R170 000 to save the KNP rhinos

THE war against rhino poaching needs collective involvement between the Kruger National Park (KNP) and the people residing next to the park, according to South African National Parks (SANParks) commanding officer of special projects, Maj Genl Johan Jooste.

Jooste spoke during a handover of funds totalling R170 000 to KNP, which were donated by various stakeholders and said increasing the number of rangers in the park was not a viable option to combat poaching, since it would only add to the cost of maintaining the park.

“This is because you would need to accommodate them and pay for their salaries and all other logistics,” he said.

According to Jooste, the KNP needs support from the people outside it more than it needs to add rangers inside the park.

“This support can only happen in two ways; more intelligence and help from the community. If the poachers are not welcome in the community they won’t be effective in their attacks,” he said.

The main donor of the day was Polokwane businessman Frank Haas, who donated R70 000, followed by Polokwane Rotary Club which donated R40 000. The rest of the money, which added up to R170 000, was donated by several other stakeholders including the SANParks Honorary Rangers.

Asked about his donation, Haas said it was the right thing to do and it was the responsibility of every South African to help preserve the park’s heritage.

“I think it is necessary for us to ensure that we preserve what we have in the park for the sake of our children and the coming generations that would otherwise not have an opportunity to see rhinos if they were wiped out now,” he said, urging other businessmen to follow suit.

Jooste said the donated funds would be used for helicopter fuel, as this was very expensive, but necessary.

“With our helicopters constantly in the air, the money for the fuel is just running out, more so because the KNP is so big that we use almost R3 million of helicopter fuel a year,” he said.