The latest information on rhino poaching in the country indicates that the slaughter of protected animals in private game reserves is on the rise. As the rhino populations decrease in national parks due to the aggressive poaching to supply the Asian market, syndicates turned their attention to the private sector, where rhino poaching numbers have drastically increased.
According to a statement released on Tuesday, the 8th of February, by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment (DFFE), a total of 451 rhino were poached in South Africa in 2021, 327 within government reserves and 124 on private property.
“While there is a 24 percent decrease in rhino poaching compared to the pre-Covid period in 2019, there has been an increase in poaching on private properties,” stated DFFE.
According to them in 2021, 209 rhinos were poached for their horns in the Kruger National Park, a decrease in comparison to 2020 when 247 rhinos were poached within the national parks.
In 2021 there were 189 arrests in connection with poaching activities of which 77 were within the Kruger National Park and 109 outside the park. This compares with 156 people arrested countrywide in 2020. In the 38 verdicts handed down by the courts, 37 cases resulted in the conviction of 61 accused rhino poachers/traffickers.
DFFE revealed that none of the SANParks’ smaller rhino parks experienced any rhino losses from poaching in 2021, in comparison to the two rhino that were poached in 2020.
The steady decline in rhino poaching in Kruger Park was attributed to the increase in the intensity of anti-poaching activities in the Kruger National Park.
“A close working relationship between the police’s endangered species unit, the SANParks environmental crimes inspectorate has resulted in increased arrests, and convictions” said the DFFE.
With the increase in intensity in the park, syndicates started looking to other areas for easy prey and this has resulted in their targeting private reserves in Limpopo and Mpumalanga.
The department also said that their analysis capabilities have also improved, resulting in the increased identification of those involved in rhino poaching and trafficking.
“We have also improved and expanded investigations by multi-disciplinary teams”.
The department also said that SANParks, provincial nature reserves, and private rhino owners were dehorning rhino to deter poachers.
