Rhino slaughter at record high in KwaZulu-Natal

RHINO poachers have set a new record in bloodshed in KwaZulu-Natal – the highest killing rate in more than a century.

With four months to go‚ poaching gangs have slaughtered 166 rhinos in the first eight months of the year‚ making this the bloodiest year on record in the province that saved this species from the brink of extinction just over 100 years ago.

In comparison‚ 162 rhinos were killed last year‚ 116 during 2015 and just 18 in 2008.

The killing rate is one rhino every 32 hours in KwaZulu-Natal‚ compared with one every 75 hours in 2015 and one every 486 hours in 2008.

The latest statistics were confirmed yesterday by Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife spokesman Musa Mntambo.

Responding to requests for more information on what the conservation agency was doing to arrest the alarming escalation of rhino poaching in the province‚ Mntambo said: “Ezemvelo is working closely with the SAPS and other state security agencies to address the poaching threat‚ the vast majority of which is coming from Mpumalanga‚ Limpopo and Gauteng.”

Asked which reserves were worst hit‚ he said: “We no longer provide the breakdown per protected area.”

However‚ conservation sources indicated that the vast majority of the killings were in the province’s flagship Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park.

The latest national statistics have not been released by the Department of Environmental Affairs.

In the last update just over a month ago, Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa confirmed 529 rhinos had been killed countrywide in the first six months of the year. – TimesLIVE