Durban — Again, KwaZulu-Natal is the leading province when it comes to rhino poaching statistics in the first half of the year.
This is despite the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) reporting that rhino poaching continues to decrease as joint initiatives pay dividends.
DFFE Minister Barbara Creecy said that in the first six months of 2023, 231 rhinos were killed in South Africa. This represents an 11% decrease – or a decline of 28 animals – compared with the same period last year.
She said that between January 1 and June 30, 2023, poaching trends also continued to show a move away from the Kruger National Park to provincial and private reserves.
“Forty-two rhinos were poached in the Kruger National Park and 143 in KZN from January to June 2023. Forty-six of the rhino killed were in privately owned nature reserves, and 143 in provincially owned reserves,” Creecy said.
Last year, Creecy reported that a total of 259 rhinos had been poached for their horns in South Africa in the first six months of the year.
The number of rhinos poached between January and June 2022 is 10 more than the 249 poached countrywide in the first six months of 2021. From January to the end of June 2022, 82 rhinos were poached for their horns in the Kruger National Park.
According to poaching statistics for 2022, there was a loss of 210 rhinos on state properties, and 49 in privately owned parks. As indicated, the hardest hit during this period is KwaZulu-Natal, which recorded a loss of 133 rhinos. This is more than triple the 33 rhinos killed in the first six months of 2021.
Creecy said that because the demand for rhino horn remained a constant threat to rhino populations, collaboration between law enforcement agencies, including the SAPS, DPCI and the Green Scorpions, Customs officials, the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), remained key. These efforts were supported by private security.
An important development in strengthening the collaboration between these role players in order to effectively address the organised nature of rhino poaching and wildlife trafficking is the Cabinet’s recent approval in May this year of the National Integrated Strategy to Combat Wildlife Trafficking.
“This strategy aims to break the illicit value chain of wildlife trafficking in South Africa and beyond its borders. It represents a commitment by the government to direct law enforcement ability and effort and mobilise society’s support to address the threat wildlife tracking poses to national security and the country’s rich biodiversity. Although currently our main focus is rhino, the strategy also aims to address the illegal trade in, and poaching of, other species that are threatened by trafficking syndicates, like abalone,” Creecy said.
She said that Monday was World Ranger Day and so it is important that we honour the bravery and dedication of the men and women who run our ranger services, and who are on the front line of the battle against wildlife poaching.
The role of rangers in supporting the prosecution and sentencing of those arrested for wildlife crimes committed in the Kruger cannot be underestimated. There is strong collaboration between the SAPS forensic teams and SANParks ECI when attending crime scenes to ensure the collection of vital evidence to link suspects to the crime scenes. It is also done to ensure minimum contamination of the crime scenes.
Creecy also said that during the meeting held earlier this year with the Director of Public Prosecutions’ (DPP) Environmental Working Group, they discussed the challenge relating to the opposing of bail due to the fact that rhino poaching was not listed as a scheduled offence. Research is being conducted to propose, if viable, legislative amendments to address this challenge.
“Unfortunately, rhino poachers have continued to target the Hluhluwe/iMfolozi game reserve in KwaZulu-Natal where Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, supported by the department and iSimangaliso Wetland Park, continues to implement a number of measures to combat rhino poaching,” Creecy said.
“Among these has been the establishment of a Tactical Operations Joint Control Centre, which now facilitates the SAPS deployments to Hluhluwe/iMfolozi Park (HiP). The department made available R40 million for the repair and replacement of the boundary fence around the Hluhluwe/iMfolozi game reserve, which is regularly breached and through which wild animals can escape to nearby communities.
“The National Prosecuting Authority has also designated a prosecutor to facilitate rhino cases in KZN, and cases have been prioritised and identified to be expedited through the court processes.”
The public can report any suspicious activities around wildlife to its environmental crime hotline at 0800 205 005 or the SAPS number 10111.
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