Sunday, May 22, 2011

Rhino poachers set sights on Eastern Cape

The Eastern Cape has been rocked by a recent spate of rhino poachings. The number of rhinos poached in 2011 has already exceeded the number of rhinos poached in the province in 2010.
On Thursday, 3 March, three more rhino carcasses were discovered in Dwesa Nature reserve, on the Wild Coast, after a carcass had been discovered there on 19 February.
Kariega Game Reserve also lost one of their rhinos last month. After the incident, the Indalo Association, comprising 11 private Eastern Cape game reserves, met to discuss various options to stop the killing, including dehorning. Veterinarian, Dr William Fowlds, however, expressed doubt about dehorning.
“I’m not convinced that it will stop poachers completely, without injuring the animal. There is still re-growth and the animal will have to be darted every three months to saw this off.
"It’s a deterrent, but it’s not ultimate,” Fowlds said.
He also pointed out that rhinos use their horns socially and for protection.
Kariega’s game ranch manager, Mike Fuller, said while they would increase surveillance on the farm, they were also considering moving the animals to a central area where they could be monitored more easily.
Fowlds was unimpressed with investigations of the police.
“Our biggest concern is that the police are not being effective in combating this crime. We are trying to find ways to support them and help them to be more effective. Unfortunately there’s a huge gap between what’s required and what’s actually happening,” he said.
Eastern Cape Parks CEO, Sybert Liebenberg, however, believed the police were doing a good job in the Dwesa poaching investigation.
“The guys [police] are doing fantastic work. They are really committed to helping with poaching,” he said.
The question is why poaching has suddenly reared its ugly head in the Eastern Cape. Liebenberg believes the anti-poaching measures implemented in the northern parts of South Africa have started taking effect, forcing poachers to find other hunting grounds.
With this, the demand for rhino horn has increased, pushing up the price and forcing poachers to take more chances.
Most poaching is done by highly organised syndicates. According to an article in the March edition of Africa Geographic, the success of some syndicates is due to the involvement of insiders.
Liebenberg said these syndicates had large networks, were very sophisticated and were highly dangerous.
Although Eastern Cape Parks had activated their response plan to prevent any further poaching, Liebenberg felt that poaching needed to be addressed both on the demand and supply sides. For example, cultural beliefs in the use of rhino horn in traditional medicine needed to be challenged.
Footage of the Kariega poaching is set to be aired on MNet’s Carte Blanche in the near future.


How can you help?
• Contact the authorities if you see anything suspicious or out of the ordinary while in a game reserve. This includes: Individuals or groups who aren’t accompanied by a field guide, and low-flying helicopters.
• Take down as much detail as possible: Helicopter registration or part of it, details of what individuals looked like, location and time of sighting, description of vehicle, vehicle registration.
• Do not confront the poachers, they are usually armed and very dangerous.
• Report what you've seen immediately. You can contact the park management, park rangers, the SAPS or Green Scorpions.

Contact numbers:
Green Scorpions
Jaap Pienaar: 082 853 1844
Div de Villiers: 082 417 0153
Environmental Crimes and Incidents Hotline: 0800 205 005
Grahamstown SAPS: 046 603 9152
Published on the front page of Grocott's Mail on 11 March 2011

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