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In a concerning escalation of wildlife crime, SANParks has reportedly confirmed that 35 rhinos have been poached in Kruger National Park since the start of 2025 – just weeks into the start of the new year.
This surge in poaching persists despite proactive measures like dehorning aimed at deterring poachers.
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SANParks’ special operations regional ranger, Bruce Leslie, highlighted the relentless pursuit by transnational syndicates:
“And even though we’ve had a huge effort in dehorning our rhino, in Kruger National Park and even in KZN [KwaZulu-Natal] wildlife, clearly there’s a switch to ‘Where are the rhino? There’s still a value, we’re going to hunt them regardless’. And there’s clearly still a market for them,” said Leslie, as per Eyewitness News (EWN)
According to EWN, SANParks management says the last time they had a major spike in poaching, such as this, was post Covid-19.
Crime scene investigators use a metal detector as they scour the scene of a rhino poaching incident in Kruger National Park. This rhino was killed three days ago, one of 35 killed in the park since December. #RhinoPoaching #KNP pic.twitter.com/yAbRr0k9Iq
— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) February 18, 2025
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