African rhino poaching rates have fallen since 2018, figures show, but thousands are still being illegally hunted, threatening the species’ future, experts warn. In 2015, killings hit a peak of 5.3 per cent of the species’ population, but last year they dropped to 2.3 per cent, according to a report. Covid-19 lockdowns meant poaching rates […]
Tag: Rhino
Black Mambas review – thorny issues for South Africa’s all-female anti-poaching unit
Formed to battle the endless killing of rhinos in South Africa, the Black Mambas are an all-female anti-poaching unit who tirelessly work to protect wildlife in Balule Nature Reserve and Kruger national park. Dressed in camouflage uniforms and trained in a military-style boot camp, the women come off as formidable guardians of environmental justice. In […]
Rhino and zebra babies become best mates after being found orphaned in the wild
A rhino and zebra have struck up an unlikely friendship after being rescued as orphans in the wild. Adorable pictures show the ‘live-saving’ friendship of seven-month-old rhino Daisy and zebra Modjadji who were both rescued by an orphan animal sanctuary in South Africa. Daisy and Modjadji, whose name means ‘rain queen’, were both nurtured back […]
White rhino conservation project attempts paradigm shift by including local community
TSHOLOTSHO, Zimbabwe – Two men crouch beside a pile of rhino dung, using their bare hands to break apart the drying lumps to search for the remnants of the animal’s last meal. “There are some nice thick grasses in here,” says Daniel Terblanche, recording his observations on his phone camera and then sending the video […]
Global Biodiversity Crisis Is Worse Than We Thought, New Survey Finds
A new survey of 3,331 scientists studying biodiversity across 187 countries has revealed that more species are threatened with extinction than previously thought. As many as 50% of species have been threatened with extinction or driven to extinction since 1500, according to survey results. The survey, published in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the […]
US hunters import almost one million hunting trophies including skulls, mounts, and teeth
“The tremendous influx of hunting trophies into the United States indicates massive animal exploitation at a time when the world is facing extinction.” Over the course of five years, American hunters imported more than 700,000 hunting trophies, including skulls, mounts, and teeth, among other things. According to data collected by the Center for Biological Diversity […]
Eight men convicted in French court for trafficking rhino horn and ivory
A French court has convicted eight men including members of an Irish crime gang for trafficking rhino horn and ivory between Europe and east Asia. Four men – three Irish and one English – said to be members of the Rathkeale Rovers gang were given prison terms, though two were spared jail as the sentences […]
Rhino poachers are back after South Africa eases lockdown restrictions
Rhino poaching is on the rise again in South Africa since the government loosened coronavirus restrictions, following a year-long lull due to the pandemic, wildlife parks say. The strict limits on travel, including international travel, imposed in March last year had the happy side effect of keeping poachers at bay. In 2020, 394 rhinos were […]