![]() ![]() But unless something can be done to stem the recent tide of poaching, the future looks uncertain for the rhinos of this historic park. HIP is home to one of the largest and densest white rhino populations anywhere on Earth. “That’s why it’s so special.”Īfter several decades of recovery, white rhino populations are once again in decline, with 18,064 left in the wild, according to the latest figures from the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority. “Wherever you see a white rhino, it’s from this park,” says Amos Tembe, head of HIP’s anti-poaching unit. White rhinos can now be found in Namibia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Rwanda, Mozambique and Zambia - all of them a direct result of the work done in HIP. HIP’s rhino conservation was so successful that white rhinos have now been translocated back to many countries across their previous range. At the time, there were believed to have been fewer than 100 left, all in KwaZulu-Natal. HIP is one of Africa’s earliest proclaimed conservation areas, established in 1895 in large part to protect the southern white rhino ( Ceratotherium simum simum) from extinction. Most of this surge in poaching has taken place in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, better known as HIP. In the first nine months of this year, poachers have killed 190 rhinos in state-run protected areas in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province. Unless more is done to tackle the wider issue of the illegal wildlife trade, the future looks bleak for the rhinos of HIP.Hluhluwe-Imfolozi is a very challenging game reserve for anti-poaching patrols to defend, exacerbated by leadership issues in Ezemvelo, the government body responsible for managing KwaZulu-Natal’s conservation areas.Conservationists say poaching syndicates have turned their attention to this and other parks in KwaZulu-Natal province because rhino numbers in Kruger National Park, the previous epicenter of rhino poaching, have been drastically reduced, and private reserves around Kruger are dehorning their animals.Poaching has more than doubled this year in South Africa’s Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, the birthplace of white rhino conservation. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |