Rhino Relocations

[Toko]

Kruger rhino relocations begin

Sapa | 01 Oktober, 2014 14:33

The relocation of some of the Kruger National Park's white rhino began on Wednesday, SA National Parks said.

This followed a rhino management strategy adopted by Cabinet in August to curb poaching.

"Relocation is the core of our approach, not only to combat poaching, but to ensure the continued growth of the rhino population," SANParks chairman Kuseni Dlamini said in a statement.

"We aim to restimulate growth in large protected areas while creating new rhino strongholds. In this way, we will be able to offset the effects of poaching in the short to medium-term, while expanding rhino range and improving the overall population size."

Auctioning rhino in line with the management strategy would take place later in the year, he said.

[Richprins]

The Parliamentary Committee was in Kruger this week...and are extremely happy with strategies etc...they even visited a fresh carcass.

I think this is the moving of rhino to the "Highly protected Area" within Kruger...at least I hope so?

Once again, a dim release/report.

Anyway, apparently relocations CAN be done at this time of year...

[Toko]

Here more detail

Process for relocation of KNP rhino begins

2014-10-01 15:22

Johannesburg - Processes to enable the relocation of some of the Kruger National Park's white rhino have begun, SA National Parks said on Wednesday.

This followed a rhino management strategy adopted by Cabinet in August to curb poaching.

"Relocation is the core of our approach, not only to combat poaching, but to ensure the continued growth of the rhino population," SANParks chair Kuseni Dlamini said in a statement.

The plan would involve moving some rhino from the Kruger National Park to create "rhino strongholds" in other parts of the country, ensuring population growth.

Rhino would also be relocated from high-risk parts of the park, and from areas where there was a high population density, to lower-risk zones in the park and to other parks.

"We aim to re-stimulate growth in large protected areas while creating new rhino strongholds. In this way, we will be able to offset the effects of poaching in the short to medium-term, while expanding rhino range and improving the overall population size."

Auctioning rhino in line with the management strategy would take place later in the year, he said.



- SAPA

[Toko]

SA shipping rhinos to Australia?

If the plan gets final approval from both countries, the rhinos would be shifted in batches of about 20 animals a year to bolster an existing small breeding herd of white and black rhinos at the Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo, about 400km north-west of Sydney.

Ray Dearlove, a former South African who is raising funds for the project in Australia, said all rhinos imported from this country would remain the property of the South African government and could serve as an insurance policy against extinction.

“Our projections are that by 2020 there would be a viable insurance herd of approximately 150 white rhinos in Australia – and that providing the (poaching) situation is sufficiently stable and that the authorities in SA agree, we could start repatriating up to 10 rhinos a year to SA from Australia,” he wrote in the latest newsletter of The Australian Rhino Project.

Dearlove said the next key step was for the South Africa government to provide, in principle, approval to transfer up to 20 rhinos a year to Australia for the next four years.

“I am often asked why Australia is a safer place for rhinos than Africa. The first reason is that the planned location of these animals is almost six hours drive from Sydney and therefore not easily accessible.

“Poaching is very, very rare in Australia and there is little, if any, pressure on the planned location from very poor communities who live close to the breadline.

“There is also very little corruption in Australia – and I have no doubt in my mind that Australians would not tolerate poaching of any wildlife, irrespective of what species it is.”

Is it necessary to go to Australia to find a save place for a rhino herd in a zoo-like environment? Is South Africa not able to protect a rhino herd in a very small area themselves? Should be very easy compared to protecting rhino in a large area such as Kruger Would be cheaper perhaps to hire some Australian security guards for a "rhino zoo" in SA, if you can not find any reliable staff in SA.

[Mel]

And I don't see how Australia would be safer from organized crime dealings than South Africa is. No matter if the carers-to-be are less corrupted than some of their SA counterparts; organized crime is just as likely to seep in than it is anywhere in the world.

[Richprins]

I think this is an earnest attempt by Dearlove to address the crisis...



Maybe 20...they will breed fast enough, and it will be secure, as said.

However, it is throwing a lot of money at the problem, that could possibly be better spent locally as a donation, and does not really address what should be happening here on home soil. Aus should perhaps make representations at government level?

One must also not forget that all these relocations are extremely stressful to rhino, and some may die in the process, especially with such a long trip.

[Richprins]

SKUKUZA – The official start of the relocation programme of rhino in vulnerable areas in the Kruger National Park (KNP) started this week in the Talamati area on the western side of the park.

Poachers from the Manyaleti area have killed various rhino in the Talamati region, while the total number of those killed in Kruger stood at 560 at the time of going to press.

In 1993 trade in rhino horn was banned by CITES, but it still continues destined to desperate people who believe in the mystical curative powers of the animal. Not so long ago the Asian passion for rhino horn was in the grand scheme of things, manageable, but now they are part of trade networks that girdle the earth and move products at great speed, and with that in mind the fate of the rhino hangs in the balance. This is the story of an animal under threat. “We are waging a protracted war,” says environmental affairs minister, Ms Edna Molewa. And it’s a real war between criminal syndicates that are the orchestrators of this lucrative business and SANParks.

By weight, rhino horn can be worth more than gold, fetching tens of thousands of dollars a kilogram in China and Vietnam. But investigating officers feel that spending resources on pursuing poachers and people connected with seizures are a waste of time as the big criminal bosses that head crime syndications walk free. Management in Kruger captured five rhino on Thursday for relocation to areas under intensive protection zones south of the Sabie River. The area where they were captured was against the western border between Malati Camp and Manyeleti.

“Although the Manyeleti forms part of the greater Kruger, rhino have become extremely vulnerable to poachers here,” according to Mr Marius Kruger, the head ranger of that area. Dr Markus Hofmeyr of head of veterinary services at SANParks confirmed this, saying, “We planned to capture one more rhino today from this dangerous area, but it is getting too hot now.”

The relocation of the five captured rhino forms part of a multi-tiered intervention by cabinet. Molewa says her department together with SANParks is now also embarking on the training of dogs to assist in the apprehension of poachers in the park. She and her team making use of an interdepartmental approach. She agreed on the question from the Lowvelder about the legal approach that poachers are only charged for poaching when they are actually caught, although they transgress on many different laws when they poach in South Africa. These transgressions include breaking laws concerning immigration, terrorism and damaging South African property! “We are busy talking to the department of Law and Order and the department of Justice as part of our multi-tiered approach and I am happy to report that we are making progress” an excited minister replied. She also confirmed that there is a delegation from South Africa in China as we speak to get commitment from the Chinese Government and a signed Memorandum of Understanding.

On a question to the chairman of the SANParks board, Mr Kuseni Dlamini, that the poachers and their overlords seem to have the upper hand, he responded by saying, “Those who are genuinely trying to stop the trade of rhino horn are outmanned and outgunned. But we will eventually bring this scourge to a complete stop and this is a promise we make to the whole of South Africa.”



http://lowvelder.co.za/229636/rhino-relocation-starts/

[Toko]

Kruger starts moving rhino to safety

Skukuza - The rhino crashes forward, pounding the earth with its broad feet. Then, as a dart's sedative takes hold, it staggers and slouches to the ground, where rangers prepare to move the oversized beast by truck to an area they hope is safe from poachers.

Kruger National Park has conducted about 45 such captures since last month, part of a plan to create a stronghold within the country's flagship reserve where rhino will get extra protection from poachers, many of whom cross from neighbouring Mozambique and are slaughtering the animals in increasing numbers.

Some rhino were moved to other parks, and the relocation "experiment", as rangers describe it, is likely to escalate next year.

Safe havens or buffer zones have been hotly debated over the years as a way to protect civilians in some of the world's major conflicts. South Africa is applying a variation of the idea to wildlife to try to stem surging demand for rhino horn.

Some consumers in Asia, primarily Vietnam and China, view rhino horn as a status symbol and a healing agent despite a lack of evidence that it can cure. The horn is made of keratin, a protein also found in human fingernails.

The so-called "intensive protection zone" in the southern part of Kruger National Park took on new urgency when South Africa, home to 80% of the world's rhino, announced on Thursday that 1 020 rhino have been poached so far in 2014, exceeding last year's record of 1 004.

About two-thirds of the rhino poached this year died in Kruger. Poachers often dodge an overstretched force of 400 rangers as well as some military units that monitor the 350km between Kruger and Mozambique, and they shoot rhino just before sunset and scoot back to Mozambique under cover of night, according to rangers.

The protection zone encompasses about 5 000km², or at least one-quarter of the park, and is already home to many of Kruger's roughly 10 000 rhino — half the national population. Rhino were reintroduced in southern Kruger in the 1960s after poachers had wiped them out.

The goal is "to basically ensure that you've got a foundation of animals that are secure and that you can use as a source population to take elsewhere", said Markus Hofmeyr, head of veterinary services at Kruger Park.

Kruger will focus aircraft, ranger teams and high-tech surveillance on the zone. The initiative is partly funded by American philanthropist Howard Buffett, a son of investor Warren Buffett who pledged nearly R260m to Kruger's anti-poaching efforts. Howard Buffett has said some of the same methods used by the United States to monitor its border with Mexico will be used in Kruger, including aerostats — large, tethered balloons with infrared cameras that scan the landscape.

This week, journalists watched separate operations in which two rhino were removed from poaching "hotspots" near the Mozambique border and loaded onto trucks for transfer to the protection zone. The animals were darted from a helicopter, which then flew low, herding them toward a road.

Once the rhino were subdued and blindfolded, rangers took blood and skin samples and installed a microchip in the horns as a way to identify Kruger's stock, all the while monitoring body temperature and even pouring water on one rhino to cool it.

The sedative must be strong enough to immobilise a rhino but weak enough so that the animal can, with men pushing and pulling it with a rope, walk into a crate. Hofmeyr said he can administer an injection that partly reverses the effect of the sedative.

Relocated rhinos have adapted well to their new home, said Sam Ferreira, a large mammal ecologist at Kruger.

He said: "It's like they're coming to a Saturday afternoon party."

[Toko]

Media Release: SANParks announces successful completion of 1st phase of rhino translocation

Date: 27th November 2014

Following a meeting of the Board of South African National Parks (SANParks), held on Wednesday, 26th November 2014, SANParks has announced the successful completion of the first phase of the Strategic Rhino Translocation Programme.

In terms of this Programme a number of rhino are being moved out of poaching hotspots in the Kruger National Park to safer destinations either inside the Park or outside the Park. The focus of the first phase has been on the capture and translocation of rhino from areas of high poaching activity to the safer areas within the Kruger National Park. These are areas where an additional deployment of resources and technology provides a more secure environment for the rhino.

A total of 29 rhino have been moved in the course of October and November from the hotspots into safer areas within the Kruger National Park. Of these 17 have been fitted with tracking devices and have been successfully tracked subsequent to their release. Based on observations through the monitoring programme it has been reported that the translocated rhino have integrated well with the resident populations in the areas to which they have been moved. It has been further reported that none of the rhino translocated have thus far been poached.

According to Mr Kuseni Dlamini, Chairperson of the SANParks Board, “It is early days, but our initial reports are that the rhino translocated within the Kruger National Park are safe and have settled well. As one element among others in our multi-faceted strategy to combat rhino poaching, we are greatly encouraged by the initial outcomes. The capture and translocation of these rhino went off without a hitch, and we would like to congratulate our game capture team for the professional manner in which they have conducted this operation”.

Apart from those rhino moved within the Kruger National Park, there have also been a number of rhino moved to other national parks and reserves, where better security can be provided. This aspect of the programme is on-going and further animals will be moved in the course of 2015. Through moving rhino to protected areas in other parts of the country, SANParks is supporting the establishment and growth of viable rhino populations in a number of protected areas apart from the Kruger National Park.

The rhino sales component of the programme is also at an advanced stage. The sale of rhino from the Kruger National Park has been initiated with a call for bids having been placed in the national media. Upon closure of the time frame for bids on 15 October 2014, a total number of twenty (20) bid proposals plus two (02) late bids were received. A screening of the received proposals in line with the advertised bid mandatory requirements has been concluded. The Bid Evaluation Committee has completed the Best Price Principle Assessment. The bid process is still under the technical evaluation phase, including site evaluations, but an outcome is expected in the near future. The sale of rhino by SANParks to private landowners, who comply with all security and habitat requirements, is part of the overall strategy to support the growth of viable populations in a range of areas in order to provide a basis for securing the protection and growth of the rhino meta-population in Southern Africa.

Issued by:
South African National Parks (SANParks) Corporate Communications
Tel: 012 426 5170

Media enquiries:
Prof Gerry Swan
Chairperson SANParks Conservation & Tourism Committee
Cell: 083 636 6157

[Richprins]

Moving all rhino not possible - Kruger Park
2014-11-29 14:49




Johannesburg - Not all rhino could be moved to safety this year, a Kruger National Park spokesperson said on Saturday.

"It was not possible to move all rhino this year. Moving rhino is not an easy task," said William Mabasa.

The task involved having to go and track down rhino, immobilise it and put it in a boma for rehabilitation before relocating it.

"It is a long intensive process and one cannot say 500 rhino would be moved within a specific period. Factors such as the weather temperature are also considered," Mabasa said.

He said around 70 rhino had been relocated to other parks and to safer parts of the KNP.

Poaching

The SA National Parks announced in October that the relocation of some of the white rhino in the KNP had begun.

This followed a rhino management strategy adopted by Cabinet in August to curb poaching.

The department of environmental affairs announced on 20 November that the number of rhinos poached in South Africa was at 1 020.

The number already exceeded the 1 004 that were poached in the whole of 2013.

The KNP, where 672 of the animals have been killed, bore the brunt of the poaching.

A total of 344 people had been arrested in connection with rhino poaching.
- SAPA



http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/ ... k-20141129