First Kenya was hit hard: its worst year for poaching was in 2013 when 59 animals were killed (more than 5% of the national population). In Zimbabwe, before spreading to other countriesĪround 2013, the South African crisis spread to other countries in Africa. Once the easy pickings were taken in Zimbabwe, poaching gangs turned their attention to neighbouring South Africa, which in turn saw huge increases in poaching from 2009-2014. The current poaching crisis actually began in Zimbabwe, where the difficult socio-economic and political climate facilitated rhino poaching.
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It is extremely encouraging that more people were arrested and prosecuted than previous years stopping corruption and speeding up prosecution processes continues to be critically important if we are to truly tackle this horrific illegal trade. We cannot afford to lose any more rhinos: we must do everything possible to protect remaining populations to help their numbers increase. While it is encouraging to see South Africa’s poaching numbers fall, the rhino populations are at tipping point.
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In 2020, the country’s poaching figures continued to decrease for the sixth year in a row. Despite these extra protection measures, the impact of such intense poaching has caused Kruger’s rhino population to drop by 60% since 2013. Kruger consistently suffered heavy poaching loses, and so in the last few years, the government and international donors have channelled ever more funding and resources into securing the Park. Most illegal activity occurs in Kruger National Park, a 19,485 km 2 of protected habitat on South Africa’s north-eastern border with Mozambique. From 2007-2014 the country experienced an exponential rise in rhino poaching – a growth of more than 9,000%. South Africa has by far the largest population of rhinos in the world and is an incredibly important country for rhino conservation. While anti-poaching measures are still a high priority, it’s important that we don’t forget the other tools in the box: biological management, community engagement, capacity building, national and international coordination, and putting in place the long-term sustainable financing needed for important rhino conservation programmes. One of the challenges that the ongoing poaching crisis brings is that it diverts attention from other actions that are important for rhinos to thrive in the future. Without urgent action, their numbers could dwindle. The long-term impact of the poaching crisis, and the extended periods of drought, are taking their toll. Rhino populations have had no time to recover from ruthless poaching that’s taken place throughout the last decade. And, the latest numbers show that rhino populations, particularly in key strongholds such as Kruger National Park, in South Africa, have fallen dramatically. On average in the country, a rhino is killed for its horn every 22 hours. However, this positive – and very welcome – decrease does not mean rhinos are now thriving. Thankfully, the numbers show a substantial decrease compared to the previous year (rhino poaching dropped by one third).
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In February 2021 the South African Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, released the 2020 poaching numbers. What does this decline mean for rhinos’ future? The latest poaching numbers from South AfricaĪt 394 recorded poaching incidents in South Africa in 2020, poaching numbers have declined significantly in recent years, but are still too high. South Africa holds the majority of the world’s rhinos and has been the country hit hardest by poaching criminals, with more than 1,000 rhinos killed each year between 20. Yet, a rhino is still killed every day: there is a lot more to do. Thankfully, poaching numbers have decreased across the continent since the peak of 1,349 in 2015. The current rhino poaching crisis began in 2008, with increasing numbers of rhino killed for their horn throughout Africa until 2015. *The 2020 African-wide poaching figure is estimate based on current official statistics (these have not been released for all countries).