Tech leads to major reduction in KNP poaching

It estimates that there’s been a 60% reduction in the number of rhinos killed within ShotSpotter’s coverage area inside the iconic park.

ShotSpotter CEO Ralph Clark says the technology has proved effective since its deployment in 2018. 

“We provide an acoustic detection and surveillance technology that uses sensors that can detect, locate and alert of incidents of gun fire. 

“This makes a tremendous difference out in the Kruger when someone is involved in a poaching incident and they fire a gun. The Kruger is very vast and to be able to be immediately notified of the precise location of a gun being fired in the Kruger Park enables a rapid and very precise response.” 

Clark says the system was designed to combat gun violence in urban areas but has since been adapted. 

“Before we were deployed in the Kruger National Park, we were deployed in the urban context in Cape Town and Nelson Mandela Bay recently.

“In case of Kruger, we‘ve been deployed there now for a year and a half and we’re deployed over a fairly wide portion of the Kruger National Park. We had to solve some technical issues to be deployed in the park versus being deployed in urban environment and we successfully met those demands."

He adds: “I think the stats that they put up was 12 months prior to ShotSpotter being deployed in the IPZ there were 12 rhinos that were killed, and for the 18 months that ShotSpotter has been deployed in that same areas only 5 rhinos have been killed and that’s a significant reduction of poaching events.” 

Earlier this year, the Department of Environmental Affairs and Fisheries confirmed there been a significant decline in poaching at the Kruger National Park. 

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