Poachers Have Already Killed Eleven African Rhinos in 2012

Written by Stephen Messenger

It’s been just a little over two weeks since the new year began, but it’s already shaping up to be another deadly year for South Africa’s imperiled rhinos. In just the last half-month alone, poachers have claimed the lives of at least eleven rhinos for the purpose of removing their horns — with eight found dead in just one day — putting 2012 on track to be one of the worst years for rhinos ever.

Ground zero for rhino poaching in South Africa has been Kruger national park, a sprawling 7,523 square mile big game reserve along the country’s border with Mozambique. In 2011, over half of the 448 rhinos killed in South Africa resided within Kruger, despite the presence of some 500 park rangers.

Faced with the the recent poaching spike, South African authorities plan to add 150 more rangers to patrol Kruger and install a 95-mile electric barrier along the area most trafficked by the illegal hunters, reports the BBC.

South Africa has been badly hit by poaching because it has the largest population of rhinos in the world, with about 20,000 animals – 70-80% of the global figure.

The number of rhinos slaughtered in 2010 was 333.

Growing Asian demand for rhino horn, believed to be a remedy for various illness including cancer, is thought to be behind the recent spike in rhino killings, even though there is no scientific evidence for its reputed medicinal properties.

As South African authorities have begun thinking of new ways to combat poaching, concerned citizen from around the world are doing their part as well, through various NGOs and conservation organizations, like Save the Rhinos International.

Recently, South African citizen Mark Warren posted a video to YouTube outlining the statistics on rhino hunting. Perhaps serving as an indication that the public was as yet unaware of the scale of the rhino problem, the video has already gone viral, having been viewed over 250 thousand times.

This post was originally published by TreeHugger.

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Read more: black rhinos, poachers, rhinos, south africa, treehugger

Photo: screenshot from Youtube video

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David N.

9:33PM PDT on Mar 13, 2012

Thanks for the article and the video.

send a green star

ELENA N.

2:38AM PST on Feb 14, 2012

Only those high authorities can stop people from buying rhino horn ... Their people won’t listen to outsiders.... The Vietnamese and Chinese governments (must) condemn it, and categorically state that (rhino horn) is not a cure for (any) sickness
The anti-poaching rangers have to fight fire with fire and they have to use the same equipment…. They’re risking their lives every day; the poachers would not think twice at shooting at them. It’s really scary stuff out in the field....

Andrea M.

9:29AM PST on Feb 13, 2012

Dear pam life in a zoo is no life for any animal ... what you said is just stupid ...
We need more controls, harsher sentences and rangers honest! The Africa is a country where the money of these poachers come in handy to many people and many of them do not care about what is around them every day.
Africa is mostly damaged by those who lives here!

pam w.

8:24AM PST on Feb 13, 2012

To those of you who are rabidly anti-zoo.....without zoos and captive breeding programs, rhinos will be extinct within a decade.

Alex M.

5:39AM PST on Feb 13, 2012

I just feel that poaching will continue until all rhinos are wiped out. Meanwhile China is enjoying this while rhino continue to suffer. No wonder this is a crisis, because of CHINA! I hope they collapse, because growth in their economy wont last.

Mark D.

11:04PM PST on Feb 2, 2012

To those excusers of poachers who keep rewinding the same sob story about "starving people", those poachers are well financed criminals with high powered weaponry which cost tens of thousands of dollars. Starving people have plenty of options to satisfy their problems and don't poach endangered wildlife for the cirminals in China. Poachers are greedy and dangerous criminals. Every rhino herd should be shadowed with military swat teams who won't hesitate to gun down any poachers in their tracks.

Carrie Anne B.

10:58AM PST on Jan 29, 2012

thanks for sharing this video :)

Ryana R.

3:01PM PST on Jan 28, 2012

I freaking hate poachers! they are pathetic I read a couple years ago or so that a a poacher was killed by a rhino ! cant really say I cried!

Wiln R.

6:12AM PST on Jan 27, 2012

http://5050.internext.co.za/?s=rhino+poaching

this is a weekly program in South Africa and each time they report on the poaching and actions taken.

Good organizations raising money to save rhinos that can be trusted
Endangered Wildlife Trust www.ewt.org.za WWF (International and SA) www.wwf.org.za/ Stop Rhino Poaching www.stoprhinopoaching.com Pilanesberg Wildlife Trust http://www.pilanesbergwildlifetrust.co.za/projects/anti_poaching_fund.html Jacaranda 94.2 www.jacarandafm.com Wildlands Project Rhino (Wildlands Conservation Trust) http://www.wildlands.co.za/home.aspx Ian Player www.ianplayer.com Woolworths My Planet www.woolworths.co.za Rights for Rhinos (Game Rangers Association) http://rightsforrhinos.co.za/ LeadSARAGe www.leadsa.co.za WESSA www.wessa.org.za...
adminSeptember 19, 2011Previous Episode

5:48AM PST on Jan 27, 2012

Hallo John
Our news was taken over by Rhino poaching last night after the latest kill. It is estimated that by 2020 at this rate Rhino's will be no more! The Kruger Park has full time military and game wardens on the alert 24/24. I think they are getting just as desperate as all of us. This is number one news and action in South Africa at the moment. I wish I had an answer then the game parks would also have an answer. It is an epidemic at the moment. As I have said before the Kruger Park is 2x the size of Holland and it borders neighbour countries and that is where the problem lies.I honestly wish I had an answer but I do not have.