Rhino Poaching 2016

Information & discussion on the Rhino Poaching Pandemic
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Flutterby
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Re: Rhino Poaching 2016

Post by Flutterby »

To save rhino, we need to save the poor

2016-09-14 10:10
Paul Herman, News24


During a media tour to the Kruger National Park, the environmental crime investigative unit takes us through processing a crime scene.WATCH

Creating economic opportunities for these people could disrupt organised crime, said Dr Sam Ferreira, large mammal ecologist for SANParks.

“Our compulsory and biological interventions are holding the fort inside our national parks. But we need to clean the parks from the outside too,” he told the portfolio committee on environmental affairs.

Ferreira told News24 after his presentation that those driving organised crime were targeting people around the parks. Many of them were displaced due to implementation of the Group Areas Act during apartheid, and had suffered financially as a result.

Finding ways for them to flourish economically could make them less likely to be coerced into, or voluntarily work with illegal poaching networks.

These communities bore the brunt of poaching, he said.

Decline in poaching

Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa told the committee there had been an encouraging decline in poaching incidents over the last year-and-a-half, despite the increase in poaching attempts.

Rhino poaching decreased to 1 175 incidents in 2015, down 1.65% compared to 2014. This equated to 20 fewer carcasses found, and was the first decline since 2007.

Ferreira praised rangers in the country's national parks for their work in clamping down on poaching.

He however said that maintaining current security efforts inside parks was not sustainable in the long run. Rhino could still face extinction by 2050 if poaching-to-breeding rates did not drop by 11%.

The key was disrupting organised crime, he said.

South Africa is home to 36% of the world's black rhino, and 88% of the world's white rhino.

SANParks is responsible for roughly half of the rhino population in South Africa. While private owners and communities account for the rest.


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Lisbeth
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Re: Rhino Poaching 2016

Post by Lisbeth »

Dr Sam Ferreira only says something that is quite obvious and nothing new, but he does not give any ideas on how to change the situation.


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Re: Rhino Poaching 2016

Post by RobertT »

Load of rubbish, there are poor people all over the world. These people are not doing it because they are poor but because of greed, what are they going to do on mozzie side then, those people are also poor and not because of the reasons he gives. One of their biggest problems are their own staff as has been evidenced recently. These people are employed with jobs, he is not poaching because he is poor but for greed. Clean your park from the inside and get that in order, then that will have financial benefits and spin off for the locals.

This is all prelude of what is to come, harvesting of the park for local communities. The Kruger is going to become a farm. O/ O/


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Re: Rhino Poaching 2016

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Agreed, Rob. There always have been and always will be poor people next to Kruger. That is no excuse for crime anyway!

Ferreira is a scientist, and only quotes Maj Gen Jooste about cleaning the areas around Kruger.

Hand-wringing seems to be a prerequisite test before entering the hallowed halls of parliament, followed by buck-passing....

I think by far the most important thing is bringing home to the communities that rhino mean tourist money and jobs. This is an endless and difficult process, and it is much easier just to encourage the Mahala-mentality.


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Re: Rhino Poaching 2016

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Anti-poaching methods a game-changer in KNP
Extra measures have been taken in the south of the park, where an estimated 30 per cent of the world’s rhino population is based.
9 hours ago


SKUKUZA – The Kruger National Park’s (KNP) anti-poaching efforts are proving so successful that poachers have been forced to change tactics.

Poaching incidents are down in the park and these activities are moving to the less-policed western areas and outside the park.

At the height of this scourge in the Kruger in 2013 an average of three rhinos were poached every day.
According to Dr Sam Ferreira, KNP’s large-mammal ecologist, this figure is 1,35 at present.

This is considerably lower than the average of 2,75 rhinos countrywide and indicates that measures employed by the anti-poaching unit, Mission Area Joint Operations Centre, are making a real difference.

The minister of environmental affairs, Ms Edna Molewa, announced that from January 1 to August 31 a total of 458 rhino carcasses was found in the KNP, compared to 557 during the same period last year.

This is a 17,8 per cent decline.IMG_2858 (Small)

A staggering 2 115 illegal incursions were made into the KNP for the same period. Corruption within the ranks is also taking its toll.

Maj Gen (Ret) Johan Jooste, head of anti-poaching operations for SANParks, held a media briefing last week.

“We will never have a shoot-to-kill policy in KNP’s anti-poaching strategies. If we had such a policy it would be a massacre, because so many poachers enter the park on a daily basis,” he said.

“We would rather stick to our strategy of collapsing and disrupting crime networks and giving communities around the park economic choices.”

Jooste emphasised that when it comes to poaching in the Kruger, “the dark side is the south”.

Extra measures have been taken in the south of the park, where an estimated 30 per cent of the world’s rhino population is based. These measures include infrastructure upgrades such as making technology available to rangers, extensions to the park’s helicopter fleet and support for the K9 unit.

“Man’s best friend is now also the rhino’s best friend,” he said.

During a press briefing at one of four unprocessed rhino-poaching crime scenes in Pretoriuskop, Mr Frik Rossouw, senior environmental investigator for SANParks, confirmed that 23 per cent fewer rhinos have been poached in the park so far this year.IMG_2863 (Small)

He added that more poaching activity than usual had been discovered in the specific Napi Trail area over the previous 10 days.

“There has been a shift from the eastern to the western side of the park. The drought makes it a greater risk to move deep into the park as tracks are more visible. Even though there are fewer incursions from Mozambique, there is usually a Mozambican among a poaching gang,” he said.

Mr Nicholas Funda, chief ranger of the KNP, also pointed out that incursions increasingly came from within South African territory rather than Mozambique.

For Jooste it came down to a focused strategy. The intensive protection zone of the KNP used the R250-million donation by American businessman and philanthropist, Mr Warren Buffett. There were strict deadlines attached which had been met in full this year.

“We can’t deny that anti-poaching has paramilitary implications in Africa. Every field ranger has become a warrior. If we want to save our rhinos, we have to protect our rangers,” Jooste said.

The success of the strategies has implications for the rest of the country. The number of rhinos poached in KwaZulu-Natal this year is up by 20 per cent, compared with the same period in 2015. Nationally, 702 rhinos have been poached since the beginning of 2016.

“We are aware of the deferring of rhino poaching to other parts of the country due to tighter security measures in the KNP,” said Mr Cedric Coetzee, provincial security manager of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife. “The point is that the demand is not going away but increasing.”


http://lowvelder.co.za/353726/anti-poac ... er-in-knp/


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Re: Rhino Poaching 2016

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Less in KNP, but more in KZN 0*\ So the numbers have not really descended O/ O/


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Re: Rhino Poaching 2016

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FB Post from Wild Vet in KZN O/ :

This must be one of the most brutal fortnights yet in the history of the rhino poaching war, in our province. At least 14 deaths were discovered in various protected areas in as many days. (I can't go into detail at this time but it's getting even more savage, as if that's possible.)
Yesterday honestly rates as one of the lowest points in my life as a wildlife vet, pretty much an emotional breaking point - but it's not the first time; it's something that is happening far too often. I don't think it is possible to explain to somebody who hasn't experienced this nightmare, what even one death scene does to you. It's traumatic and haunting, and cannot ever be erased from your mind. I've attended over 400!!
So, how was yesterday even worse than all the others? Well- at first light on Saturday I flew out to do a post mortem on a dead rhino discovered the previous day. (I had been at other poaching scenes on Thursday and Friday already so this had to wait until Saturday).
While flying, we discovered a second body. Then a third. And then a fourth. FOUR! Can you even try and imagine what it's like to experience so much death and destruction, all the time?! Thank God for Rowan's veterinary help because it's practically impossible to keep up anymore, physically OR mentally.
And then - just as I arrived at our friend's home at midday, the phone rang again with news that there was a tiny orphaned calf, from one of those murdered rhino. And so another mad race back to the game reserve to get to him in time, all the while thinking this was going to be number five! The poor little guy is only about three months old, small enough to load in the helicopter. It's always touch and go. But thankfully, with the devoted attention of my colleague Dumi Zwane all night at our bomas (and with 9 orphans, THAT's a full time job too), the calf has started drinking and looks like he'll be ok. If he hadn't made it I'm not sure what I would have done.
I just cannot describe how utterly hellish yesterday was for all of us out there.
This is just TOO MUCH now!


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Re: Rhino Poaching 2016

Post by Mel »

Only reading this, makes me sick to the stomach... How awful must it be to live those scenes...

Hats off to each and every one who does such a devote job against the rhino poaching...

Probably quite a few who need help themselves, going by what this vet tells. :-(


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Re: Rhino Poaching 2016

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There might be less poaching in Kruger....maybe :-? But the devil is loose in KZN :evil: @#$


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Re: Rhino Poaching 2016

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:evil: :evil:


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