WILDLIFE CONSERVATION
Rhino poaching down in Kruger but up elsewhere
Wildlife conservationists say that at 1,028 rhino poached the number is still too high
More than 1,000 rhino were poached in SA last year, but Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa on Thursday hailed as successful the country’s flagship programme to curb this scourge. Molewa said there had been a minor decrease in the number of rhino poached in 2017 – 1,028 rhino were poached between January 1 2017 and December 31 2017, compared to 1,054 in the corresponding period in 2016. Margaret Kinnaird, the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) wildlife practice leader, said news about the reduction in numbers of rhino killed illegally in SA for the third consecutive year was encouraging. “However, the numbers are still too high. We must also shine a light on the ongoing struggles facing the people whose safety and livelihoods are threatened by this illicit trade,” she said. The country has the largest rhino population in the world, making it a target of poachers who supply the horns to Asian countries such as Vietnam, where they are a prized ingredient for traditional medicine. The ho...
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