Minister celebrates World Ranger Day, reports on poaching
A total of 249 rhinos in South Africa were poached from January to the end of June
The minister of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Barbara Creecy, celebrated World Ranger Day on July 31 and reported on rhino poaching in the country.
“Today, 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,” she said.
“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.
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“In the battle to conserve our wildlife Gareth Coleman, the managing executive of the Kruger National
Park, performs a wreath-laying ceremony. and halt poaching, it is our rangers who remain at the forefront, putting their lives on the line daily to conserve our environment and vulnerable species
despite the additional risk of contracting Covid-19,” said Creecy.
She also took the opportunity to pay tribute to the Kruger National Park (KNP) ranger, Checkers Mashego, whose lifeless body was discovered almost a month after he had gone missing in the KNP.
Creecy mentioned that although the national lockdown contributed to a decrease in rhino poaching, the lifting of the stringent lockdown regulations appeared to have caused an increase in the
first six months of 2021.
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. The Kruger experienced 715 poacher activities, with 132 rhinos were poached for their horns. One elephant was poached for its ivory in the KNP during this period.
A total of 125 people have been arrested for rhino poaching and rhino horn trafficking across the country, and 40 alleged poachers were arrested within the Kruger.
A total of 14 cases have been finalised since the start of the year with a verdict, representing a 93% conviction rate.
Members of the public can report any suspicious-looking activities regarding wildlife to the environmental crime hotline, 0800 205 005, or to SAPS on 10111.
