The South African government’s appeal to overturn a ruling allowing the export of horns from captive rhinos was dismissed by the Northern Cape High Court on Friday.
While Wicus Diedericks, the owner of a farm with 450 rhinos, argued that sale of the horns, prized in East Asia for their supposed medicinal qualities, the government has contended that allowing the exports would worsen already rampant poaching.
“This historic decision validates the rights of private conservationists and breeding facilities to fund their critical, high-cost protection efforts through the legal international trade of ethically trimmed horns,” Diedericks said in a statement.
The environment department didn’t immediately respond to an emailed query.
© 2026 Bloomberg
#loses #case #prevent #export #rhino #horns