The Ministry of Environment recently shared their concerns regarding the rising numbers of rhinos poached in the last few years. Despite efforts by the government, rhino poaching is again becoming an issue of high importance.

South Africa hosts the world’s greatest Rhino population

South Africa boasts the highest number of Rhinos in the world with around 2000 black rhinos and around 13 000 white Rhinos. The low number of black rhinos remaining has them classified as “critically endangered” while the white rhinos are classified as  “near threatened”. For many years South Africa and the world have fought to protect rhinos from increasing numbers of poachers. Several organisations such as the International Rhino Foundation and Stop Rhino Poaching have put immeasurable efforts towards raising awareness for rhino poaching and helping protect and preserve rhino wildlife. 

Why do poachers kill Rhinos?

Rhinos are most commonly poached for their horns which have various uses. According to The Conversation, African rhinos can be sold for up to $ 20,000 (R381,617.00) per kilogram. The Conversation further reports that the demand for Rhino horns is especially high in certain Asian countries such as Vietnam and China. In these countries, Rhino horns are used for medicinal purposes as well as displays of status and wealth. A significant quantity of rhino horns is consumed by the Chinese art and antique market, reports The Conversation. 

Rhino Poaching on the Rise after a significant decrease

Minister of Environment Barbara Creecy stated that in the year 2023, 499 Rhinos were hunted. The previous year, the number had been less than 450, which means there has been a concerning 10% rise in the number from the previous years. An overwhelming majority were poached in Kwa-Zulu Natal where 307 rhinos were killed. 

In the last decade, it is reported that 9,415 African rhinos were killed. Between the years 2013 and 20171,000 rhinos were killed each year. 2015 saw the highest number of rhinos killed with 1,349  rhinos poached just that year. The numbers seemed to steadily decrease from that point until they started to rise again in 2020. 

The rise is cause for concern because, despite the environment ministry’s efforts, most of the rhinos killed were killed in state-run parks. 

Why care about rhino poaching?

Although rhinos have been used for entertainment and tourist attraction purposes, they serve a larger purpose to the livelihood of the species that exist around them. According to Born Free.org, Rhinos are considered a keystone species as “they play a critical role in maintaining the structure of an ecological community, and without them, many experts believe that the ecosystem would be dramatically different or cease to exist”. BornFree.Org further states that rhinos play an important role in the maintenance of Africa’s savanna grassland-woodland. The hours-long grazing habits encourage new growth of vegetation and provide greater amounts of food for other herbivores such as zebras and elephants.

Additionally, the tourism industry provides plenty of employment opportunities for locals, and without the existence of rhinos, many would be left without work.