451 rhinos poached across South Africa in 2021

A total of 451 rhinos were poached in South Africa in 2021, 327 within government reserves and 124 on private property, stated the latest release by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE).

Of these rhinos, 249 were poached in the first half of the year, and 202 poached in the last half.

While there is a 24% decrease in rhino poaching compared to the pre-Covid period in 2019, there has been an increase in poaching on private properties.

In 2021, 209 rhinos were poached for their horns in South African National Parks (SANParks) – all in the Kruger National Park (KNP). This was in fact a decrease in comparison to 2020, when 247 rhinos were poached within national parks.

It is important to note that none of SANParks’ smaller rhino parks experienced any rhino losses from poaching in 2021, in comparison to the two rhinos that were poached in 2020.

The steady decline in rhino poaching in the Kruger, said the DFFE, is related to an increase in the intensity of anti-poaching activities in the KNP. A close working relationship between the police’s endangered species unit and the SANParks environmental crimes inspectorate has resulted in increased arrests and convictions.

One of the unintended consequences is that poaching syndicates are looking to other areas for easy prey, and this has resulted in their targeting private reserves in Limpopo and Mpumalanga.

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Over the last year, conservation and anti-poaching efforts have intensified countrywide as a joint effort was made by state-owned conservation areas, government and private landowners, to reduce the poaching of rhinos in South Africa.

More targeted deployment of resources is being assisted by the roll-out of a CSIR-developed situational awareness platform, known as CMORE, into the integrated wildlife zones. Through this single technology platform, all role players are able to collaborate, making use of real-time insights and analytical capability, linking, for example, camera traps and ranger patrols while integrating a range of other systems.

Collected information and communication flows through the Environmental Enforcement Fusion Centre, which continues to support the teams at both a tactical and strategic level.

“Our analysis capabilities have also improved, resulting in the increased identification of those involved in rhino poaching and trafficking, and improved and expanded investigations by multidisciplinary teams,” said the department.

SANParks, provincial nature reserves and private rhino owners are dehorning rhinos to deter poachers, while SANParks is investigating the feasibility of additional actions, such as anti-poaching initiatives focused on apprehending poachers and establishing additional founder populations outside the Kruger National Park.

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Government continues to work closely with the private sector and non-governmental organisations through the Integrated Strategic Management of Rhinoceros Approach and the draft National Integrated Strategy to Combat Wildlife Trafficking to address rhino poaching.

Prosecutions and arrests:
In 2021, there were 189 arrests in connection with poaching activities, 77 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.

On the international front, the following are examples of the important work taking place between South Africa and those countries implicated in wildlife crime:
• A mutual legal assistance process was successfully finalised between SA and Poland, after receipt of a request from Poland relating to rhino horn trophy hunting in South Africa;
• Operation Golden Strike, which relates to the cooperative work done between southern Africa and Southeast Asia, has set a platform for better cooperation between these countries with the aim to combat wildlife trafficking at international levels. Several successful operations, bilateral engagements and information-sharing sessions were conducted during the reporting period;
• A controlled delivery between South Africa and Vietnam took place in July 2021, resulting from the work between the Hawks and the Vietnamese authorities on a consignment of rhino horns and suspected lion bones that was trafficked to Vietnam. The operation was successfully conducted and 138 kilograms of rhino horns and an estimated three tonnes of suspected lion bones were seized at Da Nang Port in Vietnam. The investigation continues between the two countries;
• Cross-border investigations between South Africa and the People’s Republic of China are under way as a result of a joint integrated operation between the Hawks, assisted by the DFFE, and the transport sector at OR Tambo International Airport in December. A total of 32 rhino horns were seized. The information obtained during this operation was shared with the People’s Republic of China’s authorities, which resulted in the arrest of one suspect in South Africa and two suspects in China as well as seizure of additional rhino horns.

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South Africa remains committed to safeguarding the country’s rhino populations, and will continue to work tirelessly alongside the private sector, committed NGOs as well as authorities in transit and destination countries, to combat wildlife crime.

Members of the public may report any suspicious activities around wildlife to the environmental crime hotline, 0800 205 005, or the SAPS number, 10111.

The provincial and national breakdown for 2021 (in comparison to 2019 and 2020) is as follows: