‘Human Satan’ Slices Off Nose And Gets Horns Implanted Onto His Head In Extreme Body Modification, 15 Martin Luther King Jr. As lockdown restrictions have gradually been lifted, rhino poaching incidents have slowly increased, the department said. IRF also works to address demand reduction in countries that consume rhino horn,” he said.

The most pressing threat to their continued survival in the wild is from poaching to satisfy consumer demand for their horn, predominantly from Asia. The current rhino poaching crisis began in 2008, with increasing numbers of rhino killed for their horn throughout Africa until 2015. Let’s take a closer look at this situation, much as we did concerning the 2019 poaching figures in our story Latest Rhino Poaching Stats: Shades of Grey. The Ministry of Environment and Tourism recently reported that a total of 245 elephants were poached between 2014 and 2017, while a total of 241 rhino were poached between 2012 and 2017. These cookies do not store any personal information. Beijing ICP prepared NO.16065310-3. The first school believes that rhinos will only be safe once the demand for rhino horn is completely eliminated—or at least substantially reduced to unthreatening levels. When and where to go in Africa, and with whom. Politicians are often derided as liars and unreliable; while politics is equated to a mere game of lies. Kruger National Park’s Intensive Protection Zone reported zero rhino poaching incidents in April, the first time since 2007. “The newly established K9 unit continues to gain success and has been issued with a state-of-the-art, fully kitted vehicle. “Rhino poaching decreases by more than half in first half of 2020” read the misleading headline on the government’s press release issued on Friday.

This is a fraction of the 65 000 historical population level in 1970. Minister of Forestry and Fisheries and Environmental Affairs Barbara Creecy that with coronavirus-associated countrywide law enforcement measures to restrict movement in place at the time, the decline in rhino poaching compared to the same period last year was striking. The lockdown has shown us the park’s Achilles heel. There were a lot of our law enforcement officials on duty including rangers.”.

Poaching is a complex topic that cannot be solved by myopic, top-down enforcement approaches. Namibia’s rhino conservation continues to be hampered by poaching incidents: minister, Rhino poaching in Namibia down 63% on tougher policing, penalties, Steady decline in South Africa's rhino poaching menace, says minister, 5-year old rhino survives poaching attack, Mali coup, third-term bids fan fears of West African democracy backslide, Zimbabwe teachers expected to stay home when schools reopen next week, WHO urges protection of elderly persons in Africa amid COVID-19 outbreak, Nigeria president urges ‘healing’ as country turns 60, Uganda resumes commercial flights after seven-month suspension. LEAP SADC Law Enforcement and Anti-Poaching Strategy LRT Lowveld Rhino Trust MDGs Millennium Development Goals MEFDD Ministry of Forestry Economy and Sustainable Development (DRC) MIKE Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants NACSO Namibia Association of CBNRM Organisations NEPAD New Partnership for African Development There is a popular perception that poachers crawl in under fences to access the park, and while that does happen, the reality is that poachers often employ the easy route of driving in undetected as a day visitor.

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Click here to receive our stories and photo galleries via email. Sadly, the Minister has confirmed that the figures are on the increase again, after the Kruger gates were again opened to the public. Write CSS OR LESS and hit save. This is according to the 2020 State of the Rhino report released by the International Rhino Foundation (IRF), earlier this week. The foundation works closely with field partners to identify short-term needs and long-term strategies to save the rhino species, said IRF spokesperson Christopher Whitlatch. Required fields are marked *. There has been a decrease in poaching incidents during the first half of the year, according to the report. The BBC article in question rightfully attributed the drop in crime globally due to the pandemic. We provide you with the latest news and videos straight from the entertainment industry. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. To see this page as it is meant to appear, please enable your Javascript! This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. This time we call for perspective because of another contributing factor: COVID-19. Yet, a rhino is still killed every 12 hours: there is still a lot more to do. The fact is that the closure of provincial and international borders and lack of international air travel has meant that people have had limited ability to move around and the horn cannot get to the demand countries in Asia – dominating factors in the reduction of poaching. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. This multiple award-winning feature documentary is available for digital download here. It wasn’t until 2008 that law enforcement saw a substantial increase in rhino poaching incidents in public parks and private reserves throughout the country. General EnquiriesAdvertisingEditorsTravel with usCEO. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Your email address will not be published.

There was no movement of people and the borders were closed.

If law enforcement alone won’t solve the rhino-poaching crisis, then what will? The foundation released detailed current conservation trends, including the impacts from the global pandemic on the world’s five species of rhinoceros: the white rhinoceros and black rhinoceros in Africa; and the Indian rhinoceros, Javan rhinoceros and Sumatran rhinoceros in Asia. She also explains that what is needed to reduce poaching is the reduction in park incursions (by foot and by vehicle), successful long term convictions of kingpins and reinstating interventions that have been broken, for example, the closure of both the Skukuza Regional Court and RhODIS (the Rhino DNA database). See instructions. “Since the opening we have noticed more poaching activity with more arrests and sightings,” he said. African Black and White Rhino conservation. Newspaper is your news, entertainment, music & fashion website. And so too here with our rhinos, because, as the BBC observed, “the result of fewer people in public is less crime.”. International travel restrictions closed wildlife trafficking routes to China and Vietnam, the largest black markets for rhino horn. Private owners have told us that the harsh lockdown was a godsend for their security (though naturally not so for their tourism revenue). The white rhino experienced declines in population over the past two years due to poaching, new findings released this week revealed. Further proof of the success of the lockdown is the reduction in the number of arrests and firearms confiscated in the park for 2020 (2019 figures in brackets): Arrests 38 (122) and firearms seized 23 (61). Namibia's Minister of … As lockdown restrictions began to ease in many countries, poaching began to rise once again, increasing concerns that the devastation of local economies and widespread job losses could lead to an increase in poaching, said the IRF. In Kruger during the lockdown, the gates were closed to all visitors. When rangers are still run off their feet chasing multiple groups of poachers every day, or finding multiple carcasses, as has been the case since the lockdown restrictions were eased, then it’s pretty clear that things aren’t that much better”.

Approximately 2 300 remained in the early 1990s, and the population is forecasted to continue to make small gains. Research provided by Bonné de Bod – STROOP presenter & producer. Learn how your comment data is processed. African countries should prioritize safety for the elderly population, whose vulnerability to the COVID-19 pandemic is higher compared to other population groups, an official... Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari called for "national healing" on Thursday as the West African giant marked 60 years of independence in the face of... Uganda on Thursday resumed scheduled commercial passenger flights after seven months of government suspensions over the COVID-19 pandemic. A few weeks too early / late or a few kilometers off course and you could miss the greatest show on Earth. The pandemic had a dramatic impact – from social distancing El Salvadorian gang members to officials in cities across America who noted upwards of 50% declines in crime during the lockdown. “The two species of African rhinos and other wildlife that reside in game reserves are dependent on protection and monitoring personnel for their continued safety,” said IRF’s executive director, Nina Fascione.

China and Morocco: Major actors in the 75th session of the United Nations General... A typical strategic partnership between Morocco and China, President John Magufuli: A Model Leader in Africa for Employing Science in Politics. And the lockdown clearly proves that. Thankfully, poaching numbers have decreased across Africa since the peak of 1,349 in 2015.

Smaller areas are easier to confine, plus being able to close down areas with neighbourhood security patrols and roadblocks while working with SAPS has been a significant crime deterrent. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website.