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Botswana revealed on Monday that it suffered a huge spike in rhino poaching during five years through 2022, translating to about a third of its population of the endangered species. In all, 138 rhinos were slaughtered from 2018 to last year, Tourism minister Philda Kereng told parliament. This compares to two rhinos poached in the preceding five years from 2012 to 2017, according to official figures. Statistics that Kereng presented to parliament showed killings suddenly rose to seven in 2018, before spiking to 30 the following year.

Transparency and regular communication about rhino numbers and rhino poaching are vital to understand the threat to our rhinos and finding the best ways to conserve them. The most recent rhino population numbers for Africa to the end of 2021, as released by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) last year, showed that white rhino numbers had continued to decline at around 3.1% per year and numbered just below 16 000 animals.

A court in Vietnam on Tuesday sentenced a man to 13 years in prison for trafficking nearly 10 tons of endangered animal parts from Africa, including ivory and rhino horns, police said. The court in the central coastal city of Danang found Nguyen Duc Tai, 33, guilty of transporting elephant tusks, ivory, pangolin scales and lion bones from Africa to Vietnam in 2021, the police-run ministry of public security said. Trade in ivory is illegal in Vietnam but wildlife trafficking remains widespread.

Der Save The Rhino Trust (SRT) hat im vergangenen Jahr im Auftrag des Ministeriums für Umwelt, Forstwirtschaft und Tourismus (MEFT) seine Arbeit im Nyae Nyae-Schutzgebiet im Nordosten des Landes aufgenommen. Das Gebiet grenzt an den Khaudum-Nationalpark, in dem das MEFT nun mit Unterstützung des SRT hofft, den Schutz der Spitzmaulnashörner verbessern zu können. Für den SRT ist es eine positive Entwicklung: "Die Anfrage des MEFT, unser Rhino Rangers Programm zu verdoppeln, ist eine Anerkennung für den Erfolg des SRT in der Kunene-Region in den letzten vier Jahrzehnten.

Botswana revealed on Monday that it suffered a huge spike in rhino poaching during five years through 2022, translating to about a third of its population of the endangered species. In all, 138 rhinos were slaughtered from 2018 to last year, Tourism minister Philda Kereng told parliament. This compares to two rhinos poached in the preceding five years from 2012 to 2017, according to official figures. Statistics that Kereng presented to parliament showed killings suddenly rose to seven in 2018, before spiking to 30 the following year.

Maputo, 16 Feb (AIM) - Mozambique's Central Office for the Fight against Organised and Transnational Crime (GCCCOT) has filed charges against two poachers, currently being held in preventive detention. According to a GCCCOT press release, the two men (who were not named) were caught on 27 July last year in possession of four rhinoceros horns with an estimated value on the black market of 243,600 US dollars.

A group of private game farmers, Help our Rhino Now Namibia (HoRN.nam), is offering a reward of N$100 000 for information leading to the arrest of poachers who shot a rhino at a farm near Windhoek. HoRN.nam said in a media statement on Wednesday that rhino poaching has escalated in Namibia over the past 18 months. The organisation says this poses a real and critical threat to the well-being and future survival of Namibian rhino populations.

A 33-year-old man has been jailed for five years after being caught transporting rhino horns to Johannesburg on June 22 last year.

Zimbabweans have been implicated as chief architects of a recent spike in rhino poaching in South Africa. The South African Department of Correctional Services identified the Zimbabwean poachers as Nhamo Muyambo, Francis Chitho, Trymore Chauke, Lubuyo September, Abraham Moyane, Simba Masinge and Bennet Kwamle. International Rhino Foundation (IRF) communications director Christopher Whitlatch said: "Zimbabwean rhino poachers have been involved in major illegal activities in South Africa.

The parks and reserves in Pretoria did not lose a single rhino in 2022, said Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Barbara Creecy.

Two hundred kilogrammes of shark fin were seized at Maputo International Airport two weeks ago, but the case is still under investigation and the Director general of Mozambique’s National Administration for Conservation Areas (ANAC), Celmira da Silva said he could not provide further details on the subject. Integrity Magazine tried to question who owned the cargo as well as its origin and final destination, but without success.

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) says the transnational organised crime networks targeting large conservation areas across Southern Africa remain a serious concern. The WWF was reacting to the 2022 rhino poaching statistics which saw a 40% decline compared to 2021 in the Kruger Park and other national parks across the country.

Botswana's government has presented to the ongoing CITES CoP-19 in Panama a detailed document on the country's efforts to contain rhino poaching which increased at least 100 fold between 2018 and 2020. The country recorded two rhino poaching incidents in the five years between 2012 and 2017 with zero incidents reported in 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2017.

A total of 87 rhinos were poached last year, of which 45 were killed in the Etosha National Park. This is according to new statistics released by the environment and tourism ministry, which show that last year, 61 black rhinos and 26 white rhinos were killed. In 2022, poaching cases included 15 rhinos poached on custodianship farms and another 25 white rhinos on private farms. Namibia recorded 45 rhinos poached in 2021, 43 in 2020, 61 in 2019, 84 in 2018 and 55 in 2017. So far this year, one rhino has been poached. Meanwhile, four elephants were killed last year.

Mpumalanga provincial head of the Hawks, Major General Nico Gerber has welcomed the arrest of the 14th accused person, 24-year-old Nkateko Maluleke who was wanted in a case of money laundering, where field rangers allegedly provided tactical information to rhino poachers in the Kruger National Park.

A total of 87 rhinos were poached last year, of which 45 were killed in the Etosha National Park. This is according to new statistics released by the environment and tourism ministry, which show that last year, 61 black rhinos and 26 white rhinos were killed. In 2022, poaching cases included 15 rhinos poached on custodianship farms and another 25 white rhinos on private farms. Namibia recorded 45 rhinos poached in 2021, 43 in 2020, 61 in 2019, 84 in 2018 and 55 in 2017. So far this year, one rhino has been poached. Meanwhile, four elephants were killed last year.

Relentless pressure forces rhino poachers to abandon national parks in 2022, says Creecy South Africa's relentless fight against rhino poaching in the Kruger Park and other national parks saw a decline in poaching numbers across the country. In 2022, 124 rhino were killed in the Kruger National Park.

The Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife conservation agency has, up till now, opted to not dehorn its rhinos to protect them from poachers. But that could change soon, following another year of relentless killings in which the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park emerged as the current rhino poaching hotspot, globally. The latest poaching figures released by national Environment Minister Barbara Creecy show that 244 rhinos were killed by horn poachers in KwaZulu-Natal in 2022 - the vast majority of them in the HIP.

The bad news is that poaching shifted to KwaZulu-Natal, where 244 animals were killed last year - 228 of them in provincial parks and 16 on private reserves. "The steady decline in rhino poaching in national parks is related to the relentless war that has been waged by our anti-poaching machinery, as well as a comprehensive dehorning programme," said Creecy. While the brave men and women in the front line in our anti-poaching units put their lives on the line to tackle the poachers, little is being done, seemingly, to bring the kingpins to book.

A 47-year-old accused will appear in the Kabokweni Magistrate Court on Tuesday, 7 February 2023, after his DNA was linked to rhino horns found during a search and seizure operation.

The Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DFFE) has reported that relentless pressure has forced rhino poachers to abandon parks in 2022.

The police in the Eastern Cape are searching for poachers who shot, killed, and dehorned two rhinos on a safari farm in Paterson on Wednesday evening, 1 February.

Rhinos may look formidable, but their species have declined due to continuous poaching in Nambia and South Africa. Rhinos, mainly the black rhinos, have dealt with population declines due to threats of illegal trade, poaching, habitat loss and infrastructure development. The population of rhinos is critically endangered. Without immediate actions and protection efforts, it would lead to sudden extinction. The economic and political issues in places where Rhinos thrive make it more difficult for conservation efforts.

Two rhinos were brutally shot and killed on a safari farm in Paterson late in the evening on Wednesday, earlier this week in the Sarah Baartman District. The poachers had managed to find a way into the farm before stalking, shooting and killing the adult rhinos, thereafter de-horning both of them. A police report told that the two rhinos, one male and the other female, were last spotted during an afternoon game drive. They were only found dead by game rangers the following afternoon while more tourists came through on another game drive.

Two rhinos that survived a poaching attack at Schotia Safaris Private Game Reserve, near Nanaga, nearly 10 years ago were killed by poachers on Thursday. After disabling the pair of male and female white rhinos in the attack, the poachers hacked off their horns with pangas before making their escape.

A Mozambican man, convicted for poaching, will spend the next 18 years in prison. Santos Baloyi, 31, was arrested after a rhino was killed at Kruger National Park in September. He was also convicted on charges of trespassing, contravention of the Immigration Act, possession of a dangerous weapon.

Kruger National Park, the world's greatest refuge for rhinos, is losing them to poaching faster than they're being born. The park's last rhino may already be alive. It's time to declare an emergency.

THE Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism (MEFT) has recorded 63 rhinos poached since the start of the year, of which 41 are black rhinos and 22 are white rhinos. Spokesperson Romeo Muyunda said this year’s poaching cases include 15 rhinos poached on custodianship farms, another 22 on private farms, and 26 in the Etosha National Park. In previous years, 44 rhinos were recorded poached in 2021, 42 in 2020, 57 in 2019, 83 in 2018, and 55 in 2017.

Die Zahlen sprechen für sich: Bisher verzeichnete das Ministerium für Umwelt, Forstwirtschaft und Tourismus (MEFT) in diesem Jahr 63 gewilderte Nashörner, davon 41 schwarze und 22 weiße. Wiederum 15 der gewilderten Tiere wurden auf Pachtfarmen gewildert und 22 auf privaten Agrarbetrieben. Die anderen 26 wiederum im Etoscha-Nationalpark. Weiterhin gab die Behörde bekannt, dass die Zahl im Vergleich zu den Vorjahren bereits gestiegen sei. So standen 2021 44 Nashörner, im Jahr davor 42, 2019 53 zu Buche. 2017 seien es 55 gewesen.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism says 63 rhinos have been poached since January this year.

Zimbabwe's rhino population remains among the bright sparks on the African continent after it increased by 14 percent from a total 887 in 2017 to now stand at 1,033. The statistics were compiled by Rhino Specialist Groups of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and trade monitoring organisation TRAFFIC, ahead of the 19th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP19) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wildlife Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Panama this month.

The environment and tourism ministry says even though it continues to record successes in its fight against wildlife crime, poaching of highly valued species remains a concern. Ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda over the weekend said 63 rhinos have been poached in the country this year alone. This includes 41 black rhinos and 22 white rhinos. This year’s poaching cases include 15 rhinos poached on custodianship farms, another 22 on private farms and 26 in the Etosha National Park.

Muyunda said even though Namibia continues to record successes in the fight against wildlife crime, poaching of highly valued species remains a concern. In 2022 to date, Namibia recorded 63 rhinos poached cases in the country consisting of 41 black rhinos and 22 white rhinos. "This year’s poaching cases include 15 rhinos poached on custodianship farms, another 22 on private farms, and 26 in the Etosha National Park.

There is a resurgence of poaching activities targeting rhinos at Matobo National Park, which threatens to reverse gains made over the years to protect the endangered species. Matobo National Park in Matabeleland South has one of the highest rhino populations in the country. Six poaching incidents have been reported at the game reserve this year, according to Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) Matabeleland South regional manager Midwell Kapesa. Zimbabwe holds the fourth largest population of rhinos in Africa with 616 black rhinos and 417 white…

Namibia will step up efforts against wildlife crime in the country during this year’s festive season, an official said Saturday. Romeo Muyunda, spokesperson of the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT), said Namibia has observed that in the past poachers took advantage of the festive season to undertake criminal activities of poaching rhinos, pangolins, elephants, and other species. Muyunda said even though Namibia continues to record successes in the fight against wildlife crime, poaching of high valued species remains a concern. "In 2022 to date,…

Seven suspects were arrested last week in connection with old wildlife crime cases. This is according to weekly wildlife crime statistics issued by the protected resource division and the intelligence and investigation unit within the safety and environment ministries. On 19 November, two Namibian men, Festus Amunyela and Mekondjo Tsillinus, were arrested at Oshivelo for conspiring to poach a rhino on 16 June. In another incident, Angolan national Ndango Nicolaus was arrested on 17 November in Rundu for being in possession of a pangolin on 4 August.

In August 2019, the rangers were doing their daily routine in Stolznek section using a helicopter when the accused were spotted. They were found in possession of a firearm, ammunition and hunting weapons and were arrested. In aggravation of sentence, prosecutor Lot Mgiba handed in a ballistics report which revealed the firearm that was found in his possession was meant to poach rhinos. Though Sithlangu was sentenced to 14 years for these offences, the court ordered that the terms run concurrently, resulting in an effective 11-year jail term.

Six people were arrested for rhino poaching, and one suspect for being in possession of a pangolin skin, states the report.

Rhino poachers entering Kruger National Park are increasingly being run down by packs of unleashed hunting hounds in full cry, followed by a chopper tracking their hi-tech GPS collars. As the baying pack approaches, the poacher has no idea the dogs are trained to not attack. They won't bite him (there are legal implications), but if he tries to harm the dogs, rangers will fire from the chopper. The poachers know this and no dog has yet
been lost to a poacher’s bullet.

Retired Major General Jooste was headhunted for the position of Commanding Officer, Special Projects, at SANParks where he was responsible for developing, planning and executing an anti-poaching strategy. Tony Park is a novelist who divides his time between his home country, Australia, and the South African bush, which features prominently in his well-loved novels.

A Mozambican court has sentenced a poacher to a 30-year sentence, the second such maximum term handed down this year and evidence of a crackdown by the country's judicial and conservation authorities against the illegal wildlife trade.

South African National Parks (SANParks) today welcomed the heavy sentencing of a rhino poacher by the Skukuza Regional Court, to a total of 52 years in prison for rhino poaching and related offences.

The Wildlife Justice Commission said a threat assessment on the state of rhino horn trafficking in the past decade showed that much was needed to fight the trade via law enforcement, policymakers and conservation. The assessment found that over the last decade, six countries dominated the supply chain as source, transit and destination locations and that a third of rhino horns were smuggled unconcealed, suggesting a potential reliance on corruption to move shipments along the supply chain. They found that large amounts of harvested horns have been diverted from legal…

A man has been sentenced to 34 years in prison for rhino poaching by a court in Mpumalanga. This comes against the backdrop of another court in the area sentencing a man to 17 years for rhino poaching. The Skukuza Regional Court sentenced Sipho Titus Khosa on Friday to 34 years in jail.

Pretoria - Convicted rhino poacher Silvester Sidney Zitha, 40, has been sentenced to an e

A Chinese national was on Wednesday November 16, found dead in his apartment at Sunshine Court, Valley Arcade in Nairobi's Lavington area. According to police, the matter was reported to the Muthangari police station by the deceased's friend, Hoang Thi Diut. Officers reportedly found 78 pieces of elephant ivory, two pieces of rhino horns, two pieces of ivory sculptures, a piece of animal skin, 65 pieces of lion teeth and 160 pieces of lion claws.

Botswana said it's seen a dramatic drop in rhinoceros poaching this year after taking greater steps to protect its shrinking rhino population. The significant decline was revealed in a report presented this week at a conference on CITES - the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. After losing 126 animals between 2018 and 2021, only six rhinoceroses have been poached in Botswana in 2022.
The report says poaching incidents peaked in 2020 when the country lost 62 rhinos. The following year, at least 33 were reported killed by poachers.

Zitha was convicted on a host of poaching-related offences which included trespassing, possession of a firearm with a silencer, possession of ammunition, killing of a rhino, possession of an axe and conspiracy to commit an offence.

Rhino poaching is driven by the demand for rhino horn in Asian countries. In Summary: They were arrested in September last year with a firearm and ammunition at a game farm with the aim of slaughtering rhinos to extract their horns for commercial purposes. This is the second time that a hunter of a protected species has been sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Cape Town - More than 800 rhinos have been poached in South Africa in the last three years.