Rhino-poaching incidents soar, despite arrests

PRETORIA – Despite an increase in arrests and the successful conviction rate of suspects, the number of rhino poached in South Africa has increased.
Minister for environmental affairs, Ms Edna Molewa, announced on Sunday at a public briefing that 393 incidents of rhino poaching have taken place in the first quarter of 2015. Of this national figure, 290 incidents happened in the Kruger National Park (KNP).

If one compares these statistics to those of last year over the same period, 78 more rhino have been poached in Kruger and 62 more elsewhere in the country.

However, these numbers are considerably lower than those of various non-governmental organisations involved in rhino conservation.
These organisations’ pooled resources show 550 poaching incidents have taken place nationally, with the figure for KNP standing on 432.

The director of Outraged South African Citizens Against Rhino Poaching (Oscap), Ms Allison Thompson, told Lowvelder about the organisation’s own research.
“It is very difficult for anybody outside the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) to get access to poaching statistics, because people have been threatened not to give any information to anybody, because only the minister will announce the figures when she is ready.  The only way we could get hold of statistics in different areas, was to work on case numbers allocated to various incidents that have been registered with forensic teams. We got to a number of 550 by the end of April, which is 157 more that those official statistics that were announced on Sunday.”

However, Thompson said the main message their statistics and that of government had in common was that the country was losing its battle to preserve the iconic African rhino.

Molewa castigated the media, saying they were “giving fodder to the organised criminal syndicates involved in the illegal wildlife trade”.

She added that the media was playing right into the hands of criminals by releasing the following information:

• Excessive speculation on the fetching price of rhino horn;
• So-called poaching hot spots
• Specifics on rhino translocations
• Different anti-poaching tactics.

During the media conference Maj Gen (retired) Johan Jooste, KNP’s anti-poaching head of SANParks, confessed to losing this battle.  “The only measure ultimately of a win is is a decrease in numbers. I think however, one must keep perspective of the rapid increase in this crime.  Just to stay roughly in line with that takes a huge effort and we have got to do it. To stay abreast of it, that is what we have to strive for.”
Jooste said that at least 900 poacher groups have entered the park, with usually three people in a group. He was not sure that more rangers were needed.  “We are well resourced in terms of equipment, training, an air wing and K9 unit that were expanded, as well as the new capacity of the special rangers.”

Molewa promised, “Capacity building for anti-poaching operations and control of illegal trafficking would be addressed.”

She also congratulated police commissioner Gen Riah Phiyega, who shared the podium with the minister, on the huge increase in the apprehension of poachers.
Phiyega told the audience that the SAPS had achieved a lot of success, inside and outside the KNP. “Between January and April this year, we arrested some 64 people inside the park and 66 outside. During the same four-month period, we recovered 16 firearms, 99 rounds of ammunition, nine vehicles, 13 rhino horns and 27 axes and knives.  The increase in the number of arrests is due to not only the excellent work being done by field rangers, but also the cooperation between the police and SA National Defence Force. A total of 701 dockets have been opened and these cases are presently under investigation. In recent months, detectives have been instrumental in securing eight convictions, and have attended to 692 crime scenes.”
Sunday’s public briefing on rhino poaching was the first the South African government has given in months.  “This is not deliberate, it is because of the heavy workload we have,” Molewa said.

“We are soldiering on, we do think that this fight will have to be won and we will win it.”

The minister did not say when the public could expect the next update on poaching statistics.