Rhino Numbers and Census

[nan]

On a hunting farm?

Seems like to the below farms Lis

Steyn Safaris

Chapungu Safaris

Winterhoek

and all... well I saw only the first one, with a great smile

[Richprins]

Beeld reports today that an anonymous Board member has confirmed that Magome was suspended in June for unilaterally entering into agreements with the hunting farms for the sale of Kruger rhino. On Thursday Magome admitted deals with Kalahari Oryx, Wintershoek and Steyn, but with the approval of SANParks!

Wintershoek have confirmed, saying they run a rehab centre too. Steyn declined to comment, for security reasons, while Kalahari Oryx say they have no knowlege of any deal!

[Lisbeth]

[Duke]

Hi RP - do you have a libnk to the Beeld Story.

And it appears that Steyn had dealings with Dawie Groenewald - here

Groenewald bought dozens of rhinos on auction from SANParks. ‘Through the years, they have been the biggest supplier of rhinos in South Africa,’ he tells me. ‘I don’t believe they can make a profit without selling rhinos.’ In 2008, SANParks made R22 million from rhino sales to private entities. The following year, the amount increased to R52 million. Many of the biggest buyers were also the biggest organisers of rhino hunts for Vietnamese clients.

Groenewald says he bought forty-four rhinos from SANParks between 2008 and 2009. ‘Ten were bulls and thirty-four were cows and calves,’ he tells me. Prosecutors contend that a total of at least forty-eight rhinos were bought and moved to Prachtig between June and December 2008.

How much does KNP charge per rhino?

The estimated income from these sales, in addition to a further 20 rhinos to be sold on auction, was R80-million.

Quoted from here

260 + 20 fetched R80 Million which = R285 714 per rhino on average

[Duke]

And SANParks publishing in the Sunday Independent

Rhino poaching: War we daren’t lose

Rhino protection has become an emotional subject, given the alarming rate of poaching in recent years, writes Ike Phaahla.

Conservation is a science. It’s a multifaceted field involving studies and observations informed by facts that evolve with time.

What was done previously in the name of conservation may not be relevant today, and could be regarded as a crime against nature and humanity.

Given their ever-changing quality, nature conservation matters are sometimes erroneously seen as pitting nature against human beings, drawing unnecessary parallels between the importance of caring for nature and people.

In some cases, questions have been raised around cases where nature has been seen as taking priority over the well-being of humans, who themselves face enormous life challenges.

Practically, it is always going to be difficult to have an objective view on what or which needs must receive priority.

The debate around rhino protection is one such topic. It has become an emotional subject, given the alarming rate of poaching in recent years, especially in the iconic Kruger National Park. As a result some people have become irrational in their arguments about what needs to be done.

The South African National Parks (SANParks) which is the custodian of the country’s natural heritage, has the largest rhino population in the world living in the wild.

The majority of these magnificent animals are found in Kruger National Park, which has been hit the hardest by rhino poaching.

This year alone, more than 400 animals have been killed in this vast park. The figures are an enormous challenge on officials to come up with innovative solutions to tackle this problem head-on.

An array of resources has been deployed in the park to support the structures in place.

Some of these measures against rhino poaching are of a scale unprecedented in the history of the country’s nature conservation efforts.

But the question on everyone’s mind is whether we are winning the battle. First, the results may not be visible to many, but on the ground, we can see the difference. So, yes, our measures have somehow made an impression in preventing the rhino slaughter from continuing unabated.

While people may interrogate the interventions, I believe that we should ask ourselves what could have happened had we just gone on with life as usual. The answer is that we could possibly be at the tipping point, where more animals are dying than are being born.

We are not in an ideal situation, but it is far better than what could have happened.

Partnerships are important in this fight. The SANDF, SAPS and surrounding private game reserves have joined forces in the fight against rhino poaching. More rangers have been recruited or retrained for this difficult task.

A joint operations committee has been set up and is operational. Communities from surrounding villages are constantly being addressed and brought into the structures to be the eyes and the ears of law enforcement agencies.

SANParks came up with a five-year plan to fight this scourge. The plan is in its third year. There are aspects that have worked and those that need to be fine-tuned.

The use of technology is being investigated, but it should be noted that the vanguard has been the people, especially the men and women of the Rangers Corps.

The many arrests that led to convictions and long prison terms were largely through the efforts of these brave souls. SANParks is the first to admit that the going is tough, but we remain optimistic that the tide will soon turn in our favour. Light always triumphs over darkness.

The Kruger National Park is a big laboratory, and as we speak, technologies are being tested, theories are being interrogated and all that is being offered as a solution is being explored, albeit not blindly. In the next 18 months SANParks should be able to turn around the situation.

It is no secret that a large number of rhino are killed in incursions emanating from Mozambique, which borders Kruger on the east. The government and SANParks have been hard at work to try to find lasting solutions to this problem, apart from increased border patrols by the South African army and rangers in a park as big as several European countries.

In May, Mozambique and South Africa signed a landmark anti-poaching agreement, which is in part aimed at preventing the country from being used as a transit point for rhino horns. Mozambique has moved to approve a law that criminalises poaching. Both these measures are fairly new, and their impact may not yet been felt, but they are commendable steps.

There is no doubt that greed is the main driver of rhino-poaching, not poverty as initially thought. Experience suggests that the illegal hunters rely on their well-honed bush skills, and guerrilla training from the country’s civil war. Syndicates are exploiting all those aspects.

The other key aspect is that there are villages in the Limpopo Transfrontier Park that are being used as springboards into the Kruger National Park. Those villages are not supposed to be there, according to the agreements signed by Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe on the dropping of the fences between them. The government is occupied with those issues as SANParks concentrates on its mandate of conserving the country’s natural heritage.

This is a fight we simply cannot afford to lose. All methods to save the species have to be considered in line with global best practice in conservation and not emotions.

However, anything to do with this historic park and thousands of its different species is bound to stir emotions, as South Africans and people abroad who have visited it over the years have developed a special bond with it. It’s a relationship we do not dare take for granted.

But it must be noted that some of these emotions, emerging from certain sectors of our society, appear to be misplaced, or guided by personal agendas and an entrenched sense of mistrust. Some individuals and groups have constantly waged public battles to portray the park in a negative light, casting doubt on our commitment to conservation.

These attacks have time and time again been proven to be meaningless hysteria. Furthermore, as in any crisis, the financial resources allocated to rhino conservation, thanks in part to private donations, have drawn the attention of organisations who seem hell-bent on exploiting the situation by coming up with costly measures to fight poaching. These have proved to be good only on paper and failed dismally when put to test, resulting in significant financial implications. These are some of the lessons we have learnt in our quest to save our heritage.

Our commitment to saving the rhino, one of Africa’s famed Big Five, is unquestionable. The Kruger will remain a premier destination for unique African safaris, offering lifelong wonderful memories for local and international visitors. Rhino species will be part of that experience for generations to come.

* Phaahla is the spokesman for SANParks

[Lisbeth]

Bla, bla, bla.... Where are the facts? and not a word on relocations. Sanparks and Government have done nothing wrong, only the others "Don't worry it is all in check and life will go on as always"

[Richprins]

Thanks, Duke!


Pathetic response from Phaahla...!

Will rip it apart tomorrow..

[Duke]

I'm sitting on my hands RP

[Duke]

The article in the Beeld by Elise Templehoff. In Afrikaans and a crude Englkish translation with Google Translate.

SANPark-man in sop oor verkoop van renosters Sluit glo kontrakte met jagplase Elise Tempelhoff @elisetempelhoff
Dr. Hector Magome, hoof van bewaringsdienste van SANParke, is geskors omdat hy “eensydig” kontrakte met natuurreservate en jagplase in die Noord-Kaap aangegaan het vir die verkoop van 250 van die Krugerwildtuin se renosters.

Dít sou SANParke glo R60miljoen in die sak bring.

’n Raadslid van SANParke wat naamloos wil bly, het bevestig dit was die rede vir ­Magome se skorsing in Junie.

Oxpeckers, ’n groep omgewingsjoernaliste, het dié inligting vandeesweek bekend gemaak nadat Edna Molewa, minister van omgewingsake, gesê het SANParke oorweeg dit om 500 renosters vir hul eie veiligheid uit die wildtuin te verskuif. Die raad het in Julie ontken dat SANParke van plan is om enige renosters te skuif of te verkoop.

Lede van bewaringsorganisasies het sedert eergister vuur gespoeg op sosiale media omdat die 250 renosters aan jagplase beloof is.

Magome het eergisteroggend erken hy het ooreenkomste met Kalahari Oryx, Wintershoek Safaris en Steyn Safaris vir die verkoop van die diere.

Hy het benadruk die SANParke-raad was bewus van die transaksies en dat hulle dit goedgekeur het. Volgens Magome is die reservate ingestel op die bewaring van dié diere.

Al drie dié natuurreservate adverteer jagkonsessies en vertoon foto’s van jagters met hul trofeë of met vuurwapens op hul webblaaie. Daar is baie min inligting beskikbaar oor enige bewaringsaksies. Al drie is lede van nasionale en internasionale professionele jagorganisasies. Johan Maritz, woordvoerder van Kalahari Oryx, het gesê hy weet niks van die ooreenkoms nie.

Wian van der Linde van Wintershoek het die ooreenkoms bevestig en gesê buiten jag, bestuur hy ook ’n rehabilitasiesentrum vir renosters.

Alexander Steyn, eienaar van Steyn Safaris, het gesê sy sake het niks met ’n koerant te doen nie. Volgens Steyn is enige inligting oor renosters “uiters sensitief”.

Julian Rademeyer, skrywer van Killing for Profit, het geskryf Steyn was betrokke by die werf van Viëtnamese renosterjagters voordat Molewa in 2012 permitte aan hierdie mense verbied het.

Volgens Magome het nie een van die natuurreservate enige van dié beloofde renosters ontvang nie. Hy is besig met regstappe teen die raad.

Die raadslid het gesê Magome sal vroeg aanstaande week weet wat sy lot is.

SANParks man in trouble over selling rhino apparently include contracts with hunting lodges Elise Tempelhoffelisetempelhoff
Dr. Hector Magome, head of conservation services of SANParks, has been suspended for "one-sided" contracts with nature reserves and game farms in the Northern Cape has entered into for the sale of 250 of the Kruger National Park's rhino.

That would SANParks believes R60miljoen in the pocket.

A member of SANParks who wish to remain anonymous, confirmed that was the reason for Magome's suspension in June.

Oxpeckers, a group of environmental journalists, this information made known this week after Edna Molewa, Minister of Environmental Affairs, said SANParks considering taking 500 rhinos for their own safety from the park to relocate. The council in July denied SANParks intends to move any rhinos or sell.

Members of conservation organizations since Sunday spat fire on social media for the 250 rhino hunting lodges promised.

Magome Tuesday morning, he recognized similarities with Kalahari Oryx, Winterhoek Steyn Safaris and Safaris for the sale of the animals.

He emphasized the SANParks Board was aware of the transactions and that they approved. According Magome is the reserves set to the conservation of these animals.

All three nature reserves and hunting concessions advertising displays photos of hunters with their trophies or firearms on their websites. There is very little information available about any conservation actions. All three are members of national and international professional hunting organizations. Johan Maritz, spokesman Kalahari Oryx, said he knew nothing of the agreement.

Wian van der Linde of Winterhoek confirmed the agreement and said apart from hunting, he manages a rehabilitation center for rhinos.

Alexander Steyn, Steyn Safaris owner, said his business has nothing to do with a newspaper to do. Steyn is some information about rhino "highly sensitive".

Julian Rademeyer, author of Killing for Profit, wrote Steyn was involved in the recruitment of Vietnamese renosterjagters before Molewa in 2012 permits to these people banned.

According Magome, none of the reserves any of the promised rhinos received. He is engaged in legal action against the council.

The councilor said Magome early next week will know his fate.

[Flutterby]

Two petitions to stop SANParks from selling their rhino:

Stop SANParks from selling 500 rhinos from KNP

Minister Molewa and SANPArks, the world calls on you to protect our remaining rhinos