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JOHANNESBURG – Park rangers in South Africa are cracking down, hard and with lethal force, on rhinoceros poaching. Nine alleged poachers have already been killed this year by rangers, twice as many as in all of 2010. The sharp increase in the number of poacher deaths has gone hand-in-hand with an uptick in the number of killings by poachers of rhinos for their horns, which fetch top dollar in Asia where they're prized for their purported medicinal powers.

THE roaring chainsaw sends fingernail-like shards flying into the baking Zimbabwean bush as it slices through the slumped black rhino's foot-long horn. The critically endangered female loses her spikes in just seconds, after being darted from a helicopter. A few minutes later, she leaps up and escapes -- disfigured but alive -- in a dramatic attempt to deter the poachers who have unleashed a bloodbath on southern Africa's rhinos. "De-horning reduces the reward for the poacher," said Raoul du Toit of the Lowveld Rhino Trust which operates in Zimbabwe's arid southeast. "Poaching is a balance between reward and risk. It...

Twenty. That’s how many rhino are being lost to South Africa every month through poaching. A creature that first emerged during the Eocene and lumbered through the aeons to walk the Earth today is being shot and hacked in numbers that are truly terrifying. The horn that makes it among the most distinctive creatures on the planet — the one we knew instantly back when the icing on Iced Zoo biscuits was applied with greater finesse — is also the mark that sentences it to death. It’s not as easy to get emotional about rhino as it is about elephants...

– South African police said Wednesday that they have arrested 11 suspected members of a major rhino poaching ring which they said had been linked to many rhino poaching incidents. Police spokesman Vish Naidoo said the suspects include two veterinarians and a game farmer. He says the 10 were arrested earlier this week and one was arrested Wednesday after he appeared in court to support the accused. Game farmer Dawie Groenewald was released on 1 million bail ($140,000), which is believed to be the heaviest in the crime's history. The remaining 10 were released on bail ranging from 5,000 to...

The Great Plains Zoo and Delbridge Museum of Natural History has opened a new, state-of-the-art “Rare Rhinos of Africa” exhibit designed to engage and excite visitors about rhinos, conservation and Africa.The Great Plains Zoo and Delbridge Museum of Natural History has opened a new, state-of-the-art “Rare Rhinos of Africa” exhibit designed to engage and excite visitors about rhinos, conservation and Africa. The Eastern Black Rhinos that call the Great Plains Zoo home are only two (a breeding pair) of 60 of the rare rhinos in the entire United States. The Eastern Black Rhino is an extremely endangered species. It is...

Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan received critical cover from moderate Republicans on Thursday on two issues likely to dominate her upcoming confirmation hearings: gays in the military and judicial experience. Kagan has been strongly criticized by GOP leaders for her efforts to block military recruiters from Harvard University during her time as the school's law school dean because of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. The policy, opposed by President Obama, prevents gays and lesbians from serving openly in the armed forces. Top Republicans have also highlighted the fact that Kagan has never served as a federal judge, something...

It was a Christmas gift to Kenya this week when four northern white rhinos were relocated from the Czech Republic back to the wild in Laikipia. A Boeing 747 transported two males, Sudan, 37, and Suni, 30, and two females Najim, 20, and her offspring Fatu, 9, in containers specially equipped for the tw-tonne animals. They were then driven out of Nairobi to Ol Pejeta Conservancy. The relocation of the four rhinos — half the known population of the extremely rare animal left in the world — is seen as handing them a lifeline. Rhino experts believe that releasing the...

JESSE LEE PETERSON RADIO SHOW...everybody and their mama listen in! Listen Live Mon-Fri 6-9 a.m. PST / 9-12 a.m. EST. LISTEN HERE

Time for September’s Terrible Liberal of the Month: Olympia Snowe! Though, a more appropriate title for this week’s column may be Biggest Liberal of the Month. Despite the “R” that appears next to her name, there is little proof that the Maine senator is actually a Republican. Snowe may as well have admitted she was a Democrat ten years ago when, in 1999, she and her colleague Susan Collins (also “R”-ME) both voted to acquit Bill Clinton, saying that perjury wasn’t a grave enough charge to warrant impeachment. No, breaking the law and lying outright before a grand jury isn’t...

At least 132 persons were arrested for poaching 46 rhinos in Assam since 2006, the government informed Lok Sabha on Wednesday. Replying to a written question, environment minister Jairam Ramesh said nine rhinos were poached in 2006 while 21 and 16 in 2007 and 2008 respectively. He said the estimated population of rhinos in the four different protected areas of Assam was 2,021 of which 2,048 rhinos were found in Kaziranga National Park, followed by Orang National Park (64 rhinos), Pobitra Wildlife Sanctuary (84) and five in Manas national Park. "Various committees constituted by the state government have suggested certain...

This is a video from The Daly Buzz that attempts to shed light on Crist's sexual preference. What are your thoughts?

You have to see this picture. Don't have time to embed it, but click the link. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_2loqh_dRGgc/Sij2FsVwsQI/AAAAAAAAAAw/Ea9jywq_dXI/s1600-h/rhinocrist.jpg

Yamaha recalls 2008 RhinosProblem with brake caliper affects 7,800 vehicles Story by ATV.com Staff, Apr. 01, 2008 Yamaha Motor Corp. USA of Cypress Calif. has recalled some of its 2008 Rhino side-by-side vehicles due to a problem with a brake caliper. The recall, which was voluntarily conducted by Yamaha in cooperation with the Consumer Products Safety Commission, affects about 7,800 Rhino YXR450 and YXR700 UTVs. Owners of these vehicles should stop using them immediately unless otherwise instructed. The brake caliper on the left front wheel may have been made incorrectly, which could result in brake fluid leaking. This can cause...

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - Two 19th century rhino horns stolen from a South African museum could be deadly if sold as a popular aphrodisiac because they are drenched in poison, a museum official said on Monday. The "priceless" horns were snatched from a display at the historic mammal gallery in Cape Town on Saturday evening, said Jatti Bredekamp, chief executive of Iziko Museums. "Unknowingly, the thieves have exposed themselves to more than the danger of arrest and prosecution," Bredekamp said in a statement. "Before the mid-twentieth century, taxidermy mounts were prepared by being soaked in arsenic and preserved from insect...

A great many Freepers receive fund raising letters from the GOP. I've recently received one that asked me "Have you abandoned the Republican Party? We haven't received your annual contribution yet". When receiving such letters, I urge all other Freepers to write the RNC back and explain precisely why no more money is forthcoming. For most of you, the prime issue will be amnesty and border security. I believe such constant pressure on party leadership is the only way we might be heard in the amnesty debate. I've included a copy of my reply to Mr. Tim Morgan, RNC Treasurer,...

Diabetes is tough to manage for most well-to-do Minnesotans, but it's a greater burden for people like Maria, an illegal immigrant with little income and no health insurance. Test strips to monitor her blood sugar cost $80 a box. Drugs are expensive, too, and so are the fruits and vegetables that people at La Clinica in Minneapolis tell her are a must. When money runs tight, the medication runs out. The diabetes takes over and she becomes exhausted, which means she can't make it to work as a cleaner. That means less income for her family, and for her health...

Speeders, look out. Mayor Bloomberg backs new technology that shines a light on drivers in the fast lane. On his weekly WABC-AM radio show yesterday, Bloomberg voiced support for placing devices atop taxis and private vehicles that would light up when motorists exceed the speed limit, making speeders easy prey for cops. He mentioned seeing such alarms in Singapore. "We all want the laws enforced. And when we have technology [that] can let us enforce the law and save us money in doing so, what's the argument against that?" Bloomberg mused. "If I have a police officer watching to see...

KROMDRAAI, South Africa (Reuters) - A pair of orphans have formed an unlikely bond on a South African game park although horns and a love for horse pellets are about the only things they have in common. Clover is an 11-month old female rhino calf who was orphaned in the wild when her mother was slain by poachers. Her constant companion these days is Bok-Bok, a young goat who was also lonely and abandoned. Improbably, the two made a perfect match and have become inseparable companions at the Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve about 30 km (18 miles) northwest of...

Yup, Savage was right: he predicted last week that the media would go overboard covering a missing woman, and sure enough .. sadly, but sure enough .. here comes a missing woman in Utah and a suspicious husband. They are purposely avoiding discussing the acts of possible treason and theft of classified documents by the Bergler ..even Geraldo .. it's disgusting. ""When I was informed by the Archives that there were documents missing, I immediately returned everything I had except for a few documents that I apparently had accidentally discarded." Sandy Berger A very telling Washington Times editorial, posted on...

By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent WASHINGTON - Short on votes and beset by internal divisions, Senate Republicans struggled Tuesday to salvage a respectable defeat for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, an issue that President Bush (news - web sites) pushed toward the top of the election-year agenda. "This issue is not going away," Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee said in a virtual concession that the measure would fall short of the 60 votes needed to advance past a Wednesday test vote. "Will it be back? Absolutely, yes," he added. Democrats, many of whom oppose the measure, took...