Latest official poaching statistics not looking good
The latest rhino poaching statistics reveal rhino poaching to still be very rampant in South Africa. As at the 11th of September 2014 769 rhinos were killed in the country. On the 17th of August the numbers stood at 695 rhinos and on the 13th of the same month the numbers showed that 658 rhinos had been senselessly slaughtered. The sad reality is that the number of rhinos killed is possibly higher than these numbers show as some cases of poaching may not be reported or even discovered. While typing this entry environmental social media was rife with rumours that 5 more rhinos were killed in the Kruger National Park but nothing had been confirmed by SANparks as yet. 22 days before the Global March For Elephants And Rhinos and little over 3 months before the year ends the death toll seems set to surpass last year’s 1004 rhinos that were poached in South Africa alone.
All this killing takes place while the South African government is still too busy drafting a proposal to legalize trade in rhino horn. This proposal seems to be taking up so much of government’s time & resources that little attention is paid to protecting the very animal they are working hard to turn into a cash cow.
– Fortunate M. Phaka