Rhino poaching figures nothing to celebrate – experts

The latest rhino statistics show a welcome reprieve for the perennially hammered Kruger National Park (KNP), but it is now KwaZulu-Natal facing an onslaught, with more than 300 rhinoceroses slaughtered for their horns in the last year.

A total of 499 rhinos were poached across South Africa in 2023. A total of 406 were killed on state property and 93 on privately owned parks, reserves and farms. This was an increase of 51 in comparison to the 448 rhino poached in 2022.

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“The pressure again has been felt in the KZN province, with Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park facing the brunt of poaching cases, losing 307 of the total national poaching loss,” said Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Barbara Creecy.

“This is the highest poaching loss within this province. While KZN recorded 49 arrests and 13 firearms seized, multidisciplinary teams continue to work tirelessly in an attempt to slow this relentless pressure.”

KNP recorded a 37% decrease in rhinos poached from 2022 with a total of 78 poached in 2023. No rhinos were poached in any other national parks.

The head of Outraged South African Citizens against Rhino Poaching Kim da Ribeira said the decrease in Kruger’s rhino poaching was not something to celebrate yet “because you’re not doing the correct comparison”.

The wrong methodology

Da Ribeira criticised the methodology used to present poaching statistics, calling for a more nuanced analysis which considered population figures.

She emphasised a decrease in poaching might not indicate success if it is accompanied by a decline in the rhino population.

“If you are saying we have a decrease in poaching stats, are you also comparing the population statistics for the year? I think the figures there are really bad,” she said.

A 2013 South African National Parks (SANParks) rhino population survey showed 8 400 to 9 600 white rhinos in the KNP.

While an update has not been released in years, it is believed as poaching has thinned out numbers in SANParks’ crown jewel. Da Ribeira said the government continually said it had given the responsibility to combat rhino poaching to the province in KZN, which was “not fair”.

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KZN played a crucial role in protecting the national rhino herd, although national authorities should provide more assistance, especially considering the interconnected nature of poaching syndicates and the potential for exponential growth in criminal activity if left unchecked.

“If you look at the last two years, the increase in poaching has been substantial,” said Da Ribeira. “You only need for syndicates to establish connections … for it to increase exponentially if it’s not addressed properly.”

Creecy said: “As part of the government’s poverty relief programme there are a number of fence monitors employed from neighbouring communities that patrol the western boundary fence of the KNP and report fence breakages, illegal tracks and people entering the KNP, as well as animals escaping.”

In relation to rhino prosecutions, verdicts were handed down in 36 cases, of which 35 resulted in guilty verdicts.

The cases resulted in the conviction of 45 rhino poachers, or rhino horn traffickers with a conviction rate of 97%.

One such case was when an accused, a former field ranger, was arrested in the KNP after he killed a rhino with his R1 rifle and failed to report the incident.

He initially denied discharging his firearm but ballistic evidence linked his issued firearm with the crime scene. During the trial, he alleged the rhino charged him but that was not accepted by the court.

He was convicted of carrying out restricted activities with endangered or protected species and sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment.