THE handful of white rhino surviving in southern Africa were once a potent symbol of endangered species. But last week the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, meeting in Bangkok, quietly allowed rich westerners to go and hunt them once more. And they declared it a victory for conservation.
Many animal-lovers choked on the news. The International Fund for Animal Welfare declared it “a dangerous message that commercial interests outweigh the long-term survival of the species”. But conservation groups like WWF supported the decision.
The explanation for this conundrum goes to the heart of what CITES is and isn’t…
