Asian demand for valuable rhino horn caused the number killed to jump by 21% to 1,215, despite increased efforts to protect them
Adam Vaughan The Guardian 22 Jan 15;
The number of rhinos killed in South Africa last year jumped by a fifth, marking a new record for poaching, driven by Asian demand for rhino horn which is more valuable by weight than gold.
A total of 1,215 rhinos were killed in 2014, statistics published by the environment ministry on Thursday showed, in what environmentalists said was now a “do or die situation”.
The number of rhinos killed by poachers – 827 of which were in the country’s famous Kruger national park in 2014 – has risen rapidly in the last decade.
Just 13 were killed in 2007, but demand from a growing affluent middle class in Asia has seen new records broken every year, with 1,004 killed in 2013. In Vietnam, ground horn sold as rhino horn wine is erroneously viewed to have health benefits and is seen as a status symbol.
Tom Milliken, elephant and rhino programme leader at illegal wildlife trade NGO Traffic, said: “Another year of poaching like 2014 and it becomes increasingly difficult to see a positive conservation future for South African rhinos. We’re facing a ‘do or die’ situation right now.”
Traffic said the reason poaching is continuing to rise, despite increased numbers of rangers and other efforts, was complex. It cited corruption and judicial delays in prosecutions, and said strong political will from South Africa and Mozambique – as well as the Asian countries that are the destination for much of the horn – was needed.
Edna Molewa, the South African environment minister, who has previously warned that the poaching crisis is now so severe it poses a threat to the country’s tourism, said “the figure remains worryingly high”. She said over 100 rhinos had been moved to more secure locations to reduce poaching. The environment ministry reported 386 rhino crime arrests last year.
Dr Carlos Drews, WWF’s director of global species programme, said: “Killing on this scale shows how rhino poaching is being increasingly undertaken by organised criminal syndicates. The country’s brave rangers are doing all they can to protect the rhinos but only a concerted global effort can stop this illegal trade. This includes South Africa scaling up its efforts to stop the poaching and Vietnam taking urgent measures to reduce consumer demand.”
South Africa was among the 46 countries who last February signed the ‘London Declaration’, an accord designed to tackle the problem. It was agreed at a high-profile illegal wildlife trade summit held at Lancaster House, and attended by the Prince of Wales, who called the trade “a grave threat not only to the wildlife and the people who protect them, but also to the security of so many nations.”
African governments are due to meet in Botswana on 3 March to review how the actions agreed at the London conference – which include addressing corruption and recruiting more law enforcement officers – should be implemented.
South Africa confirms 2014 worst on record for rhino poaching
TRAFFIC 22 Jan 15;
South Africa, 22nd January 2015—Official figures released today by South Africa confirmed that 2014 was the worst on record for rhino poaching.
A total of 1,215 rhinos were poached in South Africa in 2014, an average of more than three animals per day or 100 per month.
The latest figures illustrate the severity of the rhino poaching crisis with losses substantially increasing for seven consecutive years. The number of animals killed now raises concerns that rhino populations in South Africa may be in decline for the first time in nearly 100 years.
Increased support—both in terms of more rangers on the ground and more up-to-date equipment have been made available during the year—yet despite these measures the situation continues to deteriorate.
Around the world, a number of bold statements have been made during the past year by senior government figures, pledging resources and action to address the global poaching crisis.
However, South Africa—the epicentre of today's rhino wars—was conspicuous by its absence from joining the “London Declaration”, an international pledge made in February 2014 by the majority of countries directly impacted by the global poaching crisis to take action to address the situation.
“The lack of strong political will and active leadership from all arms of the government, neighbouring Mozambique and key Asian countries remains a serious impediment to turning this crisis situation around,” said David Newton, Director of TRAFFIC in East and Southern Africa.
In March this year, a follow-up meeting takes place in Kasane, Botswana, to review progress made against the London Declaration’s pledges and would provide South Africa with an opportunity to demonstrate similar commitment towards the initiative.
The reasons why rhino poaching continues to rise in South Africa are complex but seemingly include a combination of corruption, internal institutional strife and judicial delays in key prosecutions.
The South African Police Service, and specifically the “Hawks”, a key agency addressing wildlife crime in the country, has experienced increasing internal turmoil recently following the suspension of a number of senior officers. This distraction from the unit’s duty to fight organized crime inevitably means the poaching crisis is not receiving the agency’s full attention.
Kruger National Park, home to the country’s largest rhino population has been particularly severely hit: a staggering 827 rhinos were poached there in 2014. The huge 20,000 km2 park has open borders with neighbouring Mozambique, from where poaching syndicates operate with apparent impunity and little fear of arrest or prosecution from Mozambican authorities. However, that appears not to be the only factor at work: several Kruger park rangers were arrested last year in connection with poaching incidents inside the park.
Meanwhile, events elsewhere point to other problems within the system. Highly publicised arrests of rhino poaching gangs and their ringleaders have yet to come to full trial: one notorious case has been dragging on for more than four years. The alleged ringleader in the case was last month linked to a gang of 16 people arrested in the Czech Republic over their suspected involvement in international trafficking of rhino horns in the guise of sport hunted trophies from South Africa to Viet Nam.
In October 2014, US authorities announced the indictment of the same individual and his brother on multiple charges, including conspiracy, money laundering and wildlife crime and are now seeking their extradition to the US to face the charges.
2015 is a critical year for rhino populations in South Africa; overall the rhino poaching situation remains bleak, with many commendable enforcement efforts being seriously undermined by internal political conflict and international trade dynamics beyond the reach of South Africa.
“Another year of poaching like 2014 and it becomes increasingly difficult to see a positive conservation future for South African rhinos,” said Tom Milliken, TRAFFIC’s Elephant and Rhino Programme Leader.
“We're facing a ‘do or die’ situation right now.”
