There was a drop in the number of rhino poaching incidents in the Kruger National Park in the first six months of 2017, with 243 animals poached this year compared with 354 in the same period in 2017, but there has been an increase in other parts of the country, specifically KwaZulu Natal.
This was announced by South Africa’s Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Edna Molewa, earlier this week at a report-back on the state of rhino poaching in the country. She also pointed out that 30 elephants had been poached in the KNP so far this year. “The interventions being implemented to counter rhino poaching are also used to respond to this emerging threat,” she added.
The Minister said Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife had begun strengthening its response capacity as an anti-poaching unit. “As part of the plan, they are now in the process of setting up an Intensive Protection Zone to ensure priority allocation of resources where it matters most,” said Molewa.
The importance of translating arrests into successful investigations and prosecutions was also highlighted in the Minister’s presentation, and special mention was made of the new Skukuza Regional Court in KNP, which has been sitting since March. “It is now fully functional with a number of successful prosecutions,” said Molewa.
She pointed out that there had been a marked increase globally during 2017 in the number of rhino horn detections and seizures at ports of entry and exit – specifically OR Tambo International Airport. “South Africa has also formally requested DNA samples from illegally traded horn confiscated in Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Swaziland, Namibia, Mozambique and The Netherlands. These samples assist in linking such seizures to poaching incidents, providing important information to assist with further investigations,” she added.
