The birth of a child signifies much in a family. Similarly, the birth of a baby rhino at the Kariega Game Reserve, has brought excitement to staff and animal lovers.
“We are very happy to announce the birth of a new white rhino calf. The little one was spotted a week ago and is estimated to be ten days old.
Excitingly the father is “Colin” who is Thandi’s second calf and thus making her a “grandmother” for the third time” the Reserve’s management said.
The mother (Thandi) is a 7-8 year old, who was translocated to the western section of the Reserve, about two years ago.
The reserve also said” we will give the mother space for a few weeks until she is comfortable to be viewed.”
How much hope is there for rhino?
Dion George, Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), announced a decrease in rhino poaching this week, compared to the same period last year.
The number of rhino poached is still high.
About 229 rhinos were poached in South Africa, in the last 6 months, compared to around 231 last year.
Of those rhino poached, 191 were killed on state properties and 38 on privately owned parks/reserves/farms.
George said “a significant drop was noted during May and June this year with national losses reported at 21 and 22 respectively (May and June of 2023 were recorded at 42 and 34). This reduced loss is thought to be attributable to the dehorning of rhino populations in KwaZulu-Natal and specifically in Hluhluwe iMfolozi Park where over 1 000 rhinos have been dehorned since April 2024.”
South Africa lost a total of 16,056 rhinos last year, comprising 2,065 black and 13,991 white rhinos.
The Minister said strategies to fight poaching, include ongoing engagement and cooperation with other countries.
He said the Hawks and DFFE participated in several regional and transnational engagements to enhance their integrated approach to combatting wildlife trafficking, working with transit and end user countries in Southeast Asia, especially with the People’s Republic of China, Singapore, Qatar, Malaysia and Vietnam.
“Finally, the DFFE is currently in the process of finalising the consultative process for the publication of the revised Biodiversity Management Plan for Black and White Rhinos (BMP) for implementation. This is in line with the provision of the National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act. All comments from the consultative process, which included over 700 individuals, will be processed and synthesised to revise the draft plan before the end of 2024” he said.
Picture: Cheryl Schneider via Flickr