Counter Poaching Efforts

[Lisbeth]

Where? In Kruger?

[Richprins]

[Flutterby]

Thursday, April 19, 2018 Pledge 1 / of 1


MEDIA RELEASE


For immediate release


ANTI-POACHING PLEDGE SIGNED AND HANDED OVER

A Pledge against poaching was presented to the South African National Parks (SANParks) staff members today (Thursday, 19 April 2018) by the Chief Operating Officer of SANParks, Ms Lize McCourt, on behalf of SANParks Board and Management.

The Pledge is meant to urge SANParks staff members to place honesty high on the list of their core values, and is fully backed by two existing trade unions at SANParks i.e. Health and Other Service Personnel Trade Union of South Africa (HOSPERSA) and National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (NEHAWU) who signed a collective agreement in line with this initiative last year.

“With the complete support of the two trade unions, we need to continue to encourage our staff members to live up to own standards of truthfulness and not compromise their integrity. This pledge will hopefully encourage more people to refrain from wildlife crime and the killing of species found in our National Parks. Please join us with this task of reinforcing the message of “Pledge against poaching”; said McCourt.

Stakeholders such as HOSPERSA, NEHAWU, South African Police Services, South African Defence Force, SANParks Honorary Rangers and the media took part at the anti-poaching edge event. Those that added their signatures to the pledge document all stood up to be counted as part of the army against poaching.

“This pledge will be hanged in one of our foyers so that it can be seen by everybody who visit our offices and must serve as a reminder for all of us who walk through every day in and out of our workplaces, that we have committed ourselves to fighting rhino poaching and wildlife crime in general. This beautiful place called the Kruger National Park and all the other National Parks are a national treasure that we should all be looking after. The country has entrusted us staff members with the responsibility as custodians of their natural heritage and we should be seen to be doing exactly that,” added McCourt.

McCourt further warned the poachers that by plundering the species in National Parks and other Protected Areas, they are selling their soul to the devil because once they get arrested for poaching; the road to freedom becomes tough to endure.


Issued by:
South African National Parks, Kruger National Park - Communications & Marketing

[Richprins]

Good!

Now Government and Parliament must sign too!

[PennyinSA]

Good grief are we going to have public "hangings" now?

[Lisbeth]

The situation among the staff must be bad, if they have to hand out a letter like that.

Sorry, but this really makes me laugh. Different culture.....

.....they are selling their soul to the devil........

[Richprins]

An interesting perspective:


https://lowvelder.co.za/video_of_the_da ... 360-video/

[RogerFraser]

[Richprins]

SANDF has interdicted 200 poachers in the Kruger over the last decade



Written by Guy Martin, Wednesday, 09 May 2018

Soldiers working with rangers.The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has apprehended, arrested or killed 188 suspected poachers in the Kruger National Park (KNP) since 2010 as part of its border security and counter-poaching duties, it has been revealed.

Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula gave the figures late last month in response to a parliamentary question posed by Thomas Zwelakhe Hadebe, the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party's Shadow Minister for Environmental Affairs.

According to figures provided by the minister, between 2010 and 2018 a total of 31 poachers were apprehended, 20 wounded, 27 killed and 110 arrested for a total of 188.

2012 was the busiest year, with eight poachers apprehended, three wounded, seven killed and 33 arrested. Next busies was 2014 with 14 apprehended, four wounded, two killed and 19 arrested. 22 poachers were arrested, five wounded and two killed in 2016.

Interdictions slowed in 2017, with seven poachers killed or apprehended. So far in 2018, one poacher has been killed and two arrested by the SANDF in the Kruger National Park.


Hadebe also requested numbers on illegal immigrants apprehended and successful prosecutions but Mapisa-Nqakula stated that as illegal immigrants and poachers are handed over to the South African Police Service (SAPS) immediately, she does not have these statistics.

The SANDF has been in the Kruger National Park since 2010 primarily on Operation Corona border safeguarding duties. Specialist military units including paratroopers as well as normal infantry troops are deployed in the KNP on a six-month rotation and they work closely with the dog unit, rangers, and police.

Joint efforts between SANParks and the SANDF have seen decreased poaching activity on the border with Mozambique, where 11% of elephant poachers originate from. KNP mission area manager Mbongeni Tukela last year said that 60% of incursions into Kruger now originated in South Africa, with 11% through Mozambique’s Parque Nacional do Limpopo (PNL) and 29% through Mozambican conservancies. There were some 3 700 incursions into the Kruger National Park in 2017.

The SAPS together with the SANDF have arrested over 900 suspected poachers in the Kruger National Park between 2011 and 2016, and 139 in 2017.

As a result of concerted efforts, rhino poaching in the Kruger National Park has declined, but elephant poaching is on the rise. According to SANParks, 504 rhinos and 67 elephants were killed due to poaching in the KNP in 2017, indicating the rhino poaching rate has declined by 20% - in 2016, 662 rhinos were killed and 46 elephants slaughtered. The statistics were even worse in 2015 when 826 rhinos were killed in the KNP.

http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?o ... r-security

[Lisbeth]

Where are all these poachers now? Out on bail expecting a trial in 5/6 years time?

Certainly the number of poachers have also increased.