During an exclusive excursion to the Kruger National Park, Wild went behind the scenes with the heroic rangers and canines waging the rhino anti-poaching campaign. See what it takes to protect South Africa’s critically endangered black and white rhinos.
Spending time with some of the Kruger National Park’s fearless anti-poaching members – rangers, canines, veterinarians, guides and pilots – is an honour. Daily, they put their lives at risk to safeguard Africa’s critically endangered black and white rhinos against the onslaught of poachers desperate for a piece of horn.
But thanks to the continued support of the SANParks Honorary Rangers and a wine brand with conservation at its core, Rhino Tears, the fight is far from over. Wild spent a few days at Kruger’s Mokhohlolo Wilderness Camp to find out how SANParks is defending rhinos on the frontline.
Click here to read more about Wild’s helicopter ride over Kruger, the darting of a young rhino bull and a heartbreaking discovery.
Rhino poaching really has to stop. This impacts negatively on ALL wildlife and visitors alike who are affected in some way whilst visiting our Parks.
Perhaps someone with authority needs to approach SA Trade and Industry/ Customs and Excise and convince them to impose a levy on ALL imports from China ( who are the main recipients of rhino horn) and ensure that money is paid directly over to anti rhino poaching organizations within Government ie SANPARKS. This will be ” millions” which is what we need to stop this senseless project on such a large scale once and for all!
My wife and I have recently completed a 3 week caravan trip from North to South in Kruger—needless to say a trip of a lifetime!Thank you SAN PARKS!
Having been a visitor for the past 50 years I was wondering if the fight against poaching includes a strategy of chasing Rhino off the proximity to the roads—I ask this question since on our trip we only saw about half a dozen Rhino whereas on previous trips we have seen many more.Furthermore I have been told that in spite of the poaching ,the actual numbers of Rhino in the Park are still on a positive growth path.Your comments please!
So called game drive drivers are being paid a substantial “spotters fee”for advising poaching syndicates of the location of rhinos.there are hundreds of these vehicles traversing KNP every day-how on earth can we stop this scourge?
The main recipients of rhino horn include the Chinese, but vast amounts go to Vietnam, as well as Laos and Cambodia. Horn is consumed on a huge scale by the average citizen of those countries, mainly as a “cure” for a host of conditions ranging from period pain, to arthritis, to anxiety, and so on. This belief in its curative powers goes back centuries, probably starting when rhino’s wandered around South East Asia. They are now extinct there, so horn is now obtained wherever they can get it. To eradicate this demand is a huge task, one which would take vast resources, and time. By the time significant numbers of these people come to realise that horn has no medical value whatsoever, rhino’s will be extinct. And as long as unscrupulous middlemen are prepared to make millions out of trafficking, this will continue. I despair.