Official Rhino Poaching Stats for South Africa

On the 8th April 2016, South Africa's Department of Environmental affairs announced the official statistics in relation to rhino poaching in the country.

In summary, the total number of rhinos poached in South Africa for 2016 stands at 363, compared to a 404 for the same period in 2015. The worst hit area for poaching continues to be Kruger National Park where a total of 232 rhinos have been slaughtered by poachers. This is down from 302 for the same period in 2015.

It was also noted that the number of incursions by poachers into the world famous Kruger National Park has risen from 2015 to 2016 by 28%. There have been 1,038 incursions this year versus 808 in 2015. This equates to NINE incursions A DAY into the Park.

The Government also state that the arrest level of alleged poachers is up, with 206 arrests having been made in 2016 across the country. It is believed these arrests are the result of the improved collaboration within the Security Cluster, as well as working with communities and non-governmental organisations.

While these numbers should give some encouragement that we are seeing a reversal in the trend of rhinos poached increasing, please remember we are still losing on average 3 rhinos a day to the poachers. In addition, there are an increasing number of orphans, some of whom do not survive, and are not included in the official statistics.

So yes, some signs of encouragement, but the hard work must continue, and for that we need the support of every single one of you to make sure we win this battle and give OUR rhinos a future.