NATIONAL NEWS - From January to the end of June, 249 rhinos were poached for their horns in South Africa.
The statistic was shared by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment on World Ranger Day. Tribute was also given to fallen rangers.
“On World Ranger Day we want to pay tribute to our rangers for the incredible work they do each and every day to keep our national parks and our iconic species safe.
“We also want to pay tribute to 11 of our staff members at SANParks who lost their lives to Covid-19 over the past year,” said minister of the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, Barbara Creecy.
“We find ourselves in a position where the efforts being made to combat wildlife crime, such as rhino poaching, are influenced to some extent by the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the battle to beat the Covid-19 pandemic,” said the minister.
While the national lockdowns contributed to a decrease in rhino poaching, the lifting of the lockdown regulations appears to have seen an increase in rhino poaching in the first six months of 2021, the statement by the department read.
While the number of 249 is higher than the number of rhino killed for their horns in the same period last year (166) it is less than the 318 rhino that were poached in the first six months of 2019.
During the first six months of this year, the Kruger National Park (KNP) experienced 715 poacher activities, an increase of 3.77% in comparison to the number in 2020, which was 689 for the same period.
One hundred and thirty-two rhinos were poached for their horns in the KNP during this period. One elephant was also poached for its ivory in the park.
According to the department, a number of successful arrests and prosecutions have also been recorded in the past six months.
In the first half of this year 40 alleged poachers were arrested within the KNP.
One hundred and twenty-five people have been arrested for rhino poaching and rhino horn trafficking across the country in the past six months.
Numerous confiscations of rhino horn have also taken place since January within the country, including at OR Tambo International Airport.
“The cohesive partnership with the South East Asian countries is also showing concrete results with the recent collaboration between the South African and the Vietnamese authorities resulting in one of the largest seizures of rhino horns and other wildlife products, thereby disrupting syndicate activities,” said the department.
A total of 14 cases have reached verdict since the start of the year, representing a 93% conviction rate. Twenty poachers were convicted.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the finalisation rate in courts has slowed down as witnesses, accused and court staff in many instances are required to isolate or quarantine, and even court buildings, in some instances, need to be decontaminated.
This has had an effect on the finalisation of cases.
Noticeable increased poacher pressure has been experienced in Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the Free State provinces. The department is also monitoring the increased pressure seen on private rhino reserves and collaborating closely with the private sector which continues to play a significant role in rhino protection.
During the same reporting period over the last three years, losses in private parks constituted 15% of the total reported loss in 2019, 9% in 2020 and 30% so far in 2021.
