Diamantina

Please note this happened at Krugersdorp Game Reserve.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environmen...t-female-rhino

spassvogel

It's devastating!

As long as there is rhino hunting allowed the poaching will go on!

I feat when officials are going to wake up - it will be too late.

wildwings

It is a big problem throughout Africa at the moment, major sindicates with vast resources (including helicopters) poaching rhinos in larger numbers than we have seen ever before.
The Sabi Sand Game Reserve recently announced a sudden and unexpected increase in gate fees effective 1 August. This will no doubt affect and perhaps irritate many visitors who have already booked and paid, but last week I received a call from the CEO of the Sabi Sand reserve, and it turns out the extra cash is needed urgently to combat this threat of rhino poaching. The Sabi Sand is beefing up their security and ranger patrols, and making sure they have the ability to take a stand against this rhino poaching. So if your agent or tour operator tells you about a sudden gate fee increase, keep in mind what this extra bit of cash will be used for.
Onne from Wild Wings Safaris
PS the new gate fees are still only R110 per vehicle and R20 per person, which is very reasonable.

christabir

I heard last year that poaching was on the rise. As more and more middle class and wealthy are created in the developing countries this will continue. It's the dark side of human nature. And it will continue until the locals make more money from live animals than dead animals.

WW - thanks again for the local info. Let us know if there is a local charity we can donate to to help.

wildwings

christabir, not sure about a charity that specifically combats rhino poaching. There are lots of general conservation and wildlife charities of course. We are also in the process of setting up a charity, but the focus will be on children and education, not so much the conservation side of things. It's not up and running yet so don't read this as a "please donate".
Quick update on the sabi sand gate fees I mentioned above, we just heard today they are postponing the implementation of the new gate fees to 1 October (too many complaints I think, about the short notice).
Onne from Wild Wings Safaris

christabir

This rhino poaching thing is horrific - again. But to let them die from loss of blood is too much for me. I hope giving to the WWF helps. I contacted them about this to try to get more rangers.

They should increase the fees to non-Africans right away. If we can afford to fly to S Africa from another continent, then we can afford the extra pennies to enter the park.

wildwings

christabir, i like your attitude but you will be surprised how much flack Sanparks has taken because of exactly that issue. The daily conservation fees are more for non-Africans (currently ZAR 160 per day, compared to ZAR 40 for locals) and this has caused huge unhappiness, international tourists feeling ripped off, etc. I guess they were not thinking about the rhino poaching like you.

Gritty

This article is confusing because it seems to confuse Krugersdorp (a private game reserve) with Kruger National Park. Krugersdorp isn't anywhere near Kruger. So, to clarify, there are still rhino in Kruger National Park (a few thousand, I believe). I believe Kruger was selling and translocating rhinos to different reserves just last year, indicating that the population is still healthy (although the increased poaching is certainly troubling).

The article says that 136 rhinos have been killed in South Africa this year. I'm curious to know how many of those were killed on private reserves vs. public lands. It's sad that these animals are being killed, not only because they are awesome animals, but also because of their value to the private landowners that had them.

That being said, how effective is a relatively small increase in gate fees going to be for places like SSGR? I have to admit, it would be hard for me to accept something like this when they charge $500 pppn already.

SANParks also has to be careful about how much they raise their prices. Contrary to what's been said, not everyone can "afford" to fly to SA from another continent (I've only traveled there for personal reasons when I have enough FF miles). They still provide a great value, and I've seen dozens of rhinos while in Kruger. But if people become unhappy with those prices, they'll go elsewhere (and not to the private reserves, or even elsewhere in Africa), and that's exactly what SANParks does not need right now as they increasingly rely directly on visitors for their income.

wildwings

Very true Gritty, and thanks for pointing out the difference between Krugersdorp Game Reserve and Kruger National Park.

Regarding Sabi Sand gate fees, remember it is the lodge that charges the $500 (or whatever they charge) and this does not go to the reserve. The entrance fees directly go to the running of the reserve, which includes security, conservation projects, game rangers and anti-poaching efforts. But yes, let's hope those extra few Rands will actually make a difference.

Regarding Sanparks, the daily conservation fee at Kruger is still among the cheapest in Africa's main game reserves. Other countries like Botswana, Tanzania and Kenya charge much higher fees, and in USD, not in local currency like Sanparks still does. I personally think Sanparks has done extremly well to keep tariffs reasonable over the years which has kept Kruger the accessible and affordable reserve that it is.

Onne from Wild Wings Safaris