No break in rhino wars for holidays

Conservation authorities will not get any rest over the Christmas holidays as rhino poaching continues unabated.

By yesterday 946 rhino had been poached in South Africa this year (last year 688 were killed).

SANParks anti-poaching co-ordinator Major-General Johan Jooste said that, though poaching was still on the increase in the park, the rate at which the situation was getting worse had been slowed.

"What we have managed to do is bring down the escalation rate (of poaching on an annual basis) from 70% to 40%," said Jooste.

This year 573 rhino have been poached in the Kruger National Park. Last year 425 animals were killed there.

Though the number of poachers entering the park is rising - rangers have dealt with more than 80 incursions in a month - Jooste said the park had been able to curb the December spike.

"Last year we lost 66 rhino in December. This month we have, up to yesterday, lost fewer than 20."

Police and conservation officials have been busy this month with arrests and seizure operations.

At the weekend KwaZulu-Natal police and the Enzemvelo Wildlife authority arrested five members of what they suspect to be a poaching syndicate, which included local businessmen and traditional healers.

They recovered illegal firearms, a rhino horn and animal skins, including those of rhinos and elephants.

Also at the weekend, eight syndicate members were arrested trying to smuggle ivory to Hong Kong.

One of them, a 58-year-old woman, was arrested with 12.7kg of ivory in her luggage at OR Tambo International Airport.

The other seven were arrested at Hong Kong International Airport after a tip-off from the SA Revenue Service.

On Tuesday, rangers in the Kruger Park shot and killed a poacher and recovered a rhino horn, a hunting rifle and poaching equipment. Three other poachers fled into Mozambique.

Jooste said the demand for rhino horn was growing.

"Have we won the war?" asked Jooste. "Not as yet.

"Can we win the war? Yes, we can."