Latest news with #rhinos
Asharq Al-Awsat
4 hours ago
- General
- Asharq Al-Awsat
70 South African White Rhinos Relocated to Rwanda
Rwanda said on Tuesday that 70 white rhinos had been successfully relocated to the Great Lakes nation after a two-day journey of some 3,000 kilometers (over 1,800 miles) from South Africa. It was the largest ever relocation of rhinos, which can weigh up to two tons, Rwandan officials said. Once abundant across sub-Saharan Africa, rhino numbers have dramatically fallen due to hunting by European colonizers and large-scale poaching. The animals were transported in two loads of 35 -- first aboard a Boeing 747, then by road -- from South Africa's Munywana Conservancy to Akagera National Park in Rwanda, or about 3,000 kilometers as the crow flies, according to the Rwanda Development Board (RDB). A "dedicated veterinary team will closely monitor their health and behavior for several weeks to ensure proper adaptation to their new environment and management of any stress associated with the move", it said in a statement. The move was part of African Parks' Rhino Rewild Initiative, supported by The Howard G. Buffett Foundation, and aims to support population growth and secure a new breeding stronghold in Rwanda. According to the International Rhino Foundation (IRF), rhino poaching in Africa rose by four percent from 2022 to 2023, with at least 586 rhinos poached in 2023. The southern white rhino, one of two subspecies, is now listed as "near threatened", with roughly 17,000 individuals remaining, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The northern white rhino has all but vanished, with only two females left alive.
Mail & Guardian
4 days ago
- Science
- Mail & Guardian
Dehorning rhinos cuts poaching by 78%, landmark study finds
Dehorning must not be seen as a silver bullet, according to experts. (Photo supplied) The research, published in the prestigious journal Science , focused on 11 reserves in South Africa's Greater Kruger region from 2017 to 2023 — a critical global stronghold that conserves about a quarter of all Africa's rhinos. The Greater Kruger, spanning Mpumalanga and Limpopo, includes the Kruger National Park and the private nature reserves around it, and is an umbrella for the various private game reserves that make up the unfenced protected wilderness that lies adjacent to the Kruger Park. 'Kruger National Park had a rhino population of about 12 000 back in 2012,' said the study's lead author, 'Today, we're sitting at around probably below 2 000, so there's been a The project was a 'mammoth effort' involving wide collaboration between reserve managers under the banner of the They documented the poaching of 1 985 rhinos (about 6.5% of the population annually). 'The stakeholders got together to ask the question, 'Why have rhinos declined so rapidly and what can we do about it and have the things we've been doing been working or not, and why,'' Kuiper said. The GKEPF gathered seven years of data on rhino poaching levels, as well as on the various anti-poaching interventions — tracker dogs; air support, including helicopters and planes; detection cameras equipped with artificial intelligence; anti-poaching patrols and rapid-response teams. 'Then there were the more alternative approaches like dehorning to make the rhino less attractive to poachers. What we found across seven years in 11 reserves, including one reserve in Mozambique, was that dehorning was the single most effective intervention. Wherever it was implemented, it resulted in a drastic decline in poaching,' Kuiper said. 'Statistically-speaking, we had eight different sites and were able to isolate these massive reductions in poaching and link them to the wide-scale dehorning of rhinos.' Dehorning rhinos to reduce incentives for poaching – with 2 284 rhinos dehorned across eight reserves – was found to achieve a 78% reduction in poaching, using just 1.2% of the overall rhino protection budget. This was based on a comparison between sites with and without dehorning as well as changes in poaching before and after dehorning. Reserves under the study invested R1 billion in anti-poaching interventions from 2017 to 2021. Most of the investment focused on reactive law enforcement — rangers, tracker dogs, helicopters, access controls and detection cameras — helping to achieve over 700 poacher arrests. It costs R10 200 per dehorning operation. 'But we failed to find evidence that those arrests translated into less future poaching,' he pointed out. 'So, on one level these interventions were successful but they did not result in the same level of reduction in poaching as dehorning did.' There are key reasons for this, including 'The internal involvement of reserve staff with the criminal syndicates who are driving poaching means that these syndicates and the poachers can get around the interventions because they have information on where the rangers are going to be, where the rhinos are, where the cameras are [and] where the dogs are,' Kuiper said. The region, too, suffers from a 'great deal of 'And, the criminal syndicates take advantage of these community members, for example by offering to give them loans, and when they can't pay back the loans, they say, 'Well, here's a gun. Help me with this rhino poaching operation.' 'It's not often as simple as that but these criminal syndicates take advantage of the socio-economic vulnerability of both rangers and others in order to get that internal information.' Finally, an ineffective criminal justice system means that arrested offenders often escape punishment, according to evidence from studies on 'The criminal justice system, the internal corruption and the 'In the worst case, these interventions may also isolate the people living around these reserves in terms of their involvement in conservation,' he said. Kuiper cautioned that dehorning must not be seen as a silver bullet. 'We did document over 100 dehorned rhinos being poached. The horn regrows, so in many of these cases, the horn had regrown quite a lot and the rhino was poached. 'This points to the need for regular dehorning but also points to the fact that syndicates are adapting and seem still to be willing to poach a rhino, even if there's only 5cm to 10cm of horn left on the rhino. But, of all of the interventions, we analysed it [dehorning] led to drastic reductions in poaching.' More recent evidence has emerged since the study concluded in 2023 suggesting that the poaching of dehorned rhinos is a growing challenge. Dehorning may also shift the focus of poachers to horned populations elsewhere, Kuiper noted. A multi-faceted approach is necessary. 'We need to look at wider systematic solutions addressing poverty, addressing socio-economic inequality, addressing the demand for rhino horn in consumer rates.' Sharon Hausmann, the chief executive of the GKEPF, which led the initiative by convening manager workshops and gathering data for the evaluation, said: 'The true value of this innovative study, conceived by GKEPF operational managers, lies in its collective critical thinking. Ensuring not only that operations are guided by science, but also that science is grounded in real experience from the frontline.' Markus Hofmeyr of the Rhino Recovery Fund, said: 'From a donor perspective, this study has given excellent insight where conservation donor funding can be spent and where to avoid funding.'
The Herald
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Herald
Fourteen years for man who killed two rhinos in Kruger National Park
The Skukuza regional court on Thursday sentenced Philip Mfana Masuku to 14 years' direct imprisonment for poaching-related offences committed six years ago. Masuku, 62, from Bhekiswayo Trust in Kabokweni, was earlier convicted for trespassing, killing two rhinos, conspiracy to commit an offence and possession of a dangerous weapon. 'On 17 February 2019, field rangers detected the movement of three suspects near the Pretoriuskop section of the Kruger National Park and responded with the aid of sniffer dogs. They apprehended Masuku while his two accomplices managed to escape and were never found,' said National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Monica Nyuswa. A search of the crime scene led to the discovery of two knives and a bag containing fresh rhino horns. Masuku was granted bail but absconded. He was rearrested in 2023. 'In court, Masuku pleaded not guilty and maintained his innocence. However, prosecutor Lot Mgiba led compelling evidence, including testimony from the rangers who effected the arrest and DNA analysis confirming that the blood on the accused's clothing matched that of the poached rhinos.' He was sentenced to three years for trespassing, 10 years for killing two rhinos, four years for conspiracy to commit an offence and one year for possession of a dangerous weapon. The court ordered that the sentences for trespassing and possession of a dangerous weapon run concurrently with the sentence for killing two rhinos, resulting in an effective sentence of 14 years' imprisonment. 'Poaching remains a serious threat to South Africa's biodiversity and endangered species, with devastating long-term impacts. The NPA welcomes the sentence and reiterates its commitment to holding offenders accountable and protecting the country's natural heritage for future generations,' Nyuswa said. She said the 14-year sentence sent a strong signal that crimes against South Africa's protected species would not go unpunished. 'Despite absconding after being granted bail, the accused was tracked down, rearrested and successfully prosecuted, demonstrating the NPA's unwavering commitment to holding poachers accountable and the effectiveness of the justice system in ensuring that no offender escapes justice, no matter how long it takes.' TimesLIVE
Bloomberg
5 days ago
- Science
- Bloomberg
Cutting Off Horns Is the Best Protection for Rhinos, Study Finds
The best and cheapest way to protect rhinos, whose population has plummeted over the last 15 years because of poaching, is to cut off their horns, according to researchers who carried out a seven-year study in southern Africa. The analysis of poaching before and after the de-horning of almost 2,300 rhinos showed that removing the keratin-based protrusions cut the crime by 78%. The researchers are from three South African universities - Nelson Mandela, Stellenbosch and Cape Town — and the UK's University of Oxford.
Asharq Al-Awsat
5 days ago
- Health
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Cutting Off Rhinos' Horns is a Contentious Last Resort to Stop Poaching. New Study Found it Works
Cutting off the horns of sedated rhinos with a chainsaw has been viewed by wildlife conservationists in Africa for more than 30 years as a necessary evil to save the iconic endangered species from poaching. They hoped the drastic action was working, but evidence was scarce. Now, a study published Thursday in the academic journal Science has found that dehorning rhinos has led to a large reduction in poaching in game reserves in and around the Kruger National Park in northern South Africa — an area that's home to 25% of the world's rhinos and is especially vulnerable to poaching. The results of the seven-year study that ended in 2023 are seen as long-awaited evidence that removing rhinos' horns — which needs to be done every one to two years because they grow back — helps them survive, even if the animals lose part of their makeup. Consistently reduced poaching The conclusions seem obvious. Lucrative illegal markets in parts of southeast Asia and China crave rhino horns for use in traditional medicines, and removing the rhinos' horns take away what poachers are after. But Tim Kuiper, a biodiversity scientist at South Africa's Nelson Mandela University and the lead author of the study, said it was new to have long-term data from multiple sites on dehorning rhinos. He said the study, conducted between January 2017 and December 2023, focused on 11 reserves in the Kruger area and compared data from eight that dehorned their rhinos against the three that didn't. It also analyzed data from the reserves before and after they dehorned their rhinos. The study showed that dehorning consistently reduced poaching, Kuiper said. It found that the dehorning of more than 2,000 rhinos resulted in a 78% reduction in poaching in those eight reserves, providing some confirmation that such an invasive intervention was worth it. 'It is a big part of what a rhino is, having a horn,' The Associated Press quoted Kuiper as saying. 'So having to remove it is kind of a necessary evil, if I can put it that way. But it's very effective. There's no doubt it saved hundreds of rhinos' lives.' South Africa has the largest numbers of black and white rhinos. Namibia, Zimbabwe and Kenya also have significant populations. There are around 17,500 white rhinos and 6,500 black rhinos left in the world, with black rhino numbers reduced from 70,000 in 1970 to less than 2,500 by the time poaching reached a crisis point in the mid-1990s, according to the Save the Rhino organization. Dehorning was not always accepted Dehorning rhinos started in southern Africa as early as 1989. It has not been accepted without question. There has been opposition from animal rights activists but also questions from conservationists over what impact it has on a rhino's wellbeing, and what a future might look like with more hornless rhinos. Vanessa Duthe, a rhino researcher in South Africa not involved in the study, said rhinos use their horns to defend themselves against predators, to compete for territory and, in the case of black rhinos, to look for food. There is also evidence that dehorned rhinos adjust their movements to live in smaller ranges, she said. She said conservationists don't know the full impacts of dehorning, but research had found it had no adverse effect on rhinos' breeding rates or mortality rates. 'What we do know is that the benefits of dehorning by far outweigh any ecological cost that we're aware of today,' Duthe said. She said dehorning a rhino now takes around 10 minutes and the process causes minimum distress. Blindfolds and earmuffs are put on sedated rhinos during dehorning, which also provides an opportunity to microchip rhinos and collect samples that aid research. Only one part of the battle Conservationists agree that dehorning alone will not end rhino poaching and Kuiper said he saw it as a short-to-mid-term solution. Other efforts like more effective law enforcement and better support for game rangers on the frontline are key. While South Africa has helped pull rhinos back from the threat of extinction, more than 400 rhinos a year are still killed by poachers in the country. The dehorning study was a collaboration between scientists from three South African universities, Oxford University in England and game reserve managers and rangers. It also involved the South African National Parks department, the World Wildlife Fund and the Rhino Recovery Fund.
