Poachers have killed two white rhinos in Zululand’s Imfolozi game reserve, two weeks after nine rhino were “mowed down” by poachers.
According to a reliable source, both rhinos were shot at point-blank range with a high-calibre rifle. It is not yet clear how the intruders managed to breach security at the bomas, and evade detection, despite rumours that security guards had been threatened at gun-point.
An investigation was reportedly underway on Friday. However, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (EKZNW) spokesperson and security officials refused to confirm the latest mortalities.
The incident, which left a cow and a calf dead, comes just days after Ezemvelo held its bi-annual wildlife auction at the park’s bomas on Monday.
After the wildlife conservation authority’s budget was cut by treasury, wildlife bosses have been boot-strapped and unable to fill critical gaps and vacant ranger posts.
According to an Ezemvelo statement, this latest incident brings to total 99 rhinos that have been killed in the province in 2016. Thirty-three rhinos were killed in May, an increase of more than 50% of rhinos killed over the same period in 2016.
A total of 162 rhino were reportedly killed in KZN in 2016, an increase from 115 in 2015.
In the late 1800s, there were just 50 to 100 Southern white rhinos left in the world (all of them in the Imfolozi Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal).
Due to the conservation work of the former Natal Parks Board and game rangers like the late Dr Ian Player and Nick Steel, this remnant population multiplied steadily. However, due to an unsustainable demand from Asia, especially Vietnam and China, the last viable populations of the pre-historic species are facing their gravest threat in 100 years.
