Over the past few months, Hluhluwe iMfolozi Park (HiP) in KwaZulu-Natal – managed by conservation agency Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife – has been hard hit by a significant escalation in rhino poaching. Ezemvelo has subsequently been hard at work developing more effective anti-poaching and resource management strategies. In support of this, Peace Parks Foundation has committed an additional R10,6 million towards the implementation of advanced technology solutions in this sacred rhino protection area.
Category Archives: Poaching
Trophy hunting may cause extinction in a changing environment
Trophy hunting and other activities involving the targeting of high-quality male animals could lead to the extinction of certain species faced with changing environmental conditions, according to new research.
Opinion: Too many lions in Kunene
Whether tourism operators and armchair lion-lovers like it or not, there are now too many lions in some parts of the Kunene region. Trying to save the lions that are killing livestock, or harassing the farmers who kill them, including impounding their firearms, will not serve the interests of conservation in the region.
Problem lions announcement: Conservationist challenges Namibian minister
Conservationist challenges Namibian minister in open letter regarding decision to relocate or kill problem lions in the Kunene region.
49 Vultures poisoned near Kruger National Park
The poisoned bodies of nearly 50 vultures have been found by rangers in Mozambique‚ just a short distance from the boundary of the flagship Kruger National Park.
Rhino horn: Recipes for disaster
In the middle of the sixth mass extinction, when 50% of the living species are at risk of extinction due to the ever growing, destructive human hands, the six rhinoceros species are at the tip of the pyramid, among the most endangered species on Earth.
Laos: The fastest growing ivory market in the world
A new report has revealed that China’s neighbouring country, Laos, has now become the fastest growing African ivory market in the world.
Elephant ivory and the Japanese hanko stamp
Hanko stamps are the Japanese version of a signature, used throughout Japan to sign deals and important documents, and are made out of a variety of materials, including elephant ivory.
Hippo teeth: Hong Kong trade threatens species in Africa
Hong Kong has always been regarded as the epicentre of the global wildlife trade. It appears however that this trade is not adequately controlled by authorities and may lead many species to the brink of extinction. Unfortunately, many news headlines announce illegal elephant ivory and rhino horn trade being processed through Hong Kong’s borders. Many …
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Dear John, our response to your rhino horn auction
Rhino farmer, John Hume, will be auctioning 500kgs of rhino horn online today (23 August 2017). He presents arguments for his rhino horn auction, which Dr Simon Morgan – co-founder of Wildlife ACT, debunks.
The rhino in the room: South Africa’s domestic trade in rhino horn
On the surface, the upcoming legal auction of rhino horn set to begin on August 21 might appear to be a harmless propaganda exercise, but it may in fact signal a deepening of the rhino crisis.
Cycads need protection from poaching
Cycads are one of the most endangered species on this planet, it’s time we educate ourselves on how to save them from extinction.
Tsavo ‘Super Tusker’, Ndawe, dies after multiple spear wounds
Ndawe was the missing link, the proof that we were looking for. We were sure that elephants made the long journey between Tsavo and Amboseli, and he was the confirmation.
‘Shoot-to-kill’ policy for poachers, say Botswana academics
South Africa should implement a ‘shoot-to-kill’ policy for poachers, suggest Botswana academics Goemeone EJ Mogomotsi and Patricia Kelilwe Madigele in a report titled ‘Live by the gun, die by the gun’.
Lion farmers in South Africa threaten big cats worldwide
South African lion farmers are supplying large volumes of lion bone, teeth and claws as ‘tiger parts’ to an insatiable Asian market – says a report recently published by the Environmental Investigation Agency. South Africa is the world’s largest exporter of lion body parts.
Undercover operation reveals rhino trafficking secrets
A recently completed 11-month undercover investigation by Elephant Action League (EAL) called Grinding Rhino has exposed the networks, the players and the means by which rhino horn is trafficked into China.
Let’s boycott African tourism. Not
Some keyboard warriors regularly call for the boycott of an entire country’s tourism industry in reaction to the death of animals that could conceivably have been prevented.
R.I.P Tullamore – the last lion of the 5 Musketeers
Tullamore, the last of the famous ‘5 musketeers’ desert lions of northern Namibia, has been killed in the Okongue area, along with a lioness and two cubs, in the ongoing battle between rural cattle farmers and free-roaming lions. The lions were poisoned. Tullamore was the last surviving member of a group of 5 desert lions made …
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Rhinos to Australia: is this conservation?
There are plans afoot to move rhinos from Africa to Australia as an ‘insurance policy’ and for ‘safekeeping’ in large grass paddocks amongst the gum trees. Is this a valid conservation project (as claimed) or a misdirection of energy and resources by a well-meaning Western society intent on privatising African conservation into their own backyard?
Human-wildlife conflict in East Africa
Human-wildlife conflict is one of the biggest causes of reduction in wildlife populations across Africa – we unpack various solutions
R.I.P SATAO 2
SATAO 2 has died, at the hands of ivory poachers. We pay tribute to this giant elephant by quoting several people who met him
Giant elephant Satao 2 poached in Tsavo, 6 super tuskers left
SATAO 2 is dead, and another of the last super tuskers left in Africa has been poached, leaving only 6 of these giants in the Tsavo Conservation Area in southern Kenya.
Lion bones: SA public has no time to contest sale
South Africa is about to permit the export of lion bones to produce fake tiger wine but has given the public almost no time to object. The permit will allow an annual export of 800 skeletons to Asia.
Chinese traders going after Africa’s donkeys
According to several sources, there is a growing demand in Chinese markets for donkey pelts, and some rural areas in Africa are reportedly being stripped of free-roaming donkeys to feed the demand.
Anti-poaching pooches
Kruger National Park’s anti-poaching dogs work hard all day to keep our rhinos and other wildlife safe. Learn more about them here
Zambian poaching crisis fuelled by Chinese military
Zambia’s elephant population has declined by about 90% due to poaching. Its black rhino population, estimated at 13,000 in 1981, is now extinct.
Video: Shocking evidence emerges of Japan’s dirty ivory trade
The dirty secrets of Japan’s illegal ivory trade revealed in undercover video with Japanese ivory traders.
More dogs for Kruger’s canine unit
Kruger’s K9 Centre welcomes the addition of four new dogs at handover ceremony.
Rhino horn?
Removing the rhino’s horn to prevent poaching is a controversial and emotional matter – as is the related debate about trading in rhino horn
Poaching along the Okavango River
A look into the poaching of elephants, hippos and crocodiles along the Okavango River on the border of Angola and Namibia.
Why you should vote to stop trade in African grey parrots
Sign this petition and help to save thousands of wild African grey parrots!
The first arthroscopic surgery on a rhino is performed in South Africa
A behind-the-scenes report from a groundbreaking operation on a poached rhino!
Barbaric elephant slaughter in Angola
Barbaric elephant slaughter creates horror scene on the banks of the Okavango River.
Meet 3 elephant angels
Three of the world’s leading African elephant conservationists offer hope and inspiration for saving elephants from extinction.
Vietnam’s booming ivory market
Vietnam’s growing illegal ivory trade threatens Africa’s elephants.
Supporting the canines of Kruger
Learn more about the anti-poaching canines of Kruger and how you can help support these dogs making a difference.
Bushmeat hunting alarmingly high in South Africa
A recent study shows levels of bushmeat hunting in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa are alarmingly high.
Hope: a rhino’s story of survival
The rhino poaching documentary STROOP is to be released this year, this is the story of one character, the rhino called Hope.
Famous big tusker Tim speared
Tim the well-known super tusker elephant from Kenya’s Amboseli has been speared in a human-wildlife conflict incident
Saving Elephants
A look at how The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust are working to protect pachyderms.
Walking with the Maasai
Maasai life and the impact of the 21st-century trends, conservation, political pressures and tourism on these people
Wounded elephant limps to a local lodge for help
A victim of a failed poaching attempt, this elephant limps to Bumi Hills Safari Lodge in search of help.
Who’s protecting our rhino?
A behind-the-scenes look at the anti-poaching heroes and their dedication to saving rhinos in Kruger.
Rangers for Rhinos
The heroes who are working on the ground to save the rhino.
What it takes to get an interview with a rhino horn user
The filmmakers behind the rhino documentary STROOP give insight on what it takes to get an interview with a Vietnamese cancer patient and rhino horn user.
Kenya’s ivory burn: the story in pictures
Photos documenting the biggest ivory burn in history, which took place in Nairobi National Park last weekend.
Elephant poaching – intelligent law enforcement helps
Elephant poaching: Tanzania’s recent success in the ivory war is testament to the powers of a multi-agency anti-poaching strategy
STROOP – your chance to make a difference for rhinos
STROOP: Our CEO implores YOU to help ensure a controversial new documentary about rhinos is completed without censorship
Buy No Rhino
Meet the two South African sisters who cycled 6,000km across South-East Asia to save the rhino.
How China’s taste for wildlife feeds a killing frenzy
Africa’s extraordinary and charismatic wildlife is clearly under siege from the wrecking ball that is China.
Asia’s Golden Triangle – a conduit of death for Africa’s animals
The Asian end of the grisly wildlife trade business and a place that has become China’s illegal wildlife supermarket.
Rhino poaching is a crisis of governance
According to a wildlife expert, wildlife poaching has become a serious threat to democracy in many countries where it takes place.
Carnivores in decline due to land reform
Population numbers of carnivores in Zimbabwe have dropped significantly due to land reform that has seen large tracts of land change hands
WildAid calls for ban on synthetic rhino horn exports
U.S.-based entrepreneurs are developing synthetic rhino horn that can’t be differentiated from actual horn, but WildAid and the Center for Biological Diversity believe that this will only accelerate consumer demand in Asia for illegal wildlife products.
The horror of snares
Unravelling the danger of snares – the indiscriminate killer of the bushveld and a serious threat to Africa’s free-roaming wildlife
Famous Marsh lions poisoned in Maasai Mara
Lions from the Marsh Pride, made famous by the Big Cat Diary series, have been poisoned in the Maasai Mara with at least two lions dead as a result.
Rehabilitating and releasing baby rhinos
Baby rhinos need special care and Ntombi was no exception. This is her story – after 18 hack wounds from poachers who had killed her mother
A very special pangolin rescue
This is a story of two rescued pangolins, a story of compassion and transboundary teamwork to help two endangered mammals
Tanzania’s most wanted elephant poacher and ivory trafficker arrested
A major ringleader, who is also a supplier of weapons, ammunition and cars to poaching syndicates, is arrested. And with both ‘Shetani’ and the ‘Queen of Ivory’ now in custody, there is a chance to crack down on the international networks involved in the illegal trafficking of ivory.
Notorious Chinese ‘Queen of Ivory’ arrested
“The Queen of Ivory”, a Chinese national, has been arrested by a specialised task force in Tanzania. To date, she is the most important ivory trafficker ever arrested in the country.
US and China ban ivory sales in historic move
One giant leap for elephants (and mankind) as China and the United States commit to ban ivory sales.
The race to rescue a snared rhino calf
A young rhino called Bahati has been caught in a snare, which he has managed to snap but which has left him with deep wounds that needed to be treated as soon as possible. The Kenya Wildlife Service and rangers have been tracking him since Thursday morning but haven’t been able to find him yet. Keep your fingers crossed for this little rhino and prey he gets the treatment he needs soon!
Case proven: ivory trafficking funds terrorism
A sensational and shocking film provides the first direct evidence linking ivory trafficking to terrorism.
EU bans import of hunting trophies from Tanzania and Mozambique
The European Union has banned the import of elephant hunting trophies from two African nations that have seen a significant decline in elephant numbers due to soaring levels of poaching.
Niassa lions benefit from elephant poaching
The lion population in Niassa National Reserve is increasing as a result of “getting huge amounts of meat” from poached elephants.
iSimangaliso winning the war against poaching
With four recent successes, iSimangaliso Wetland Park sets a great example in combatting wildlife crime.
Elephants rejoice: China to end ivory trade
Shutting down commercial ivory markets worldwide is the single biggest step that governments can take to end the elephant poaching crisis.
Mounting up against poaching
Since man tamed the horse, the majestic animal has gone from being a means of transport to a tool of industry and war. Human society has advanced on the backs of horses, but we have since dismounted, finding little use for horses other than leisure. However, in some remote corners of Africa, the horse plays …
Ivory trafficking at Mombasa Port
Ivory trafficking: undercover survey at the Mombasa Port reveals vulnerabilities, confirms high level corruption, and highlights national and international security issues.
Mozambique announces major decline in elephant population
Dramatic 48% decline in Mozambique’s elephant population is due to criminal gangs decimating elephants for their ivory.
Uganda’s elephant population on the rise
The Great Elephant Census offers hope for savanna elephants in Uganda.
Hyena rescued from snare in Liuwa
A hyena saved from the poacher’s snare in Liuwa.
65 endangered vultures killed in poisoning incident
65 vultures and a tawny eagle found dead in a poisoning incident on a private farm north-west of Hoedspruit.
Bangweulu horses on anti-poaching patrols
Meet the Bangweulu Wetlands Project anti-poaching horse patrol – ensuring that this excellent conservation project thrives!
How do you like your rhino – canned or wild?
Are South African conservation authorities intent on shipping some of our wild rhinos to live out their lives “safely” on hunting and horn cropping farms?
A picture is worth a thousand words
DRC’s children affected by helicopter poaching incident.
Ian Redmond commends Malawi’s ivory burn announcement
Renowned conservationist, Ian Redmond, has stepped forward to champion Malawi’s fight against wildlife crime following the government’s announcement of its ivory burn this Thursday 2nd April.
Ivory dealers busted thanks to German travellers
On Monday the 16th of March 2015, two German travellers, Martin and Christin Kotthoff, led to the arrest of two ivory dealers near Kasane, Botswana.
Official complicity in Mozambican elephant slaughter
As elephant poaching statistics continue to rise in northern Mozambique, a year-long investigation by Oxpeckers associate Estacios Valoi exposes official complicity in the slaughter.
End of the game for Namibia
Having been involved in Namibia’s community-based conservation programme over the past 20 years, Christiaan Bakkes is questioning whether the programme is still the success it has been hailed as.
Rejuvenating cacao industries in the Congo
Cocoa plants proving to be a sustainable alternative to poaching in the Congo.
Kenya burns 15 tonnes of ivory
15 tonnes of elephant tusks burn in Nairobi National Park in Kenya on a day that was at once tragic and full of hope.
Running the Gauntlet in the Serengeti
The perils 1,3 million wildebeest face along their Serengeti migration route – as expanding local populations seek much-needed protein
Treating Africa’s tuskers
Three large tuskers where treated for after being hit by poisonous arrows.
Selling Out
©Dex Kotze South Africa is home to roughly 83% of the world’s rhino population and, at time of writing, has lost 3,700 rhinos since the escalation of poaching in 2008. With this year’s death toll already over a thousand, it seems likely that the total number of rhinos slaughtered for their horns in 2014 will …
Chinese criminal syndicates and corruption behind Tanzania’s elephant meltdown
A new report reveals that Chinese-led criminal gangs are conspiring with corrupt Tanzanian officials to traffic huge amounts of ivory, a trade which has caused half of Tanzania’s elephants to be poached in the past five years.
The bloodhounds of Virunga in DR Congo
In the DRC’s Virunga National Park conservationists have taken a different approach in the fight against poaching – they got themselves some good old-fashioned bloodhounds.
Conservation’s Best Friend
One of Aesop’s fables tells of a vixen taking her numerous pups out for an airing. She comes across a lioness proudly carrying a single cub. ‘Why such airs, haughty dame, over one solitary cub?’ sneers the vixen. ‘Look at my healthy and numerous litter here, and imagine, if you are able, how a proud …
Rebranding environmental crime as a crime against humanity
Environmental crime is hindering Africa from seeing economic growth, destroying the future of the people.
When the buying stops, the killing can too
A look into the illegal wildlife trade and how to reduce the demand that is fuelling the illegal poachers who take the lives of thousands of rhinos and elephants every year.
So you want to start a rhino war?
On the release of his new book, Poachers Moon, Author and renowned conservationist Richard Pierce led a panel of experts discussing the rhino poaching issues.
Targeted for his tusks – an African icon is saved
David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust rescues one of Tsavo’s bull elephants that was injured by a poacher.
Ramping up support for elephants and rhinos
In just a few short weeks the world will be taking to the streets in support of our endangered, iconic wildlife species, courtesy of the Global March for Elephants and Rhinos, which takes place on World Animal Day – October 4.
Kruger rhino sales canned
Private game reserves that contracted to buy 260 rhinos from the Kruger National Park have been refunded R14 million.
Rhino orphan seeks solace from humans in the Kruger
Exhausted orphaned rhino looks for comfort with cars in the Kruger.
Leakey’s last stand: The final battle of Africa’s elephant king
The man who saved the African elephant in the 1980s is returning to the fray. This time nothing will stop Richard Leakey except the grim reaper.
Chinks in the pangolin’s armour
How pangolins end up in medicine, on menus and electric fences.
The Luckiest Pangolin Alive
The story of a little pangolin who’s making a big difference.
Congo: the living forest
DEVELOPING A CULTURE OF CONSERVATION IN THE CONGO
