The white rhino is perhaps the greatest conservation success story in Africa. At the turn of the 20th century there were about 50 left in the world but today there are about 20,000. I don't think that constitutes a scam or a failure.
There are many dedicated people all over southern Africa who are working hard to make sure that the pendulum doesn't swing back the other way.
There is no simple answer to this problem. You are not going to convince a die hard consumer of traditional Chinese medicine that Viagra works better and is cheaper. I see it every day of my professional life; people allow personal beliefs to trump actual evidence. As long as there are people stupid enough to subscribe to such bullshit a market will exist for rhino horn. And there will be people who will take the risk to cash in on the trade.
So the question remains as how best to combat the problem. Do you send patrols out in the bush to combat the poachers or do you surgically remove the horns or even inject the horn with poison so the end user gets their just desserts? I don't know but I do know that it isn't too late. Too many people have worked too hard for too long to give up.
