A staggering 499 rhinos were killed by poachers in South Africa in 2023, an MENU increase of 51 on the poaching numbers for 2022. This disappointing figure is a chilling reminder that the South African government and wildlife authorities have not got poaching under control. Barbara Creecy, the minister of forestry, fisheries and the environment (DFFE), said when releasing the annual poaching figures that poaching had dropped in Kruger National Park, previously the focal point of rhino crime. However, she added: "The pressure again has been felt in the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province with Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park facing the brunt of poaching cases." A total 307 of the 499 killed nationally took place there. Creecy said the KZN figure for 2023 was the "highest poaching loss within this province" recorded for any one year. In Kruger NP, 78 rhino were killed in 2023, compared with 124 in 2022 - a decrease due to improved security, careful vetting of staff in the park to weed out corrupt rangers and other staff and the dehorning of many of the rhinos, but also because there is a much smaller rhino population due to over a decade of heavy poaching.