Building on rhino protection in Nepal and South Africa
Posted on February, 08 2016
Increased anti-poaching efforts have achieved the first annual decrease in rhinos killed in South Africa since 2007 – but poachers are targeting rhinos in neighbouring countries.
Increased anti-poaching efforts have achieved the first annual decrease in rhinos killed in South Africa since 2007 – but poachers are targeting rhinos in neighbouring countries. In 2015, 1,175 rhinos were killed in South Africa, 40 less than in 2014. However, at least 130 were poached in Namibia and Zimbabwe in the same period, up almost 200 per cent from 2014. The organized criminal syndicates driving the rhino poaching crisis are turning their aim on previously secure populations in other African countries. But there is hope. While there are signs that South Africa is stabilizing poaching, and must improve further, Nepal has shown that it is possible to stop it. Nepal has already achieved three years of zero rhino poaching since 2011 and is close to a fourth – a remarkable achievement, and one that other countries can emulate by adopting the zero-poaching framework that WWF helped to develop. Supported by numerous international organizations, there is now a one-stop website for countries to access the best available tools and resources in the zero-poaching toolkit – zeropoaching.com.Related links