Rhino Poaching: South Africa Sees Sharp Rise in Incidents in New Hotspot as Nearly 500 Animals Were Killed Last Year

South African authorities reported a sharp increase in the number of cases of rhino poaching in the region in a new hotspot as officials recorded that nearly 500 animals were killed last year.

The killing of the creatures is driven by a demand from Asia as their horns are used in traditional medicine for their supposed therapeutic effect. The South African environment ministry said that despite the government's efforts in tackling the illicit trade, hundreds of thick-skinned herbivores were killed in 2023, most of which were in state-run parks.

Rhino Poaching in South Africa

The number represents an 11% in killings compared to the figure that was recorded in 2022. Conservative group Save the Rhino International said that the numbers paint a "worrying picture" and called for more resources to be urgently deployed in fighting poaching rings.

The CEO of the group, Jo Shaw, said that there is no overnight solution to the problem but noted that as a rhino is poached every 17 hours in the region, there is no more time to lose sitting idly by, as per France24.

The majority of the animals were poached in eastern KwaZulu-Natal province as the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi park, which is Africa's oldest reserve, lost 307 animals alone. The country's environment minister, Barbara Creecy, said that this is the highest poaching loss within the province.

She added that multi-disciplinary teams are continuing to work tirelessly as part of efforts to slow the relentless pressure. In the past few years, authorities have tightened security, particularly around the Kruger National Park, which is a tourist magnet that borders Mozambique. The latter has seen its rhino population drastically fall from more than 10,000 to fewer than 3,000 in the last decade and a half.

The efforts resulted in lower losses in the region, with only 78 rhinos being reported killed in 2023, which is a decrease of 37% compared to the year prior. However, they have also pushed poachers towards regional and private reserves such as Hluhluwe-Imfolozi.

Addressing the Issue

South Africa currently has roughly 2,000 black rhinos that are considered "critically endangered" and about 13,000 white rhinos that are classified as "near threatened." Over the last 10 years, poaching has fallen dramatically but has recently shot back up, according to BBC.

A spokesperson for the company that is in charge of running Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, Musa Mntambo, said that the increase in poaching numbers is "very concerning." He added that poaching groups often struggle to spot rhinos in the Kruger so move to the area where the animals are more visible.

Mntambo noted that several other steps have been taken in an effort to address poaching in the region, including the hiring of more than a dozen more patrollers and the acquisition of a new surveillance helicopter.

Last year, law enforcement agencies also cracked down on poachers and at least 49 suspected poachers were taken into official custody in 2023 from the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park. Officials said that at least 45 of the suspects were tried in courts and noted that one of them was a former field ranger who was sentenced to 10 years for killing a rhino, said WION News.