Environment Minister Barbara Creecy told the press that as many as 231 rhinos were killed across South Africa in the first six months of 2023, an 11% drop compared to 2022.

She also stated it was “no secret” that the rhino population in the park “has been severely battered through almost 20 years of poaching.”

The eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal has been particularly affected, with 143 rhinos killed there in the first half of 2023, ten more than in the same period in 2022.

The number of rhinos in the world-famous park dropped by 70% from 10,000 in 2008 to 2,800 in 2021, according to statistics from the national parks authority, SANParks.

With the decline in rhino numbers, fewer poaching incidents have been recorded.

According to the government, 42 of the park’s rhinos were killed for their horns from January to June 2023, almost half the number poached in the same period in 2022.

In this regard, Creecy recalled, an important step forward was the recent approval of the Integrated National Strategy to Combat Wildlife Trafficking, which aims to break the illicit value chain of wildlife trafficking in South Africa.

One deterrent is undoubtedly the stiff prison sentences for anyone who dares to hunt rhino: in the first six months of 2023, 31 offenders have been caught and convicted.

Some of them, responsible for the death of more than one rhino in the Kruger Park, received sentences ranging from 32 to 39 years in prison.

At the same time, Creecy added, attention is being paid to the fact that South Africa’s national parks are located in areas of extreme poverty and are surrounded by many vulnerable communities.

pll/rgh/mv