Africa Wild

Thanks, Rog and Allison.

Rangers also feign ignorance or do not report other variables regarding other animal deaths that might be associated to a poaching incident. For example, if a calf that was being protected by it mother (who was poached) is killed by lions, these deaths are not attributed to poaching, if a cow is in a late stage pregnancy when it is poached, the death of the almost born animal is also not attributed as a poached animal

There is also the unresearched nightmare of working out how the mating and breeding variables are messed up when territorial bulls are killed, for example, as said before. This could lead to a speedier collapse as numbers plummet after a certain threshold is reached, IMO, especially in sparser areas. (Central and North)

Also, it would appear that the Intensive Protection Zone in the south of the Park is not working so much?

That is just depressing reading that rangers would rather hide the truth...

Not a very nice picture if true

Helene Eloff

MBOMBELA – A total of 622 rhinos was poached in the Kruger National Park in 2016. Since the beginning of this year the tally stands at 21.

These figures were placed on record in the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court by senior state advocate, Ms Isabet Erwee, on Wednesday.

It formed part of aggravating factors in support of a heavy sentence for convicted poacher Simon Ngubane.*

He was found guilty last Friday of trespassing in the Kruger National Park, the theft of two rhino horns, conducting illegal activities (hunting) pertaining to a protected species (rhinos) and the illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition on December 11, 2011.

Two hundred and fifty rhinos were poached in the park 2011, 425 in 2012, 606 in 2013, 538 in 2014 and 826 in 2015.

Although the number in 2016 dropped by 204 compared to 2015, Erwee stressed that a “total onslaught on the rhino population” was still in full force.


In 2016, 281 arrests were made by anti-poaching officials. She added that the joint efforts between the police, the South African National Defence Force, SANParks and NGOs, have been met with many challenges, as was the prosecution.

“In the past 18 days, six contacts have been reported in the park along with nine crossings of the fence. At least 41 rhino-poaching scenes have been reported. At each one, three or four individuals would have been involved,” she stated.

Erwee said arrests and convictions do not seem to scare off poachers.


“This is a crime of greed. Kingpins pay a lot and the business has become a fashionable one. Although many suspects are killed during contacts or end up losing limbs, the lure of money is stronger than the fear of death,” she stressed.

It was placed on record that rangers patrol borders for thousands of kilometres and the rough terrain in the park serves as an obstacle in their pursuit of poachers.

Once suspects are arrested, they are taken to Skukuza Magistrate’s Court and their cases are added to an already overloaded court roll.

“A total of 25 to 30 matters is on that court roll every Wednesday. Some days we have more than 50 accused in the dock. Trials cannot proceed and extra court dates have to be arranged,” said Erwee.
Magistrate, Mr André Geldenhuys, added that the case at hand was one example of a poaching case being added to an already full court roll.

He postponed sentencing to January 25.

http://lowvelder.co.za/369967/knps-poac ... on-record/