A rhino is seen after it was dehorned in an effort to deter the poaching of one of the world’s endangered species, at a farm outside Klerksdorp, North West province, in this February 2016 file photo. Picture: Siphiwe Sibeko/Files Reuters
Johannesburg - A total of 231 rhinos were killed in South Africa in the first six months of the year, according to the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, indicating an 11% dip compared with the same period last year.
According to the department, between January 1 and June 30, poaching trends also continued to show a move away from the Kruger National Park to provincial and private reserves.
“Forty-two rhino were poached in the Kruger National Park and 143 in KwaZulu-Natal province from January to June 2023. Forty-six of the rhino killed were in privately owned nature reserves, and 143 were in provincially owned reserves.
“Because the demand for rhino horn remains a constant threat to rhino populations, collaboration between the law enforcement agencies, including the SAPS, DPCI, and the Green Scorpions, customs officials, the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC), and the National Prosecuting Authority, remains key. These efforts are supported by private security,” said the department.
The department said 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 was the Cabinet’s recent approval in May this year of the National Integrated Strategy to Combat Wildlife Trafficking (NISCWT).
“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,” said Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Barbara Creecy.
The Star
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