorphine plus acepromazine maleate. An etorphine antidote Large Animal Revivon contains mainly diprenorphine for animals and a human-specific naloxone-based antidote, which should be prepared prior to the etorphine.

M99 etorphine though is as said strictly government controlled, so is this very powerful opiate synthetic drug ending up in the hands Asian poachers, or are they using a pumped up form of diprenorphine mixed with other sedative chemicals that are taking our Rhinoceros down thus killing them. In China diprenorphine is used as human usage as an analgesic of which we strictly advise no one visiting China from the European Union, African states or America to have this administered upon them if in pain.

M99, etorphine is being used within the poaching community to take down a Rhinoceros, and this is something that International Animal Rescue Foundation now wishes to find out who is supplying this powerful analgesic to the poaching team syndicates. Farmers, vet’s to rangers and zoo keepers come within contact with this medicine, could it be them? Why are the makers of the drug not taking more stringent precautions to now monitor the sales or ordering to ordering of this drug and its location? Why are there no thorough and more stringent checks of whom uses this drug and why is it not being made safer or banned as of it being widely used within poaching community of which is the best choice of weapon because it is a silent killer rather than a rifle that can be heard from up to five miles or more away at night.

Hong Kong, United States, Netherlands, and United Kingdom have stringent and tough laws on the misuse of M99 ranging from fines, to life imprisonment to being punished under the misuse of drugs act.

An article written on 11 September in regards to M99 (etorphine) has stated now tougher measures are to be introduced in to South Africa in regards to it being used as of the lack of veterinary staff in South Africa that farmers have been asking more of. In South Africa there are more Rhinoceros on private farms than there is in the local reserves hence why so many farms are being hit nowadays by poachers. Farmers have argued that they need the use of this drug that has been used for many years now so they can assist in helping a sick animal to bringing it back to its natural surroundings if it escapes or wanders on to other “unprotected farms” that have no security again another issue that we will be highlighting as well as funding to help secure these farms from poaching “incidents”

The report then went on to state that due to the new ruling veterinarians were now the only people legally empowered to give an anaesthetic or immobilizing service to animal owners “so will this now see a reduction In the amount of poaching as of farmers no longer being able to use this drug? Again many questions that need answering and one which we shall now be keeping a close eye on to ensure that should any farmer be caught using M99 by ourselves that are not veterinary trained then we will be asking questions to reporting this to the authorities, SAPs and HAWKS.

Just to reiterate to any farmers that are not trained to use this drug then the amendment to the Veterinary Professions Act came into effect in June 2012 in regards to the usage of this drug. Should the law not be followed and/or broken then one could be placing their own animals in to more danger as of the makers threatening to remove it altogether from South Africa as of its misuse, lack of veterinarians and poaching incidents that the press wrongfully published on stating that there was “a few incidents of the drug being used by poachers” of which is a damn right lie as this is being used a lot by poachers and being the choice of weaponry to due to reasons that we still cannot establish fully on until more investigations into its misuse are fully looked into.

“Veterinary medicines were not available on prescription to farmers (as stated in the report).  Havinga disagreed, saying veterinary services were available throughout the country”. International Animal Rescue Foundation ADVISES all farmers that should you not be able to find veterinary then you are to report this “immediately” as M99 now has to be strictly (controlled) that way one can then see where and who is using the drug and with the new law being brought in, in June of this year.

Although WRSA has stated there is not enough veterinary staff in the country then this International Animal Rescue Foundation will publish more on if this is the case in a hope that the drug can be more regulated and monitored.

International Animal Rescue Foundation knows that the problem in regards to this highly dangerous potent, and silent weapon lies with the farmers and veterinary staff that are either selling it, OR becoming involved in “organised Asian crime” of which is going to see the Rhinoceros death toll to way above the 2011 kill statistic. Not all farmers and veterinary staff must be tarred with the same brush though as this is unfair. However in March 2012 one of the most “highest” members of the KNP (Kruger National Park) former head of game capture, Douw Grobler, appeared in court this on charges relating to the illegal use of a tranquillising drug favoured by rhino poachers, three other veterinarians followed suite with him all charged with the same felony.

Their appearance coincided with a furore about another vet who gave 26 bottles of the tranquilizer M99 to a game-capture outfit in Limpopo. (Why would an “outfitter” wish to have such drugs for?) That wouldn’t be because they are selling under the counter tranquilizers to illegal hunters or maybe “organised poaching gangs”?? Who knows as of yet, but this is why International Animal Rescue Foundation wants tight regulations placed onto hunters NOW to hunting being banned.

Watchdogs called for a clampdown on unethical members of the veterinary and private wildlife industry who are fuelling the poaching crisis.

Tom Milliken, Southern Africa director of Traffic, an international wildlife trade monitoring group, said individuals in the private game industry were conducting a “guerrilla warfare” that had a corrupting influence on public officials at reserves such as the Kruger.

“Poachers and Asian nationals involved in the illegal rhino trade are starting to get meaty court sentences,” he said. “Only when we see the high-profile white guys in the game industry end up with similar penalties will they realise it’s not worthwhile getting involved.”

Sarah Pappin, a representative of the United States-based non-governmental organisation, Saving Rhinos, said research showed that only 5% of the 397 rhino-related arrests made in South Africa between 2010 and 2011 were “white guys” in the game industry.

“Since 2006 29 white guys have been arrested in connection with rhino crimes. Only two were sentenced to jail time, more than 93% were granted bail, 17% were repeat offenders and more than 20% worked in the veterinary field,” Pappin said.

Grobler appeared in the Pretoria North Magistrate’s Court with Johannes Gerhardus Kruger, a private vet, and Buti Chibase, a state vet from Klerksdorp. They appeared with professional hunter and game farmer Hugo Ras and four others — Matthys Christoffel Scheepers, Riaal Booysen, Johan Carl Heydenrych and Christoffel Francois Naudé — whose details were not given.

National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Mthunzi Mhaga said they were granted bails of between R1 000 and R5 000 each on provisional charges of contravening the Medicines and Related Substances Act and would appear in court again on April 3.

Grobler was arrested in November 2011 in connection with the possession and distribution of scheduled veterinary medicines. Five crates of medicines were confiscated during a police raid on Ras’s home, which led to his arrest.

During his tenure as head of the Kruger’s game capture unit, Grobler made an international name for himself on large-scale wildlife relocation programmes that included elephants and rhinos. He was fired in 2001 for the unauthorised sale of animals from the park’s disease-free buffalo breeding project.

Vets infuriated at the abuse of M99 leaked documents earlier this month about the unauthorised distribution of 26 bottles by Boksburg vet Johan Hendrik Meyer. A single drop—0.1mg—of veterinary-strength M99, also called etorphine, can be fatal to humans. It can be bought only by vets, who have to keep it under lock and key and maintain a register of its use for inspection. A single bottle containing 10ml can sedate as many as 15 rhinos. (Lock and KEY though is not being adhered to and now MORE measures need to be implemented).

The potent drug has been used in numerous rhino-poaching incidents in recent years, particularly on private property, because it allows poachers to drop the animals without the noise of a gun. They then either kill the rhino before removing its horn, or leave it to wake up with a gaping hole in its face.

Meyer was found guilty of unprofessional conduct by the South African Veterinary Council and fined R25 000. He was also given a six-month suspension, set aside for 10 years on condition that he is not found guilty of a similar transgression.

The sentence caused a huge row among wildlife vets. Some described it as a “slap on the wrist” and accused the council of “failing the profession badly by not dealing with the problem”.

Lynette Havinga, acting registrar of the council, refused to be drawn into the row this week. She also could not say how many complaints the council had received about the abuse of M99 and other game-capture tranquilizers in the past year.

If vets are caught illegally distributing scheduled veterinary drugs such as M99, she said, “the council will act upon a guilt finding in the normal courts of law, will obtain the details of the court proceedings and will then hold its own investigation according to the required procedures in terms of the Veterinary and Para-veterinary Professions Act”.

Four South African National Parks officials arrested this week in connection with rhino poaching appear to have used silenced rifles rather than M99, investigators said.

The four—a ranger, two field guides and a traffic officer—were arrested on Tuesday after two freshly killed rhino carcasses were found in the Pretoriuskop section of the Kruger, an area where at least 11 rhinos have been killed since the beginning of the year.

Milliken said the arrests could prove to be an important breakthrough. “It is good that internal complicity in the poaching is getting exposed. It makes one wonder how many incidents in the past were influenced by similar internal factors,” he said.

So with laws tightened “so it has been claimed” then why the hell has another four Rhinoceros one pregnant cow that had to be euthanized had their horns removed with precision, great care, and again with a “darting agent used” mainly M99 from the

VetaPharma Limited is the main maker and distributor of M99 all of the world, VetaPharma Limited will be informed of the savaging usage and corruptness that surrounds this drug as we can no longer see this drug being used as a “weapon” no more we need to see it being administered for what it is used for. By carrying this simple communication out it could reduce the hits upon the Rhinoceros and other game as well as the misuse of it that is spreading all over the Republic of South Africa that is being freely supplied to the poachers by vets to farmers that are still using this highly sedative medicine.

South Africa has a heritage to keep that being the Rhinoceros, if International Animal Rescue Foundation see’s that this drug one that can be controlled is being misused then we have a right as animal protectors to now demand that the drug is made safer OR withdrawn from Africa unless tougher and stringent controls are made NOW and SOON to stop the selling and killing of Rhinoceros to other game for thousands of dollars of FAKE MEDICINE. Asia you may have had your play in the jungle now it’s our turn. On our soil in the European Union we can make the makers and distributors see sense, had the drug been used correctly then we would not now be taking this action to have tougher controls place upon it to having it banned from Africa.

More news on the misuse of M99 –

http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/rhino-survives-brutal-attack-by-poachers-1.488351

http://www.voanews.com/content/new-breed-of-poacher-decimates-african-rhino-137825514/159501.html

http://www.rhinoconservation.org/2011/01/11/five-rhino-killers-shot-dead-in-kruger-national-park-south-africa/

http://www.pacificbreeze353.com/newsletters/index.cfm?y=article&company=17&article=3956&nl=615&click=web&subsection=50&langu=1

http://www.timeslive.co.za/scitech/2012/09/12/game-farmers-won-t-take-tranquiliser-ruling-lying-down - (GAME FARMERS ARE GOING TO HAVE TO LEARN THAT WHEN ONE MISUSE SOMETHING THEN THE OTHER SHALL TAKE IT AWAY AS IT IS NOT A TOY”.

There are many more links identical to the above of which makes upsetting reading. We will not take poaching lying down and we certainly will not see this “choice” of weapon used by poachers supplied by the game industry to the barbaric slayers.

ENOUGH IT SIMPLY ENOUGH WHEN IT COMES TO A VAST LOSS OF LIFE.

International Animal Rescue Foundation is working more behind the scenes now in fighting this war, some days you will see us talk on the Rhinoceros crisis most though you will not. It was our choice to take this stance for security and to nail these bastards ensuring that our land and online units safe and are always watching. It’s always devastating for a reserve or a family to lose an animal[s] but we can assure you that we are helping, we are doing our utmost best to ensure that support, awareness and funding is ploughed in to South Africa regarding this barbaric illegal trade. More online measures will be followed up, and we will be communicating with the public on a “need to know basis” this is what makes the International Animal Rescue Foundation unique in its role ensuring that the criminals are caught and placed behind bars there businesses are shut down to social communication wiped out to. Ecology, Conservation, Marine biology, Botanical studies, Climatology, Meteorology, Mamology we are best at and carry out to the full along with much more.

Your support is grateful to us and much-needed to spread awareness around the world of such a devastating impact the illegal trade in Rhinoceros horn is having both on the Rhinoceros but to the heritage and people of South Africa.  Why not check out our African and Rhinoceros Facebook pages below, our main website that we will be modernising soon is here too. www.international-animalrescue-foundation.org.uk

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https://www.facebook.com/josaphine.vegane#!/IARFRhinoWelfareSA Rhinoceros Welfare

https://www.facebook.com/josaphine.vegane#!/pages/International-Animal-Rescue-Foundation-Rhino-Press-Office-South-Africa/281734388539316 Rhinoceros press office

RANGER TRAINING COURSES CAN BE FOUND BELOW ON;

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http://www.gapafricaprojects.com/game-ranger-training.php

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