Illegal trade investigation, Yemen

Project leaders: Esmond Bradley Martin and Lucy Vigne
Activities: Research
Funding partner: EAZA Rhino Campaign

Since the early 1970s, Yemen has been the most significant country in the world for importing rhino horn. Traders smuggle more rhino horn into this one country than into any other. In Yemen, mainly in Sanaa, the horns are made into dagger (jambiya) handles. It is because of this trade that rhino poaching continues in the East African region. Esmond Martin and Lucy Vigne have been studying and reducing trade in rhino horn to and within Yemen since 1978 and 1986 respectively, with regular visits to Sanaa and other parts of the country around every two years. In the late 1980s and 1990s, they succeeded, with the support of the Prime Minister of Yemen, in banning imports of rhino horn and exports of horn shavings to the East. They also prohibited the internal trade in rhino horn, as well as banning the making of new rhino horn jambiya handles. This crackdown on trade, supported by efforts to lower the demand by encouraging substitutes for the horn, reduced the quantity of rhino horn entering Yemen considerably. After many meetings, Yemen also finally agreed to join CITES.

The grant from the EAZA Rhino Campaign of 10,100 euros paid for a further visit by Martin and Vigne to Yemen. The objectives of the trip were to monitor Yemen’s rhino horn trade, and to promote the use of substitutes for rhino horn jambiya handles being made in Yemen, thereby reducing the demand for rhino horn. These would be achieved by:

• Investigating trade routes for rhino horn coming to Yemen
• Collecting new information concerning rhino horn prices and recent purchases
  Counting the craftsmen and workshops in Sanaa's souk and Taiz’s souk for comparison purposes and trends
• Checking prices and sales of jambiyas with various handle types
• Photographing craftsmen and jambiyas
• Talking with Yemenis about their ideas on other materials for dagger handles, looking into the sources and availability of alternative materials and researching ways to make alternative materials more popular
• Encouraging the government to implement their laws against rhino horn, and asking high-level highest officials for their support in reducing demand for new rhino horn in Yemen in the form of a public statement
• Producing posters and other public awareness materials such as stickers, cards etc., for distribution in Sanaa and Taiz especially, providing teachers with information, giving a slide projector or similar device to the Sanaa zoo for its new education centre

To read a write-up of Esmond's and Lucy's findings, click here and go to page 46.