the Poaching Scourge

In the first three months of 2025 South Africa’s five provinces lost 103 rhinos in total to poachers. This translates to an average of 34.33 rhinos per month. A shocking figure in anyone’s books, and totally non-sustainable in the long run. The latest statistics indicated above and encompassing the period from 1 January to 31 March 2025, closely align with the average monthly poaching rate of 35 rhinos during the previous 12-month period. This translates to 420 rhinos annually.

If the poaching figures are broken down by province it indicates South African National Parks (SANParks) sustained the highest number of losses totalling 65 rhinos killed by poachers. Kwazulu-Natal reported 16 rhinos poached, whilst Limpopo lost 10, the North West 4, and Mpumalanga 3.

Despite the figures looking dismal, there was a slight ray of light in that during this same period, no rhinos were reported poached in the Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Western Cape and Gauteng, although we must hope there are no unaccounted-for rhino losses in these provinces.

Mindless savagery driven by greed, and a misguided mythical belief in the supposed benefits derived from rhino horn on Asian markets, and more particularly so in China, Vietnam, and North Korea, saw Gomo, a twenty-two-year-old white rhino belonging to Imire Rhino & Wildlife Conservation in Zimbabwe brutally killed last week by poachers, and his horns removed.

Over his life span he became known to thousands of visitors, and he sired six calves. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to upload the video of Riley Travers, of Imire Rhino & Wildlife Conservation talking about the incident, although it is on their Instagram site. Personally, I don't believe the scourge of rhino poaching in Africa will ever end, until there are no more left to kill. It's one thing saying educating people is the key, but unfortunately even amongst the educated you'll find totally unscrupulous greed driven individuals.

To target a specific rhino within a sanctuary requires careful planning, including conducting familiarisation visits to learn the lay of the ground, followed by selection of the target, and then observing its habits etc. The poacher(s) also need to know management routines, game scout patrol programs, access and exit points, full moon phases and much more. Insider information is invaluable, and money talks. It's not unheard of for an ex-employee holding a grievance, to be bought off as a source of information, or to become directly involved in the killing.

If the rhino was killed by the ‘shooter’ with the aid of a spotlight at night, during the dark moon phase, and before full moon (which is what poachers prefer for their nefarious activity), it would certainly indicate absolute disdain for the security set up. In the case of Gomo being killed, we'll probably never know the full story, unless there's a breakthrough in investigations.

The entire distasteful incident reminds me of the early 1980s when a senior member of the North Korean diplomatic corps in Zimbabwe’s capital Harare, was caught accepting delivery at the embassy gate, of poached rhino horns. Despite an outcry by wildlife conservationists and the media, all that happened was the individual was sent home.