Africa Wild

Rhino sold for R10m at KZN auction

Published: 2013/05/16 01:00:24 PM
Source: SAPA

Durban - Forty white rhino have been sold for about R10m at the Ezemvelo Wildlife annual game auction in Durban, its spokesperson said on Thursday.

The average price of each rhino increased to R247 000, from R243 000 last year, said spokesperson Musa Mntambo.

He said the rhino were among 1563 animals sold for R13 605 650 at the auction, which was held at Sibaya Casi.no on Wednesday.

The animals included black wildebeest, blue wildebeest, giraffe, dassies, red hartebeest, impala, kudu, nyala, warthog, zebra, blesbuck and springbuck.

Four hippos were sold for R35 000 each.

The animals were sold to the owners of game reserves.

Cash boost to help to save rhinos

May 16 2013 at 09:50am
By NOSIPHO MNGOMA

The Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife game auction was held at Sibaya Ca sino on Wednesday. The auction fetched R13.6 million, part of which will go to conservation efforts. Picture: Terry Haywood
NOSIPHO MNGOMA

THE sale of 30 rhinos has contributed R10 million towards conservation efforts, including those aimed at stopping rhino poaching.

This sum exceeds the R9 million expected for the sale of all the animals on offer at this year’s Ezemvelo KZN wildlife game auction, held at Sibaya Ca sino yesterday.

Although the highest price for a single white rhino was R330 000, far below last year’s record-breaking R560 000, the total sales brought in a record R13.6m, nearly R2m more than last year.

Ezemvelo chief executive Dr Bandile Mkhize said he was very pleased with the turn-out of bidders, mostly private game park owners.

More than 1 500 animals went under the hammer including hippos, giraffes, zebras, nyalas and impalas.

Proceeds from the sale of five rhinos would benefit communities with which Ezemvelo co-managed reserves.

Some R325 000 from the sale of one rhino was also donated to the Community Levy Fund for the upliftment of communities neighbouring Ezemvelo reserves.

One of the beneficiaries was the KwaMakhasa Community Conservation Area, near Hluhluwe. The community also has its own reserve, which had 10 giraffes and 50 nyalas on auction.

These fetched a total of R329 800. Traditional leader Nkosi Zwelinzima Gumede said this amount would go towards building and maintaining crèches, schools and other facilities for the people.

He also noted, however, that although the sale of the game benefited the people, some still hunted the animals, not understanding conservation.

“There is still a great need for our people to be oriented and taught about the importance of conservation.”

Mkhize said these communities were the first line of defence against poachers.

“The Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs has trained 400 rhino ambassadors to go back to the communities they come from in rural KZN to educate people about the dangers of illegal poaching,” said Mkhize.

“This is an effort to curb collaboration by locals with rhino poachers by creating awareness about the dangers of poaching and the importance of conserving these animals.”

Mkhize said Ezemvelo was making progress in the fight against rhino poaching, with KZN showing a decline in the number of rhinos poached, whereas the rest of the country was seeing more poaching.

Once the rhinos were sold at the auction, it was the new owners prerogative to do with the animals what they wanted, Mkhize said, but he depended on them and would assist them to ensure that poachers were kept at bay. “This is a war,” Mkhize said.

“Conservation is the cornerstone of life and we are going to do everything in our power to stop this scourge.”

Would be interesting to know what percentage of the proceeds from the auction go back into biodiversity conservation

Would also be interesting to know how many Kruger are selling!

Kings of the jungle go under the hammer

LARRY BENTLEY | 11 September 2013

FOR the first time in many years Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (EKZNW) will be offering lion as a catalogue item for its ‘Boma Auction’ being held on Monday at the Centenary Game Capture Centre in the iMfolozi Game Reserve. Twelve male lions are being moved out of the Tembe Elephant Reserve to facilitate the introduction of a new male lion. This will improve the gene pool of the Tembe lions. Besides the lions, white rhino, nyala and buffalo will also come under the hammer, as the organisation reduces its number of surplus animals.

I understand the idea of improving the gene pool,
but I fear for the animals that are being auctioned.

This is not new at all. Plenty of lions have been removed already. One reason is the gene pool, another reason is that there are too many and the wild dogs need some space, too.

And the need of some money as well?

If memory serves, a lion also was donated to the king. But I am not sure at all. Does anyone remember?

, Check the Rhino price, Good economics for a poacher

At today's game auction, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife reports 20 rhino were sold at an average price of R362 000., while 5 lion were sold for R9 000 each

The Auction took place today, 16 September 2013 at Hluhluwe Imfolozi Park.

The total figure raised was R8 010 200