Rhino poaching highest in SA


Duncan Alfreds

Port Elizabeth - Poaching of rhinos in SA is the highest because the country has the highest populations of the endangered animals, a World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) expert has said.

"It's an easier payoff for poachers because of the large population that is difficult to protect," WWF Africa Rhino Programme manager Joseph Okori told News24.

He said that compared to other African countries, SA faced numerous challenges with regard to rhino poaching and urged the government to implement environmental policies.

"Poaching happens throughout Africa, with the exception of Botswana, Namibia and Tanzania. Those countries have small rhino populations in intensive protection zones, with more people on the ground."

Okori said that SA has not tapped into the donor support that assisted countries in Africa with rhino protection, and that the country lagged behind, in terms of implementing its environmental protection policies.

Vulnerable

"In other African countries, people understand the rhino's role as a tourist attraction and because their economies are smaller they rely to a greater extent on the income generated by this tourism. In South Africa, however, we have a wider economy and not as dependent on tourism income.

"Also, we have stronger labour laws in this country, where you can't have a ranger working for 24 hours, but the poachers work for 24 hours with sophisticated equipment; this creates an imbalance," Okori said.

The black rhino is particularly vulnerable in SA and the Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency (ECPTA) signed an agreement with the WWF to re-home the critically endangered species in an effort to boost population numbers.

It is also hoped that an increase in rhino populations will boost tourism in the Eastern Cape.

"It will echo for generations in the future and it illustrates how we can take natural resources and add value," said Sybert Liebenberg, CEO of the ECPTA, speaking at the signing event.

"This is one of the poorest provinces and we're planning innovative events around our parks. But the real heroes are the guys in green who sit in the sun and track poachers," he added.

Rangers in the Great Fish River nature reserve are well-armed, but don't have enough manpower to police the entire park effectively.

Deterrent

Okori said that lessons from other African countries were instructive in using the army to assist game rangers to fight poaching, but that it should be done with great care.

"Wildlife protection is delegated to the army. They're not always equipped to do that, but their presence helps deter those who want to poach. We need to ensure that the SANDF is well-trained and educated before they assist.

"They can become more of a problem if they are not effective. The SANDF is tasked with ensuring that our borders are not being violated, and assist regular rangers. The army takes an active role in Kenya, where they have a 'shoot to kill' policy. It's a clear deterrent," he said.

Okori said that the government should engage with countries like Vietnam in order to arrest the growth in demand for rhinos, which would destroy the profit motive of poaching.

"We are yet to see what the minister said being put into action, and while 2010 has been a year of understanding the problem, 2011, must be a pro-active year of action - we want to see delivery."

Endangered rhino to get new homes


Duncan Alfreds

Port Elizabeth - A memorandum of understanding has been signed between the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Eastern Cape Parks & Tourism Agency (ECPTA) to re-home rhino.

The black rhinoceros is a critically endangered species and the Black Rhino Expansion project is designed to expand the species by moving rhino to different locations as populations reach the carrying capacity of the land.

"The success of the Eastern Cape government's nature conservation is one of the best-kept secrets. The black rhino is thriving here and the parks are close to their carrying capacity," WWF director Valli Moosa told News24 at the Great Fish River nature reserve.

The Eastern Cape will provide rhino to be re-homed at no cost and the WWF will place them in suitable environments, according to the agreement. This is to ensure that the critically endangered species reaches a population target of 3 000 in SA.

The programme began in KwaZulu-Natal and black rhino populations have been exported to other parts of the country.

Tourism

"In KwaZulu-Natal where the project started the farms are small and it was difficult to persuade people to drop their fences to allow these animals to roam. But it's been a great success and we've created five new populations in KwaZulu-Natal and one in Limpopo," said Dr Jacques Flamand, project leader for the WWF.

"The Eastern Cape is going to commit 20 black rhino per year for the next five years," he added.

The project will have implications for tourism in the areas where the rhinos are and bolster the region's reputation in conservation.

"It will echo for generations in the future and it illustrates how we can take natural resources and add value," said Sybert Liebenberg, CEO of the ECPTA, speaking at the signing event.

Poaching, however remains a concern and threatens to derail the work done to grow rhino populations.

"If we cannot bring poaching under control, the great work of conservation will be reversed," said Moosa.

Offspring

SA has a global track record for protecting rhino populations that were nearly wiped out by about 1900. In Asia, there are fears that the rhino populations are too decimated to be rescued.

"We wanted a minimum of 5% growth per year, and now we're reaching more than 7% on some of our project sites, which is very good to see," said Flamand.

Half of the offspring born will belong to the Eastern Cape and half will belong to the new owners. So eventually the Eastern Cape will have more black rhinos than they started with," he added.