Rhino Poaching 2017-2023

Information & discussion on the Rhino Poaching Pandemic
Klipspringer
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Re: Rhino Poaching 2017-2020

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https://www.jacarandafm.com/news/news/k ... -poaching/

Kruger Park reports decline in rhino and elephant poaching
Updated April 15, 2020, 4:34 p.m. | By Lulutho Mkosi


The Department of Environmental Affairs and Fisheries says there has been a significant decline in poaching at the Kruger National Park.

The department’s Albie Modise says the decline in poaching is due to various factors.

“Firstly, the lower demand for the product and globally there has been a halt in movement, also the law enforcement has been strengthened in the ports of entry as part of national lockdown regulations.

“There seems to be a decrease since the lockdown commenced. In fact, in the first three months of 2020 there seems to be a decrease in terms of the number of rhinos poached.”


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Richprins
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Re: Rhino Poaching 2017-2020

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Yes, there is no demand at the moment, really. O:V


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Re: Rhino Poaching 2017-2020

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\O


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Re: Rhino Poaching 2017-2020

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https://lowvelder.co.za/620885/sharp-dr ... -lockdown/

Sharp drop in rhino poaching amid lockdown
The Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries has reported a significant decline in the number of rhino poaching incidents, not only during the lockdown, but since the beginning of the year.
18 hours ago

The Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) in a statement confirmed that ranger services and anti-poaching activities continue in all national parks and provincial reserves during the nationwide lockdown.

“We have dedicated essential staff members who are on high alert in the Kruger National Park, all other national parks, as well as provincial and municipal game reserves,” said the Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, Barbara Creecy.

Low demand and strengthened law enforcement at the ports of entry could possibly have contributed to the decline in the numbers of rhinos and elephants being poached, while there are also indications of a decline in marine poaching, according to the statement.

The department stated that it is encouraging to see that rhino poaching numbers have decreased since the start of the year and continue to decrease during the lockdown period.

The department has been in contact with both SANParks and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife in relation to rhino poaching incidents in the Kruger National Park and the provincial parks in KwaZulu-Natal – the two areas which are the hardest hit by poaching incidents.

Incursions into the parks and incidents detected that are related to rhino poaching have remained stable and reduced during lockdown period. The one area where there has been a slight increase in the number of incursions into the KNP since the lockdown, has been in the Marula North region.

The incursions all came from Mozambique, the department stated, where there appears to be a general perception among poaching groups that KNP rangers were “all on lockdown” and not at work. A number of arrests continues to be made across the country as anti-poaching work is recognised as an essential service and teams are fully operational.

“This can be attributed to the devotion of rangers and supporting security personnel who are not only in the field protecting our natural environment, but also performing anti-poaching duties, that we have a continued decline in rhino poaching in our country,” the minister said.


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Re: Rhino Poaching 2017-2020

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Independently confirmed there has been an increase in KNP, mostly Satara area. As they say, the Moz poachers are under the impression it is lockdown for rangers.

Interestingly, this rules out inside jobs for the time being? :twisted:


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Re: Rhino Poaching 2017-2020

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There cannot be lockdown for rangers, who are operating against poaching. It would be like putting the police under lockdown rules 0*\
???


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Re: Rhino Poaching 2017-2020

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https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south- ... ince-2013/

Lockdown benefit: Kruger Park rhino poaching lowest since 2013
28 May 2020 - 13:06
BY UNATHI NKANJENI

The environmental affairs department says the lockdown has resulted in a significant drop in rhino poaching.

Since the lockdown was put into place in March, fewer rhinos have been poached countrywide, resulting in the fewest rhinos poached in the Kruger National Park in a single month since September 2013.

The department's spokesperson, Albi Modise, told TimesLIVE that the travel restrictions had disrupted the supply chain.

Modise said the closure of borders removed the key routes that poachers used to supply horn to transit and consumer countries. "The lockdown suffocated the market,” said Modise.

In a recent statement, environmental affairs minister Barbara Creecy said 14 rhinos were poached across the country during April, the first month of the lockdown, compared to 46 in March and 61 in April last year.

South Africa's national parks are closed to tourists during the lockdown. Creecy said this has an impact on poaching as poachers are now unable to use "drive-in and drop-off" tactics to poach rhinos for their horns.

She said five rhinos were poached in the Kruger National Park during April. In KwaZulu-Natal, six were poached, two were killed in Mpumalanga and one in North West.

“Significantly, not a single rhino has been lost in the intensive protection zone of the Kruger National Park since the start of April. This has not happened in this particular part of the greater Kruger area in a single month since 2007,” Creecy said.

“The sharp decrease in rhino poaching in the Kruger National Park last month comes after the park recorded that the number of births equalled the combined natural and poaching deaths for the first time in five years by the end of 2019.”

Creecy noted that while the lockdown was still in place, intrusions into the Kruger National Park by rhino poachers still continued.

She said between January and April this year, 33 poachers were arrested and 20 firearms were confiscated.

“The dedication of essential staff, particularly our rangers, anti-poaching and canine (K9) teams who remain on high alert in all our national parks during the Covid-19 national lockdown, is to be commended,” said Ceecy.

TimesLIVE reported last month that six rhino horns had been seized and three people arrested during an intelligence-driven raid on a house in Mpumalanga.

During the arrest, a sizeable amount of cash, three vehicles and a number of hunting knives were also found.


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Re: Rhino Poaching 2017-2020

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Creecy said this has an impact on poaching as poachers are now unable to use "drive-in and drop-off" tactics to poach rhinos for their horns.

:yes: :yes:


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Re: Rhino Poaching 2017-2020

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They need to carry a lot of heavy stuff and get to where they are supposed to find rhinos, quite a tough walk O**


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Re: Rhino Poaching 2017-2020

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SA sees a significant drop in rhino poaching thanks to the Covid-19 lockdown, but the long-term impact looms


Jay Caboz Last Updated: 28 May 2020

SA sees a significant drop in rhino poaching thanks to the Covid-19 lockdown, but the long-term impact looms
While many South Africans are bemoaning being stuck at home in a nationwide lockdown, rhinos may just be breathing a heavy sigh of relief.

This because due to the Covid-19 lockdown, South Africa has seen a significant drop in rhino poaching, according to poaching numbers by the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) released last week.

The DEFF revealed that a total of 14 rhino were poached across the country in April 2020, with the fewest rhinos poached in the Kruger National Park in a single month since September 2013 – and a significant drop compared with April 2019 when 61 rhino were poached nationwide. The number also shows a significant drop from March 2020 when the lockdown was enforced with 46 rhinos killed.

The main reason: the lockdown could have led to a disruption to poacher supply chains thanks to national travel restrictions as well as limitations placed on people moving across the country.

“We believe that the closure of our borders and the complete shutdown of international air travel removed the keyway that syndicates used to supply horn to transit and consumer countries,” said Barbara Creecy, Minister of DEFF in a press release on 22 May.

The fight against rhino poaching in South Africa has seen consecutive declines in the last five years, reports News24. In 2018, 769 rhinos were killed for their horns, in 2019 564 rhinos. A concerted effort by government and private parties has beefed-up anti-poaching strategies incorporating technology and innovative on-the-ground strategies to support early detection and follow-up operations.

While the news may have come as an unexpected positive, Dr Jo Shaw, Senior Manager: Wildlife programme with the WWF-SA, says there may be more pain to follow.

“Of ongoing concern, is the impact of a decline in tourism numbers on park revenue to cover operating costs and the need to find alternative funding mechanisms to keep our protected areas running into the future,” said Shaw.

The long-term impact of lockdowns on the wildlife economy remains to be seen. The wildlife economy is vital to the conservation and the very existence of many of the people living in the vast communities adjacent to conservation areas.

Travel and tourism account for 10.3% of global GDP, which makes the sector larger than agriculture. Wildlife tourism supports 21.8 million jobs across the world or 6.8% of total travel and tourism jobs. In Africa, that percentage is much higher in Africa, at 36.3%.


As lockdowns continue to lag on, many lodges across the continent are having to cut jobs and reduce staff to stay afloat as tourism dries up.

It serves to note that despite the drop in poaching during lockdown DEFF says incursions into the Park by rhino poachers continue. Rangers are also in a constant battle to remove hundreds of snares meant for trapping bushmeat, especially along the Kruger’s western boundary. The DEFF made mention that bushmeat poaching had not increased because of the lockdown, but the threat is imminent.

“It’s notable that restrictions on travel appear to have had a dramatic impact on the trafficking of rhino horn and efforts should be made to identify ways to continue to disrupt these networks after the lockdown,” said Shaw

https://conservationmag.org/en/wildlife ... pact-looms


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