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Horny Men Continue To Drive Demand For Rhino Horn With Another 15 Pieces Seized At German Airport

Smugglers are continuing to try and cash in by selling horny men powdered rhino horn to boost their sex lives as these images confirm of the latest seizure of smuggled animal parts at a German airport.

Despite repeated experiments showing that rhino horn has absolutely zero effect on a man’s libido or potency, it continues to be sold as the ultimate supplement as Leipzig Airport border guards found when they seized 15 illegal pieces of rhino horn worth up to GBP 50,000 that were being smuggled inside a loudspeaker and an electric welding device.

The incident took place at the airport serving the city of Leipzig in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt at the end of December 2021, but the information was only made public yesterday (Tuesday, 18th January).

Some of the 15 pieces of rhinoceros horn customs seized during the inspection of two air freight consignments at Leipzig/Halle Airport, in Germany, December 2021. (Hauptzollamt Dresden/Newsflash)

The German customs bureau said in a statement that the rhinoceros horns were being smuggled from Africa to Vietnam.

It said: “At the end of December 2021, customs seized 15 pieces of rhinoceros horn weighing 3.8 kilogrammes during the inspection of two air freight consignments at Leipzig/Halle Airport. The two packages came from Angola and were to be transported to Vietnam via Germany.”

According to a 2019 report, rhino horn sells for roughly USD 4,000 to USD 8,000 per lb on the black market, meaning the haul may have been worth from USD 33,510 (GBP 24,600) to USD 67,021 (GBP 49,200).

Some of the 15 pieces of rhinoceros horn customs seized during the inspection of two air freight consignments at Leipzig/Halle Airport, in Germany, December 2021. (Hauptzollamt Dresden/Newsflash)

Rhinoceros horn is considered a potent aphrodisiac in traditional Chinese medicine, and there is strong demand for it in China and Vietnam, where it is ground up into a powder before being consumed.

The German customs office said: “In both cases, the parts of the horn were elaborately hidden. In the first case, for example, there was a loudspeaker that showed irregularities on the X-ray image. After opening it, the officers found that the loudspeaker was lined with construction foam. Eight pieces of horn appeared in the building foam.”

The officials also appear to have found pieces of rhinoceros horn inside an electric welding device in a second suitcase.

The item where customs seized 15 pieces of rhinoceros horn during the inspection of two air freight consignments at Leipzig/Halle Airport, in Germany, December 2021. (Hauptzollamt Dresden/Newsflash)

The customs bureau said: “The customs officers discovered an electric welding device in the second package. This was also conspicuous on the X-ray and was opened. Here, too, the interior was lined with construction foam. The officers found seven pieces of horn in the welder.”

The customs office also confirmed that the horns had been identified as belonging to an African rhinoceros.

It said: “Experts from the Senckenberg Institute in Dresden have now confirmed that the horns are from the African rhinoceros species.”

The item where customs seized 15 pieces of rhinoceros horn during the inspection of two air freight consignments at Leipzig/Halle Airport, in Germany, December 2021. (Hauptzollamt Dresden/Newsflash)

There are currently two African rhinoceros species in existence, the black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) and the white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum).

According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), “they have both increased in number in recent years thanks to successful conservation efforts, especially in South Africa. Indeed, the white rhino has been brought back from the brink of extinction”.

Black rhinoceroses are currently considered ‘critically endangered’, while white rhinoceroses are currently listed as ‘near threatened’ on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Endangered Species.

The item where customs seized 15 pieces of rhinoceros horn during the inspection of two air freight consignments at Leipzig/Halle Airport, in Germany, December 2021. (Hauptzollamt Dresden/Newsflash)

The customs office also explained German legislation regarding smuggling rhinoceros parts, saying: “Rhinos (lat. Rhinocerotidae) are a particularly protected family of odd-toed ungulates according to the Washington Species Protection Convention, with five species still alive today. The import or transit of parts of these animals therefore requires special documents.

“Without the appropriate documents, their import and transit constitute a violation of the Federal Nature Conservation Act and may be punished with imprisonment for up to five years or a fine.”

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