Over 300 rhino poached

Image courtesy of James Barker / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The Kruger National Park was the hardest hit, with 247 animals being killed in the park since the beginning of the year.

In the North West, 35 rhino have been poached, 33 in KwaZulu-Natal, 28 in Limpopo, 23 in Mpumalanga and one in Gauteng.

"The number of people arrested in connection with poaching now stands at 114. The majority of these (109) were alleged poachers, with five being couriers. A total of 50 suspected poachers have been arrested in the Kruger National Park," said the ministry.

A total of 50 poachers have been arrested in the Kruger National Park where Houtboschrand Section ranger, Andrew Desmet, was shot and wounded in the stomach during a joint operation to arrest rhino poachers near Letaba. He remains in a stable condition in the intensive care unit of a Nelspruit hospital.

While the increasing number of suspected poachers being arrested in the Kruger National Park reflected the escalating number of people engaging in rhino poaching, it was also an indication that the anti-poaching measures put in place by SANParks were working, SANParks Head of Communications, Paul Daphne said.

Among the actions taken in the Kruger National Park to combat rhino poaching is been the adoption of a military stance in tackling rhino crimes, the deployment of an unmanned drone provided by Denel, the deployment of two surveillance aircraft and the use of tracker dogs.

The ministry has also signed biodiversity management Memoranda of Understanding with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the People's Republic of China and has recently signed an implementation plan with Vietnam putting into action initiatives aimed specifically at curbing rhino poaching.

"The signing of the MoU with Vietnam is already starting to yield results through increased security measures against alleged rhino horn smugglers," said the ministry.

South Africans are urged to report incidents of poaching and tip-offs to the anonymous tip-off lines 0800 205 005, 08600 10111 or Crime-Line on 32211.