More than 35 rhinos had already been poached for their horns in the Kruger National Park (KNP) just between January and February 2025. One of the black rhino bull was killed on Saterday morning February 15.
Criminals are ingenious in finding new ways of bypassing all existing safety interventions.
The Regional Ranger of Special Operations in KNP, Bruce Leslie, the sudden increase in rhino poaching can be attributed to different factors, but mostly to the continuous demand in the international market. “Transnational syndicates targeting these endangered animals are relentless in their pursuit of rhino horn. We also suspect that the unrest in Mozambique could have an influence,” he said.
“Despite our efforts in dehorning our KNP rhinos, they are still being poached. There’s clearly still a market for them. We are appealing to local and international communities and conservationists to come on board and assist the Park in curbing the killing of rhinos. Bring information about those who want to poach these animals or have already killed them, so that we can deal with them to save the remaining ones,” he urged.
Leslie also said law enforcement is doing their utmost in ensuring that those who are caught are brought to book. According to him, the KNP has built a good relationship with law enforcement and are working hand-in-hand to deal with the poaching.
