<
https://theconversation.com/rhino-horn-consumers-reveal-why-a-legal-trade-alone-wont-save-rhinos-173507>
"Only by interviewing actual consumers of this product can we generate insights
into motivations for purchase and rhino horn preferences. However, because
rhino horn is so expensive, rhino horn consumers are mostly senior and very
wealthy individuals who are notoriously averse to investigations of their
illegal behaviours.
They generally do not want to talk to researchers they do not trust about their
purchase and use of rhino horn. Nor are they motivated to participate in
interviews by small gifts or abstract reasons, like conserving rhinos. This
poses a major challenge for studying the impact of a legal trade on consumer
demand.
To interview a large number of rhino horn consumers, we hired a team of
research assistants with a winning sense of humour, colourful life experience,
and true grit. With a rented Porsche and a Rolex watch borrowed from friends,
we reached out to various networks and clubs where wealthy consumers often
gather, such as golf and tennis clubs, and established a network of key
informants who helped introduce us to potential respondents.
In the interviews, we showed them choice cards and kindly asked them to make
choices about purchasing rhino horn for medical use in different scenarios
including an international, legal trade in rhino horn."
Sometimes you have to go the extra mile to get the research done!
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
