Africa Wild

Inside jobs, a lot of it, I fear.

The Kruger syndicates are experts at infiltrating staff, so have moved to KZN.

OPINIONISTA

Rhino poaching is everyone’s problem — regardless of whether you are rich or poor

By Nyameko Ishmael Bottoman | 16 Apr 2024
Nyameko Ishmael Bottoman is a South African author and teacher. After graduating from the University of the Western Cape, he moved to South Korea and subsequently other parts of Asia. This was where he reignited his love for the written word. He helped develop the first South African online magazine in the role of editor. He has published two books, a children’s book and a book on South African Folklore

An issue as complex and intermeshed as poaching and the illegal wildlife trade cannot be resolved through law enforcement alone. Education, awareness and empathy are needed.
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What does the killing of a rhino for its horn in the Kruger National Park have to do with me, sitting as I am in squalor in one of the myriad informal settlements that exist in Cape Town and throughout the country? The connection may seem tenuous, but in fact it is anything but.

The deterioration of law enforcement in one area is merely a microcosm of a greater ill. The illegal wildlife trade persists not only because of cartels, the gravy train and the powers that be. It festers, eating away at our peace and lives like gangrene, because people do not see how it affects them.

“They aren’t my animals, nor is it my land. Why should I report it?” This is a common excuse used to justify not reporting the people who are profiting by stealing our animals in front of our eyes. And that is exactly what it is: Every animal killed, shipped or maimed is one more stolen from us.

The law is a Jenga construct based on a collective belief that no one will start taking away bricks. Every small act against the law of the land is the wiggling of those bricks. It doesn’t matter if you are giving cooldrink money to an official to have your documents seen early, or getting a cop to lose your court docket, or… not reporting seeing someone being cruel to animals. Each act weakens the whole. As South Africans we lament crime, yet fail to see how our actions contribute to it.

People are quick to say that crime is a product of poverty. But Lara Rall, who helped set up WWF-SA’s latest Khetha reporting project on illegal wildlife trade, disagrees.

Countries where you have high overall levels of poverty do not necessarily have higher levels of crime, says Rall. She believes that corruption, high levels of income inequality, a breakdown of social norms, and a lack of jobs and economic opportunities, all play a major role. That, combined with people feeling unheard is a recipe for… well South Africa.

People are stories being written in real time. And every story begs to be read. It is such a shame we spend most of our time telling our tales instead of listening to each other, I write, while gesturing in the general direction of the Middle East.

The world would be a better place if we did. This is why it is so difficult for people sitting in Cape Town to be empathetic to the trials and tribulations of people and animals up in the Kruger area. They are too busy writing their own stories.

An issue as complex and intermeshed as poaching and the illegal wildlife trade cannot be resolved through law enforcement alone. Education, awareness and empathy are needed. People need to share their stories and experiences so that the whole country and the world can understand their plight and their choices.

Khetha means choose in the Nguni languages, so it is fitting that a writing project centred on the illegal wildlife trade should bear its name. Poverty and difficult circumstances may strip us of our choices, but it’s on us to wrestle back those choices and return other people’s choices too.

The Khetha 2024 story project brings together journalists, conservationists, scientists and people living near Kruger in discussions around these thorny subjects. This is done through a series of webinars to spread the word on conservation efforts in the greater Kruger area. And reports on the webinars, such as this one by Maxcine Kater, have been published in national and international media.

The project is overseen by Jive Media Africa and Roving Reporters. I have had the opportunity to take part in their online writing course leading to my first byline in a South African publication. But that is neither here nor there.

The first and most important lesson I learnt in this programme is that the illegal wildlife trade is not a Kruger problem, but a South African problem. And like the recipe for most of South Africa’s problems, it includes a dash of corruption, a spoonful of latent racism, three handfuls of inequality and exploitation.

More importantly, like all of South Africa’s problems, it is one we can only address together — with ubuntu both to man, flora and fauna. DM

First published in Write Away Magazine.

A sensible piece!

20 JUNE 2024
Rangers face off with Poachers
On Friday, 14 June 2024 just before dark, rangers made contact with a group of suspected rhino poachers who were armed with a high-calibre rifle, an axe and other poaching equipment. One of the suspects was fatally wounded on contact while the others escaped. A rifle and ammunition were recovered at the scene.
Late on the evening of 18 June 2024, rangers encountered another armed group of suspected rhino poachers. During the contact, three of the suspects were fatally wounded and a heavy calibre hunting rifle, ammunition and other poaching equipment were seized.
Both incidents are currently being investigated by the South African Police Service (SAPS) while the field rangers are receiving counselling.
The two incidents in the Kruger National Park (KNP) in a space of four days, are a highlight of the dangerous conditions rangers operate under. It particularly demonstrates the threats they face against suspected poachers. Incursions on the Eastern boundary are still relentless and the anti-poaching units have been under a lot of pressure as it addresses these. SANParks is also exploring numerous interventions which include community mobilisation and support to push back against the threats poaching presents.
Issued By
South African National Parks (SANParks)
JP Louw
SANParks Head of Communications

Mobile: +27 (0)66 056 0911
Email: jp.louw@sanparks.org

There is still poaching in KNP, but having moved east, I doubt that they publish every incident

Poaching at flagship KZN rhino reserve drops dramatically after emergency dehorning drive


This orphaned white rhino calf was rescued by wildlife managers during a major dehorning operation that has led to an estimated 80% in rhino poaching in the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve. (Photo: Zululand Rhino Orphanage)

By Tony Carnie - 19 Sep 2024

On average, 26 rhinos were killed each month last year at the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve. The killings have dropped to single-digit figures after an emergency dehorning programme.
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The painful decision to remove the horns of the world’s most famous rhino population appears to be bearing fruit — with an estimated 80% drop in poaching in KwaZulu-Natal’s flagship Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve over the last six months.

This is according to the World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF), the conservation group that has provided significant funding and other support to the Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife provincial conservation agency to mount an emergency dehorning programme in the 96,000ha reserve in central Zululand.

The entire global population of southern white rhinos was hunted to the point of extinction across Africa nearly 150 years ago, leading to the establishment of the Hluhluwe iMfolozi Game Reserve in 1876. By 1920, fewer than 100 of these animals had managed to survive.

Over many decades, the former Natal Parks Board guarded the survivors and gradually increased this remnant population to the point where there were enough animals to start restocking the Kruger National Park, along with many other game reserves across Africa where the species had become extinct.

Later, an unprecedented wave of horn poaching led to heavy casualties in Kruger and other parks, prompting wildlife managers across SA to dehorn rhinos to make them less attractive targets for poachers.

Whereas managers in Kruger began dehorning rhinos at least three years ago, Ezemvelo opted against this drastic strategy and continued to suffer heavy poaching losses as criminal syndicates switched their attention away from Kruger to focus on animals still bearing large horns.

That began to change in April when Ezemvelo and WWF launched a major operation to dehorn the famous Zululand population.

In a statement on Thursday, WWF said poaching had dropped by roughly 80% since mass dehorning began in the park.

Whereas an estimated 307 rhinos were killed in this park alone last year (an average of 26 per month), poaching has now dropped to single-digit monthly figures.

WWF said only four rhinos were poached in June, eight in July and four in August — whereas almost 30 animals were being slaughtered monthly immediately before the operation began.

Orphaned calves rescued
Though the exact number of rhinos left in the park has not been disclosed for security reasons, it is understood that more than 1,000 have been dehorned.

At least eight rhino calves orphaned by poaching were rescued during the dehorning project.

Jeff Cooke, WWF South Africa’s rhino conservation programme manager said: “Unfortunately, rhino poachers are indiscriminate and often target female rhinos that have small calves at foot. These calves are usually ignored by the poachers and are left behind to fend for themselves. Fortunately, these eight calves — due to the extensive aerial surveillance carried out during the dehorning operation — were discovered in time.”

WWF said that alongside the dehorning, the security capacity of Hluhluwe iMfolozi Game Reserve had steadily improved, with more security cameras and “smart fences” and the deployment of tracking and detection dogs.

Many of the dehorned rhinos were fitted with tracking “pods” to allow for the remote monitoring of their movements. These devices are normally fitted above the horn stumps.

Cooke commended the hard work and dedication of those involved in the dehorning but cautioned, “While we have seen a dramatic decline in poaching, we cannot let our guard down. We know that the criminal syndicates are always looking to capitalise on security lapses wherever they can find them.”

The dehorning strategy appears to have paid immediate dividends, but several conservation managers have warned that dehorning displaces poaching to other, smaller reserves where rhinos still have horns.

Cognisant of these risks, wildlife managers at the 20,000ha Babanango Private Game Reserve in northern KZN announced this week that their rhinos had also been dehorned.

As more reserves resort to these desperate measures, even the dehorned rhinos are at risk as poachers may shoot these animals to extract their remnant horn stumps.

There are also concerns that the massive costs associated with dehorning rhinos on a regular basis are not sustainable in the long term for cash-strapped government agencies and several private parks, and that funding could dry up due to “donor fatigue”. DM

I wonder where they will go next, the poachers?

This is where they they went next

Relentless poachers butcher 20 dehorned rhinos in KZN sanctuary


WWF rhino range expansion coordinator Ursina Rusch and Ezemvelo conservation staff Hloniphani Qwabe and Musa Nkosi (right) collect blood samples prior to the dehorning of another rhino in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve. (Photo: Vanessa Duthe)

By Tony Carnie - 13 Nov 2024

The dehorning project in the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi rhino sanctuary in KwaZulu-Natal has suffered a setback, with at least 20 dehorned animals gunned down for their remnant horn stumps over the past month.
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Earlier this year, a massive operation began in the 96,000ha Hluhluwe-iMfolozi rhino sanctuary to remove the horns of hundreds of rhinos to reduce the relentless poaching in a state-owned park that still protects a significant portion of the beleaguered species.

The Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife management agency had previously resisted calls to dehorn rhinos in the park — partly due to the significant expenses, and because the sanctuary was one of the few major parks where tourists could still see rhinos in their natural state.

However, following an offer of financial and other assistance from the WWF South Africa conservation group, Ezemvelo embarked on a joint operation in April to dehorn more than 1,000 rhinos.

The operation, with further assistance from Wildlife ACT, Save the Rhino International and Zululand Wildlife Vets, led to immediate conservation dividends. According to WWF, the mass dehorning resulted in a sharp 70% to 80% drop in poaching in the park.

However, now it has emerged that at least 20 dehorned rhinos were killed in October by a poaching gang believed to be connected to a Mozambique-based syndicate.

While the aim of dehorning is to remove as much of the horn as possible (to make it less attractive to kill animals with no visible horns) conservation staff leave behind a small portion to prevent injury or permanent damage to the growth plate at the base of the horns.

In a media statement recording a recent visit to the park by Zulu King Misuzulu, Ezemvelo said that despite initial success, “October saw an unfortunate spike, with 20 dehorned rhinos lost to poaching.

“However, Ezemvelo hopes that it has dismantled the syndicate following the death of two foreign poachers shot during the gun battle between them and Ezemvelo’s anti-poaching unit.”

Commenting on the recent killings of the dehorned rhinos, WWF rhino conservation programme manager Jeff Cooke said it was still too early to declare that the project was not working.

Cooke — who spent 34 years of his career at Ezemvelo, including heading the game capture and veterinary services unit — said he would prefer to wait until the end of the year to review the statistics over a longer time frame.

“This is not a simplistic success/failure issue. The fact is that the poaching rate has declined significantly since the project started in April. We have had several good months and one bad month, and we also have to ask how many more rhinos would have been poached if we had done nothing.”

Nevertheless, said Cooke: “This is a wake-up call for Ezemvelo and other conservation agencies that you cannot just dehorn rhinos and then take your foot off the pedal.

“These guys are in it for the money, so if they think they can get away with poaching the stumps from dehorned animals — without getting arrested — then it’s still worth their effort, although we know that local syndicates are generally looking for the whole horn intact.”

As a result, it was vital for conservation staff to remain on high alert and to ensure that staff had the necessary capacity and intelligence support to intercept poachers, preferably before they entered parks.

Ezemvelo has installed a large number of surveillance cameras in the park that trigger immediate responses from ground teams, erected strategically placed “smart fencing” to monitor specific areas of the park and uses K9 units to track poachers in the park. DM