Another two rhinos were killed and their horns cut off and thus despite the efforts of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife’s attempts to dehorn rhinos in KZN as quickly as possible to try and curb the bloodlust killings of rhinos for their horns. The two rhinos were killed in the Pongola area, the exact location of the poaching is known the Vryheid Herald but due to safety reasons will not be disclosed. On January 28 there were reports of shots that were fired in a game reserve. Police together with several other security entities swept the area and found two rhino carcasses without their horns. Police received information about a vehicle that could possibly be involved in the killing of the rhinos and was moving towards Louwsburg. A small group of police, CPF, farmers and private security companies were set up along the R69 where they intercept the vehicle with three men inside. Two of the men fled the scene and one was arrested. Police found two big and two small rhino horns, as well as a hunting rifle and ammunition, and a few other items that allegedly linked the men to the killings.

The dehorning operation in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (HiP) has resulted in an 80% drop in rhino poaching since it started in April 2024. The emergency dehorning operation was launched after an alarming amount of poaching was detected in HiP, which lost 307 rhinos in 2023, accounting for 10% of the park’s population and 60% of South Africa’s national poaching loss.
According to the Department of Environmental Affairs, 499 rhinos were poached across South Africa in 2023, 406 were killed on state properties and 93 on privately owned parks, reserves or farms. This was an increase of 51 when compared with 448 rhinos poached in 2022.

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The news provided to you in this link comes to you from the editorial staff of the Vryheid Herald, a sold newspaper distributed in the Vryheid area.