By Jorisna Bonthuys
The year 2015 will be remembered as another grim installment in the nail-biting story of the rhino’s survival race.
Although South Africa’s poaching levels have shown its first decline since 2007, the overall picture remains gloomy. The mass slaughter of Africa’s rhinos has increased for the sixth year consecutively; international researchers are saying.
The deepening crisis – driven by violent, greedy wildlife criminals – is still unfolding. Last year at least 1338 rhinos were killed for their horns in Africa, says researchers from the International Union of the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This is the highest level since the current poaching crisis began to emerge in 2008.
The tide has clearly not been turned, although there are encouraging signs that the rate of the slaughter has possibly been ‘stabilized’. South Africa has managed to reduce the number of rhinos killed from 1215 rhinos in 2014 to 1175 last year.
Authorities attribute this to a range of efforts to combat poachers, including using satellite and forensics tools. This also includes beefed-up security, especially around the Kruger National Park that bore the brunt in recent years.
Some NGOs seem optimistic about the slight falling in the rate of poaching in South Africa. Over the past few years we have also seen a slight decline in the rate of the increase, thanks to those who valiantly continues to the trenches in this war.
But make no mistake, ‘stable’ numbers do not indicate a stable situation. Since 2008 as many as 5940 rhinos have after all been killed. Unscrupulous syndicates are now also shifting their gaze to our neighboring countries. Namibia and Zimbabwe have reported a sharp increase in the number of black rhinos being poached last year.
We need coordinated efforts between governments, NGO’s and law enforcement agencies to dismantle these sophisticated syndicates. South Africa, home to the world’s largest population of rhinos, must lead the guard against this surge that threatens our natural heritage.