Shootouts kill five rhino poachers in South Africa

by Sean McLachlan on


Five rhino poachers were killed in two shootouts with South African police this week, the BBC reports. Three were killed in Kruger National Park, one of the most popular game reserves for safaris in South Africa. Two others were killed near the border with Mozambique. Poachers often cross borders in an attempt to evade the law.

Two rhino horns were found among the poachers’ belongings.

Poaching is a serious problem in Africa, with South African rhinos, especially white rhinos, a favored target. Last year 333 rhinos were killed in South Africa. Police have been clamping down on poachers but their activities continue and the heavily armed criminals often get into gunfights with police and park wardens. African nations are having mixed results fighting poachers. Some countries have managed to reduce illegal hunting, but other nations are still struggling with the problem.

[This beautiful shot of two white rhinos is courtesy JasonBechtel via Gadling’s flickr pool. It was taken in Ohio, of all places! At least these beautiful animals are safe there.]

Mountain gorillas making a comeback

by Sean McLachlan on


In the latest in a spate of good news about wildlife conservation in Africa, BBC Earth reports that mountain gorillas have increased their numbers on Virunga Massif, their core habitat stretching across Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. From a population of only 250 thirty years ago, their population has almost doubled to 480 today. Another 302 live in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park .

The rise is attributed to increased cooperation between the three countries to protect the gorillas and stop poachers.

Safaris to see mountain gorillas have become increasingly popular with adventure travelers. Uganda has expanded its gorilla safaris in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Rwanda is also offering safaris to see the gentle giants.

African nations are getting better at preserving their wildlife. Namibia and Zimbabwe are clamping down on poaching and last year we reported how Niger has pulled a unique subspecies of giraffe from extinction.

[Photo courtesy user KMRA via Wikimedia Commons]

Africa has mixed results in fighting poachers

by Sean McLachlan on

One of the main reasons adventure travelers head to Africa is for the wildlife. Sadly, that wildlife is in danger of disappearing thanks to illegal poaching. Big game such as rhinos and elephants can bring in large sums of money for their tusks, hide, and meat.

Namibia has been one country that has been successful in the fight against poaching in the face of a continent-wide rise in illegal hunting. Neighboring South Africa lost 150 rhinos to illegal poaching. On the other hand, Zimbabwe has seen a drop in incidents, despite reports that safari operators and hunters are supplying poachers with weapons. The poachers are local hunters with local knowledge of the terrain and animals, who then sell the animals to big game hunters and safari operators who have foreign connections.

Namibia has been clamping down on poachers by increasing staff and national parks and setting up communication systems to rapidly report any incidents. So far it’s worked, with no rise in deaths among the country’s elephant and rhino population.

[Photo courtesy user Ikiwaner via Wikimedia Commons]

Poachers kill last female white rhino in South African reserve

by Kraig Becker on

Poaching has long been a problem in Africa, even as the countries there have taken steps to preserve their natural resources and protect endangered species. Despite their best efforts however, the illegal slaughter of animals seems to be on the rise, particularly in South Africa, where poachers recently killed off the last female white rhino in a popular game preserve in order to claim the animal’s much coveted horn.

The incident took place last week in the Krugersdorp game reserve, located not far from Johannesburg. The park attracts around 200,000 visitors annually, with many coming with the hopes of catching a glimpse of the exotic wildlife that roams there, including the elusive white rhino. A nearby private airport shuttles in visitors who don’t want to make the drive, and investigators believe that airport may have been used by the poachers as well.

Commonly, these illegal hunters use a helicopter to stalk their prey from the sky, then use a tranquillizer to knock them out. While they are unconscious, they’ll land, saw off the rhino horn, and be gone in a matter of minutes. Because of the size of the parks, the rangers usually don’t even know that they’ve come and gone, and the animal often ends up bleeding to death or dying of an overdose of the tranquillizer.

The demand for rhino horn has been on the rise in Asia as the economy there has continued to expand. Many traditional medicines in that part of the world use keratin fibers as one of their main ingredients, and rhino horns are made up almost entirely of the fine, compressed hair-like substance. In 2009, 129 rhinos were killed for their horns in South Africa alone. This year, that number is already at 136. Prior to 2005, the average number of rhinos killed was just 36. Meanwhile, the number of black and white rhinos living in Africa has fallen to an estimated 18,000 animals.

South Africa has begun to crack down harder on these crimes, with stiffer sentences for those who are caught. For instance, a Vietnamese poacher was recently put behind bars for 10 years for trying to smuggle horns out of the country, and there are plenty more cases to be heard in the near future. Hopefully these efforts will help stem the tide of these brutal attacks, but many fear that while demand remains high, there will always be those willing to risk the consequences.

[Photo credit: Princess.Tilly via WikiMedia Commons]