Conservation efforts fail as poachers kill 500 rhinos in South Africa, reveals 2023 data
Representative photo of a dehorned rhino
Nearly 500 rhinos were killed in South Africa last year, the environment ministry reported. At least 499 of the thick-skinned herbivores were killed in 2023 in state-run parks, even as the government claimed it was making efforts to tackle the illegal trade in horns.
Out of 499 deaths, 307 took place in the Hluhluwe–Imfolozi Park, Africa's oldest reserve located in eastern KwaZulu-Natal province. "This is the highest poaching loss within this province," said Environment Minister Barbara Creecy.
"Multi-disciplinary teams continue to work tirelessly in an attempt to slow this relentless pressure," she added.
Efforts by South African government
Efforts by the government have shown scattered positive results, with lower poaching cases being registered in the Kruger National Park.
An impressive 37 per cent decrease from 2022 was recorded here last year, with 78 rhinos poached and killed. No rhinos were poached in any other national park in the country.
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This is the direct result of the authorities resorting to tightening the security and mandating new employees to take a lie detector test amid concerns that some workers might be in cahoots with poachers.
Law enforcement agencies also cracked down on poachers last year. At least 49 suspected poachers were detained by police in 2023 from the Hluhluwe–Imfolozi park.
As per the minister, at least 45 of the poachers were tried in courts. One of them was a former field ranger who was given a 10-year jail term for killing a rhino.
Why are rhinos killed?
Rhinos are killed as their horns are highly sought in black markets. In terms of weight, the price of rhino horn puts even gold and cocaine to shame. This makes unguarded rhinos roaming in jungles and national parks an easy target for illegal horn traders.
Overall Africa showing impressive numbers
Overall, the last few years have turned out to be comparatively impressive for Africa’s rhino conservation programme.
At the end of 2022, nearly 23,300 rhinos roamed on the continent, a growth of 5.2 per cent against 2021.
In September last year, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) reported the rise of the rhino population in Africa, a trend it attributed to conservation efforts.
(With inputs from agencies)