Dehorning brings about an 80% drop in poaching in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, but criminal syndicates continue to look for weak spots.
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (19 September 2024) – The mass dehorning of rhinos in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (HiP) in KwaZulu-Natal this year has resulted in an 80% drop in poaching in the park since the operation began in April this year.
The ongoing Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife dehorning operation is a strategic partnership between the provincial conservation agency and the World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF), with additional support from Wildlife ACT, Save the Rhino International and Zululand Wildlife Vets.
To date, it has spared the lives of an estimated 120 rhinos and enabled the rescue of eight orphaned calves whose mothers had been killed. The calves were found in the early days of the operation when poaching levels were still high and are now being cared for at the Zululand Rhino Orphanage.
“Unfortunately rhino poachers are indiscriminate and often target female rhinos that have small calves at foot. These calves are usually ignored by the poachers and are left behind to fend for themselves. Fortunately for these eight calves, due to the extensive aerial surveillance carried out during the dehorning operation, they were discovered in time.” – Jeff Cooke, Manager of WWF South Africa’s Rhino Conservation Programme
The emergency dehorning operation in HiP was a response to the extremely high poaching pressure this iconic KZN park has been under. HiP is known as the birthplace of white and black rhinos in South Africa as it provided animals that repopulated other reserves where they had been wiped out.
In 2023, some 307 rhinos were killed in HiP alone, representing more than 10% of the park’s population and some 60% of the national poaching loss in South Africa.
However, once dehorning commenced, poaching figures dropped dramatically to single digit figures.
In June only four animals were lost, in July eight and four in August. When the operation first started in April, around 30 animals a month were being killed. To date, more than a thousand rhinos have been dehorned as part of the ongoing operation.
Alongside the dehorning, the security capacity of HiP has steadily improved with more security cameras, “smart fences” and the use of tracking and detection dogs being deployed. Many of the dehorned rhinos have also been fitted with tracking pods to allow for the remote monitoring of their movements.
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Another spinoff of the enormous dehorning operation has been an unprecedented opportunity to gather data for scientific research into rhino genetics, diet and population demographics. This data will be a rich source of information that will continue to deliver results in the years to come.
Cooke adds: “We commend the hard work and dedication of the large number of people involved in the ongoing dehorning operation in HiP. While we have seen a dramatic decline in poaching in this iconic park, we cannot let our guard down. We know that the criminal syndicates are always looking to capitalise on security lapses wherever they can find them.”
More about Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (HiP)
HiP is often referred to as the “birthplace of rhinos” as it was the last refuge for white rhinos after their numbers were decimated to around 100 animals in 1920. Thanks to “Operation Rhino” this handful of rhinos was used to repopulate other areas where they had historically occurred.
All southern white rhinos found in Africa today, numbering an estimated 15,900, come from that remnant population in what was then known as the Umfolozi Game Reserve (now part of Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park) and surrounds.
Nevertheless, despite this conservation success story, both white and black rhinos face renewed threats – particularly in HiP which has been heavily targeted by poachers in the past few years.
The park has also played a significant role in the ongoing efforts to save the critically endangered black rhino from extinction.
The Black Rhino Range Expansion Project (BRREP), an initiative established in partnership with WWF South Africa was conceived in 2003 as a mechanism to resolve the sub-optimal growth rates of KZN black rhino populations. HiP has been a major contributor of seed stock over the 20 years of the project and remains the most important donor of black rhino to the BRREP.
More about the Zululand Rhino Orphanage
The Zululand Rhino Orphanage, which is supported by the Zululand Conservation Trust, is the only specialised facility of its kind in KZN.
Poaching of rhino mothers often leaves behind traumatised rhino calves which are unable to fend for themselves. This is where the Zululand Rhino Orphanage steps in to rescue, rehabilitate and release these calves back into the wild. This process can take anything from two to four years as rhino calves drink milk for about 18 months and would ordinarily stay with their mothers until they are around two to three years of age.
The rehabilitation process involves a very intensive care period when the orphans first arrive at the facility after which they are introduced to other rhino orphans. They are social animals and form strong bonds with one another.
Among the eight rhino orphans rescued during the dehorning operation were Lazula, a partially blind male calf found wandering on its own; Umoya, a young female found running with another orphan; Bhoboza, a traumatised two-month old orphan found next to his mother’s carcass; Billie, found alone in the veld; and Ingelosi, a female found highly dehydrated and wandering alone close to her mother’s recently poached body. The orphanage also received four older calves which were in need of care.
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Sources: WWF SA
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