Minister to celebrate World Rhino Day at iSimangaliso

Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) Dr Deon George is set to celebrate World Rhino Day at iSimangaliso Wetland Park.

World Rhino Day, which is celebrated annually on 22 September, was launched by the World Wildlife Fund – South Africa in 2010 to celebrate the five species of rhino.

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The day has since become a global event, drawing attention to the impact of poaching on the rhino and the consequences this has on its survival, as well as to create awareness about the threats faced by the rhinoceros.

iSimangaliso will be celebrating this day on Sunday together with the minister, communities surrounding the park, and rhino ambassadors within the park.

Meanwhile, earlier this year, former DFFE minister Barbara Creecy announced that KwaZulu-Natal was the epicentre of rhino poaching in 2023, with Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park losing 307 out of the total poached last year.

Creecy said, in 2023 a total of 499 rhinos were poached across the country, with 406 slaughtered on State properties and 93 on privately-owned parks, reserves and farms.