A Deadly Year for South Africa’s Rhinos

Last year in South Africa, an average of three rhinos were killed every day. That's 100 a month, and a total of 1,215 for the year—a national record, according to the South African government, which recently released the troubling figures.

There are now more anti-poaching rangers in South Africa's national parks than ever before. So why is the rhino body count still rising? The Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network (TRAFFIC) said in a media statement that the recent surge could be attributed to a few key problems, such as corruption and lax policing. Rhino horns—worth more in weight than gold—continue to satisfy a thriving Asian market for rhino horn powder, which is said to cure a range of ailments, from cancer to hangovers.

In 2014, many of the senior officials from "Hawks," a government agency that investigates wildlife crime, were suspended. Since then, South Africa’s crime-fighting force has been weakened. The location of the mammals is also crucial. Kruger National Park, which shares its border with Mozambique, a country where poaching syndicates operate fearlessly, lost 827 rhinos. There’s an ongoing problem with corruption amongst the rangers in national parks. Additionally, judicial action in South Africa is slow. When criminal gangs are arrested, trials and prosecutions unfold at a languid pace, allowing poachers to continue their trade unfazed.

In a dramatic last-ditch attempt to protect the animals, the South African government is now exporting its rhinos to secure and secret locations in other African countries. So far, 100 have been relocated, and another 200 are set to be moved this year. “Through this method we aim to create rhino strongholds: areas where rhino can be cost-effectively protected while applying conservation husbandry to maximize population,” Edna Molewa, South Africa's Environmental Affairs Minister, said in a government press release.

South Africa has a population of 18,000 white rhinos and a few thousand critically endangered black rhinos. Moving all of them out of the hands of poachers is a Herculean task. The South African government is considering additional options: On Friday it issued a statement saying that it might require audits and intergrity tests for park rangers and police detectives. It also wants to bulk up efforts to collect intel on subversive poaching activities by seeking out partnerships with local communities and international intelligence agencies like Interpol. Preventing poachers from breaching the South African border is the only way to stave off a global crisis.  Tom Milliken, TRAFFIC’s Elephant and Rhino Program Leader, said in a statement, “Another year of poaching like 2014 and it becomes increasingly difficult to see a positive conservation future for South African rhinos. We're facing a ‘do or die’ situation right now.”