South Africa’s free-roaming cheetah population is much smaller than previously thought, according to the first coordinated national census of the species living outside protected areas. Over three and a half years, between 2022 and 2026, researchers from Ashia Cheetah Conservation, the Cheetah Outreach Trust (COT) and the University of Groningen in the Netherlands surveyed almost 100,000 square […]
Tag: Kruger National Park
Mass vulture poisonings expose need for cross-border action in Southern Africa
A cluster of mass vulture poisonings earlier this year has drawn attention to an alarming, ongoing problem in the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area that straddles South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. According to the African Wildlife Poisoning Database, more than 2,400 vultures have died from poisoning in the GLTFCA, including in South Africa’s famed Kruger […]
How poaching caused over 100 vultures to die in mass poisoning in South African national park
At least 123 vultures died in South Africa‘s flagship national park after eating the carcass of a poisoned elephant, park authorities and an animal conservation group said on Thursday. The elephant was reportedly laced with agricultural pesticides by poachers. Another 83 vultures that were rescued from the site and transported for treatment by helicopter or […]
Poachers have killed more than 100 rhinos in South Africa this year, most of them in national parks
South Africa has the largest rhino population in the world, with an estimated 16,000 to 18,000 animals. Poachers in South Africa killed more than 100 rhinos in the first three months of this year, most of them inside national parks, highlighting an ongoing battle to protect one of the best-known endangered species. South African Environment […]
Heartbreaking photos show a giraffe with hundreds of skin lesions thanks to a rare viral disease
Heartbreaking new photos reveal a ‘bumpy’ giraffe covered with hundreds of skin lesions due to a rare viral disease. The unfortunate creature was spotted in Kruger National Park, South Africa by wildlife photographer Marius Nortje. According to experts, the painful-looking lumps could be caused by a form of papillomavirus spread through infected blood. This family […]
Rhino horn trafficker jailed in legal first on financial charges in S. Africa
A South African court has sentenced a Democratic Republic of Congo national named Francis Kipampa to 18 years’ imprisonment for his involvement in money laundering linked to illegal rhino trade. “It is the first time an individual has been successfully prosecuted for their role in the illegal wildlife trade linked to serious financial offenses,” the […]
How to Wage War on Poaching, According to a Former South African General
For years, South Africa‘s wildlife has been under attack. Some of the country’s most iconic species, including rhinos, elephants, and lions, are being systematically slaughtered by poachers, who are funded and supported by criminal gangs. These animals are killed for their parts — their horns and tusks and claws and bones — which are then […]
Lions think they can take down a rhino; boy, were they wrong
Lions usually know better than to take on a massive white rhino. They are said to know their limitations. But that didn’t stop a trio of lions at Kruger National Park in South Africa from trying. The end result was the male lion nearly getting gored by the rhino. Safari guide Jordan Davidson shared video […]