crime
Rhino poaching in South Africa has increased noticeably
Two white rhinos in a nature reserve in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province. photo
© Kristin Palitza/dpa
Although the trade in rhinoceros horn is internationally banned, smuggling does occur, particularly to Asia. The population in Africa is acutely endangered.
The southeastern province of KwaZulu-Natal, where 325 cases were registered, was particularly hard hit, said the minister. The hotspot is the province’s Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, where 307 illegally killed rhinos were discovered. However, in the famous Kruger National Park in the northeast of the country, rhino poaching fell by 37 percent in 2023, Creecy said.
The environmental organization WWF described the new figures as worrying. “The increase in poaching shows that the situation for African rhinos remains precarious,” said Katharina Hennemuth, an expert on poaching and illegal trade at WWF Germany. The figures prove that it has not been possible to noticeably and sustainably curb the demand for the animals’ valuable horn.
Although the international trade in rhino horns is banned, smuggling of rhino horn to Asia, particularly Vietnam and China, continues. There it is bought at high prices for decoration or to be processed into powder for traditional Chinese medicine, although there is no scientific evidence of its effectiveness. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) last year, there are estimated to be around 23,300 rhinos living on the African continent.