HOW DOES ONE CONFRONT THE BIGGEST THREAT TO RHINOS - POLITICAL APATHY!

As the atrocities of war in Ukraine, Covid in Shanghai or the global climate crisis gradually lose their shock value, the unrelenting massacre of South Africa’s rhino has all but gone by the wayside from both a National and International standpoint. In 2021, 451 rhinos were massacred in South Africa. The two biggest casualty areas were the Kruger National Park (KNP) and Ezemvelo?Hluhluwe IMfolozi Game Reserve (KZN), while other reserves were also cause for concern. 1Another concerning feature is that black rhino numbers in SANParks reserves have decreased by 75% over the past 10 years, and white rhino over 51% respectively.

Fast forward to April 2022, over 271 rhinos has been poached during the first four months alone in KZN Wildlife parks, and the numbers keeps rising! This shocking reality has prompted the KZN political opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA) to demand answers from the state government. Critical action is needed to implement budgets and cash injection to equip field staff rangers and Anti-Poaching units (APU) with up-to-date equipment, to counter the poachers and trafficking cartels.?This must be coupled with a strong political will to empower those in the field through clear budgetary action plans,” commented the?DA KZN spokesperson, Heinz de Boer.

There appears to be a lack of total accountability from the offices of KwaZulu-Natal’s Premier Sihle Zikalala and Ezemalo’s chief executive, Bandile Mkhize.?While Zikalala remains silent, Mkhize admitted that there have been breaches?in the chain of command at Hluhluwe-iMfolozi over the years, and loss of experienced staff which undermines morale.

?Corruption, according to?2Dr. Jo Shaw, the Africa Rhino Lead at WWF South Africa said “that?saving rhinos is a litmus test for tackling?organized crime and corruption in South Africa.?“It is the oil that greases organized crime networks at every level.”

Qualified experts in South Africa, like Dr. Johan Marais of ‘Saving the Survivors’ stated “that rhinos can only be saved on private reserves, well away from centers of population. Flagship parks such as KNP and HIP are incapable of protecting these endangered animals, and one needs to look at the Government running the country, and investigate?their inaction”.?

One of southern Africa’s most dedicated, well-respected wildlife veterinarians,?4Dr. Dave Cooper stated ‘that Rhino poaching in South Africa is at a?critical?level’. He has dealt with numerous horrific poaching scenes over the past decade with “more than?600 post mortem examinations and crime scenes of murdered rhino”. “It’s time for the whole world to get angry and help to bring about change.”

One contentious subject is the role of park rangers in the national parks and private reserves. The recent poaching epidemic has caused people to start questioning how trustworthy are they? I believe overall, public opinion shows that rangers and Anti-Poaching Units?are?doing a great job putting their lives on the line daily to safeguard endangered species. That thought though, is being undermined by the number of arrests where rangers were found to be involved with poaching syndicates and giving out rhino locations.

?????????????????????So, HERE ARE SOME UNANSWERED QUESTIONS!

1 Why is it?that no one?in Global Government circles, prominent institutions and foundations such as (United for Wildlife Consortium, UNODC, CITES, IUCN, INTERPOL UNEP and World Bank), NGO’s and ‘Think tanks’ are speaking out about the poaching epidemic?in Hluhluwe–iMfolozi Park and South Africa in general.

2 What happens to the millions of dollars they receive from Governments and donors??Why isn’t pressure exerted by these groups on the South African government and the Ezemalo hierarchy to provide transparency and active solutions to safeguard their rhino heritage?

3.?Why is it that the poachers and trafficking syndicates are not being closed down. They always seem to be one step ahead of the authorities.

I have asked this question for years and years, yet no one in authority ever provides answers!

4. Why doesn’t the South African government bring in the military and police to reinforce the park rangers and utilize Intelligence communities who must have informants in these poaching syndicates?

?5Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge?spoke at the Illegal Wildlife conference in 2018, making the keynote address, the royal dad, 36, said, “I, for one, am not willing to look my children in the eye and say that we were the generation that let this happen on our watch. “It is heartbreaking to think that by the time my children George, Charlotte and Louis are in their 20s, elephants, rhinos and tigers might well be extinct in the wild,” he said.?Four years later, the reality is that he will be looking them in the eye, sooner rather than later!

Also, at the same conference, it was agreed by the South African government that 6“Wildlife trafficking has been declared a priority crime in South Africa.” Where is the accountability or did, I miss something?

?This may be fantasy but where are the rich donors like Buffett, Gates, Bezos to contribute? For example, Elon Musk can send rich donors into space for upwards of $39 million but can’t give money to save endangered species?

?We must now face up to the reality that the ANC’s poor administration of SANParks over many years has resulted in the ongoing annihilation of both black and white rhinos at the hands of international poaching syndicates.

The reality seems to be inevitable. Time is sadly running out for rhinos.?The deaf ears. The apathy. Indifference enables corruption to thrive. The void of urgency and accountability, the inability and inefficiency. How on earth does one address the biggest threat to rhinos - political indifference??

??1. SANParks report 2021/Africa Geographic. January 20, 2022

?2.Daily Maverick - April 22, 2022

?3. Daily Maverick podcast

?4. Defense Web January 11, 2022

?5. People Magazine October 11 2018 Simon Perry

?6. London conference on the illegal wildlife trade October 2018 Declaration Annex on ??Gov.UK updated January 2019