Rhinos: 20 killed despite mass dehorning effort

Updated Nov. 15, 2024, 8:11 a.m. | By East Coast Breakfast / Reeshni Chetty - McConnachie

Despite a drastic dehorning operation, poachers still targeted 20 rhinos in KZN.

In an ambitious and challenging effort to protect South Africa's rhinos from poaching, a major operation was launched this year in the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park.

Managed by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, this initiative involved removing the horns from hundreds of rhinos to deter poachers targeting the highly valued horn, reports Daily Maverick.

For years, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife hesitated to dehorn its rhinos, mainly because of the high costs and the sanctuary’s value as one of the few places where tourists could observe rhinos in their natural, untouched state.

However, faced with a relentless surge in poaching, Ezemvelo partnered with WWF South Africa in April, accepting both financial and logistical support to embark on an emergency dehorning mission. Their goal was to protect more than 1,000 rhinos by making them less appealing to poachers.

Despite these efforts, at least 20 dehorned rhinos fell victim to poachers in October. Conservation officials suspect that a Mozambique-based syndicate was responsible for this tragic loss.

Even though dehorning removes most of the rhino's horn, a small portion must remain to prevent injury, leaving enough horn for some poachers to still find it worthwhile.

Ezemvelo reportedly placed a number of cameras that will get an instant response from teams when triggered in order to monitor certain areas in the park.