Rhino Poaching Figures now Demanded

[Richprins]

There was a high meeting somewhere this week...let's see!


Wouldn't want to go the "demanding" route again...

Kruger figures are a problem....

[Toko]

http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?o ... &Itemid=30

[nan]

[Lisbeth]

Molewa did not provide any statistics on rhino killings, or any other species, apart from informing attendees “illegal activities targeting our wild cycads, abalone and the killing of rhino for its horn” were the most visible of wildlife crimes in South Africa.

Rhino poachers had, by August, killed 749 of this Big Five species nationally with Kruger losing 544. Since then there has been no official release of rhino kill statistics by the Department of Environmental Affairs. Some conservation non-government organisations put the kill figure at more than 900. Last year saw 1,213 rhinos killed by poachers.

Elephants also appear to be in the sights of poachers with Kruger alone reporting 12 killings in September and October. All told 19 elephants have been killed in the world-famous game reserve this year.

What is the reason for not providing the number of poached rhinos? Guess work is much worse. They have definitely underestimated the problem from the beginning and got started to late and trying out too many different systems

[Richprins]

Here's the full article, thanks Toks!




Lack of rhino kill information is negatively affecting anti-poaching efforts

Written by Kim Helfrich, Tuesday, 05 January 2016
Lack of rhino kill stats affecting anti-poachingWith no official figure yet forthcoming from the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) on last year’s rhino kill, non-government organisations believe the lack of information is negatively affecting those involved in anti- and counter-poaching efforts.
One of them is Elise Daffue, founder of stoprhinopoaching. Intelligence gathered by her organisation points to a national loss of between 1,160 and 1,170 rhino last year.

“This is a slight drop from the 1,215 lost in 2014 and the first year showing a reduction since the start of the poaching war in 2007/08. The figure is far too high but it needs to be viewed in context of the escalating threat and the complexity of investigating rhino – and other wildlife – crime.

“The drop in kills is testimony to the huge effort being made on the enforcement side. Environment Asset Protection strategies have been formulated and implemented over the past three years, guiding the strategic and operational plans nationally – from the ranger in the bush who detects the spoor to the prosecutor who fights that bail is denied. Keeping the numbers down depends entirely on good field work and reserve security, good investigations and good convictions,” she said.

Daffue believes the decrease in the number of animals killed – even if slight – shows progress.

“In rhino terms, every life saved is a victory,” she said adding what has been achieved shows what can be done with perseverance and dedication.

“It will also serve as motivation to face the challenges of 2016. If not for the men and women on the frontlines we would have lost hundreds more rhino. We as the public have an obligation to keep the morale up and not just criticise.”

On the DEA decision to release rhino kill statistics quarterly, Daffue supports the reliability of the official numbers but maintains in has negatively affected public support for the rhino cause.

“There has been a noticeable drop in donations and it must be remembered that public funding, when channeled through credible organisations, has contributed to the overall success. This is especially so when funding goes to vital security initiatives.”

Kirsty Brebner, rhino project manager at the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT), is of the opinion that withholding rhino kill numbers from the public “doesn’t help the cause”.

She said the lack of information available makes it difficult for potential donors and funders to take informed decisions.

“Generally it is a case of people not seeing how serious the rhino poaching problem is and not being able to make informed decisions about it.”

Last August Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa told a Cape Town briefing 749 rhino had been killed for their horn with the Kruger National Park losing by far the majority of this Big Five species – 544.

[Richprins]

Looks like poaching figures will come out next week!

[Richprins]

2017

[Lisbeth]

The usual optimist

[Lisbeth]

Op-Ed: Where are the rhino poaching stats?
BY JANINE AVERY - 17 JULY 2017 -
Rhino poaching might be on the decrease, elephant poaching is on the rise, but without up to date poaching figures from the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA), how do we know? That is why a South African NGO has been forced to waste valuable resources collating information that should be readily available in order to separate fact from fiction.

Through reliable sources, including countless SAPS reports, OSCAP has arrived at its own poaching statistics. It maintains that 538 rhinos and 30 elephants have been poached in South Africa until the end of June 2017. If poaching continues to follow this trend, elephant poaching figures for 2017 could soon exceed DEA’s total for 2016 of 46 poached elephants. OSCAP disputes this number – according to its information, 78 elephants were poached in the Kruger National Park in 2016.

On the other hand, OSCAP’s rhino poaching calculation for 2016 comes in at 1,102 carcasses compared to DEA’s 1,175 , close enough to give credibility to its figures. “The lack of official statistics does not mean the poaching crisis has gone away. This is our national heritage and the South African public needs to be and should be kept informed,” says Kim Da Ribeira of OSCAP.

Initially, the DEA released poaching statistics on a monthly basis, but since early 2015, this process has been changed to a quarterly one. However, the last update in respect of 2016 was issued in February 2017, after a five-month gap. Now in the middle of July – four and a half months later – no statistics have been released by DEA.

“Withholding the information directly impacts on organisations who support anti-poaching units and private rhino owners with equipment and assistance, as they are not able to make informed decisions as to where their support can best be directed,” says Da Ribeira.

This lack of official poaching statistics goes hand in hand with a lack of reliable data regarding successful poaching prosecutions, with the minister’s ‘success story’ surrounding conviction rates being questioned.

On the 8th of May 2016, the DEA claimed a successful conviction rate of rhino of 78 percent. However, this rate actually only took into account the cases that went to trial and saw a verdict, and not the ones that never made trial.

This is coupled with a failure by government to effectively prosecute rhino poaching kingpins, as seen in a recent report from WildAid, which states that of the supposed kingpins arrested in connection with rhino crimes, “only two were sentenced to jail time, while more than 93% were granted bail. Shockingly, seventeen of them were repeat offenders, and more than 20% worked in the veterinary field.”

How can we really be sure where we stand in the war against poaching if no current poaching stats are released by DEA and conviction figures are distorted? What is the minister hoping to hide by keeping stakeholders in the dark? In the words of stoprhinopoaching.com,“Withholding stats breeds mistrust at a time when the DEA and our government can least afford it. Rather than hiding the figures, surely it’s better to tell the truth and educate the public on why this is such a challenging crime to address despite all the interventions?”

[Richprins]

It is obviously a very low priority for high-level government. Far more important to be playing politics of survival, to excuse the pun... It is also established practice to stick the head in the sand and hope a problem goes away.