White rhino bull fetches R400 000 at game auction
A SINGLE white rhino bull fetched R400 000 at a game auction in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park yesterday, helping to replenish the conservation coffers of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife.
The top-priced bull was among a group of 24 rhino, scores of nyala and a handful of wildebeest, eland and buffalo which fell under the hammer of auctioneer Brandon Leer to raise about R5.6 million.
Three buffalo bulls were sold for R295 000, with one of them fetching R120 000.
The auction yesterday was Ezemvelo’s second sale this year of surplus wild animals. In May another R18.2 million was raised at an auction in Durban that included another 39 white rhino, hundreds of wildebeest and zebra and antelope.
The average white rhino prices of around R200 000 each yesterday were significantly lower than earlier in the year (around R315 000 each).
The latest rhino sales by Ezemvelo followed an announcement earlier this week that at least 702 rhino had been poached and dehorned across the country in the past nine months.
Environment Minister Edna Molewa said the death toll so far this year was slightly lower than last year, when almost 800 rhino were poached in the first seven months.
The rate of rhino killing in Kruger National Park has dropped by almost 18%. However rhino poaching in KZN is thought to have increased by almost 20%.
Arrested
More than 400 horn poachers have been arrested nationwide this year, 177 of whom were caught in Kruger.
Molewa has also announced the names of several rhino poaching suspects arrested in recent months.
She said they included Adrian van Staden, Martin van Rooyen and Conrad Strydom, who were arrested in the Vanderbijlpark area in April, allegedly in possession of 18 rhino horns.
They are due to appear in court next week.
Two other men, Adriaan du Plessis and Nardus Rossouw, had been arrested in the Lephalale area for their alleged involvement in horn sales in Vanderbijlpark and other areas.
In the Eastern Cape, Jabulani Ndhlovu, Sikhombuzi Ndlovu and Zimbabwean national Forget Ndlolu had been arrested in June. These suspects were allegedly in possession of dart guns and M99 tranquilliser drugs.
Last month, three men – Pieter van Zyl, Marco Swanepoel and Stephan Mylie – were arrested in Pretoria for allegedly trying to sell at least five rhino horns.
Also last month, Chinese national Desheng Zhane was arrested at OR Tambo International Airport shortly before he was about to board an aircraft for Hong Kong. Officials allegedly found 10 rhino horns in his luggage, along with elephant ivory ornaments and bangles.
Next week a major international wildlife conference begins in Johannesburg and there is likely to be a heated debate on rhino poaching and other wildlife crimes across the world.