Rhino poaching down in SA
The number of rhinos poached for their horns in South Africa has declined, government has confirmed.
Environmental Affairs spokesperson Albi Modise says rhino poaching fell 10% in 2016 compared to 2015.
It is the second consecutive year that this number has decreased.
"A total of 1054 rhinos were poached in 2016, compared to 1175 in the same period in 2015," Modise confirms.
However, he says the number is still far too high.
"We need to accelerate our efforts. We want to make sure that we work at driving the numbers down until no rhino is poached in South Africa."
He says poaching activities in South Africa is as a result of international illicit wildlife trade.
"We are therefore working with partner countries, including China, Vietnam, Mozambique and Lagos. We want to make sure we close the market."
Rhino poaching rates in South Africa surged from 83 in 2008 to a record 1215 in 2014.
The Kruger National Park is the epicentre of the slaughter.
But despite a surge in criminal activities in the park, rhino poaching is down 19.85%.
"A total of 662 rhinos were killed in the park in 2016, compared to 826 in 2015," Modise says.
"In 2016 there were a staggering 2883 instances of poaching-related activities (such as poaching camps, contacts, crossings, sightings, tracks and shots fired) in the Park, compared to 2 466 recorded in the same period in 2015."