Every cent helps in rhino poaching

WHITE RIVER – Despite brave efforts by rangers and the police, the country is yet to see a decrease in rhino poaching.

The number of rhinos poached last year, 1 215, has shocked the world.

It seems like the fight is being lost, and this has caused the general public to become reluctant to donate to non-profit organisations which aim to curb poaching.

According to the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (Wessa), donors and members of the public feel that their contributions are not helping and with personal finances being tight, they have chosen to stop giving or changed direction, said Mr Christopher Galliers, unit leader of Wessa’s rhino initiative.

“However, donors and other supporters should remember that their contributions stopped poaching from becoming an all out war, and that those statistics could have been much, much worse.”

All in all 2014 has been a good year for the rhino initiative at Wessa.
Galliers elaborated on the various accomplishments of Wessa during last year:
• Some key engagements have taken place, including contact with different Western governments, European Union (EU) politicians, the Chissano Foundation of Mozambique and the Belgian ambassador to South Africa.
The organisation was also involved in a number of government processes aimed at assessing current rhino-poaching issues.
• Tracking devices sponsored by the organisation, assisted to increase effectiveness of anti-poaching efforts in private reserves. This included satellite tracking collars for rhino ankles. White rhino are territorial by nature and the information obtained from the collars helps to protect their habitats and also guide the strategic deployment of rangers. In addition, the tracking devices have assisted SANParks rangers in the Kruger National Park (KNP), and enabled them to arrest suspected rhino poachers.

• Reserve managers also attended a wildlife-crime and information-mapping workshop which resulted in changes to strategic and proactive anti-poaching measures.  Last year the organisation provided more than 40 DNA kits to rhino owners, to assist them in registering their rhino on the rhino DNA database system, RhoDIS. This contribution will assist in prosecutions as well as the genetic management of the metapopulation.

• Wessa is a founding member of Project Rhino KZN and it also coordinates Game Reserves United, where most of the reserves to the west of the KNP have been working together to combat rhino poaching proactively. This initiative aims to secure the borders of participating private reserves in an area that is a strategically important buffer zone for the KNP.

“Our rhino Initiative was established in early 2010 to raise funds and awareness in order to help curb rhino poaching,” Galliers added. He thanked loyal donors and volunteers, saying, “I want to thank the dedication with which people come forward with every single new initiative we launch. God Bless you all for 2015”.