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South Africa lost 499 rhinos to poachers in 2023, with KwaZulu-Natal bearing the brunt of the onslaught.
This is according to the latest report on rhino poaching, shared by Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Barbara Creecy on Tuesday.
Minister Creecy said 406 rhinos were slaughtered on state property, with a further 93 killed on private reserves.
This was an increase of 51 animals poached compared to 2022.
The Eastern Cape, which didn't lose any rhinos in the two previous years, lost 17 animals in the past year.
Creecy said the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park in KwaZulu-Natal lost a staggering 307 rhinos out of the total number killed last year, while Kruger National Park saw a 37% decrease in cases.
The Minister noted that there were 35 convictions for rhino-poaching cases last year.
She commended the work by law enforcement authorities, which resulted in the successful convictions of a former field ranger at Kruger National Park and six others in KZN and Gauteng, respectively.
Creecy says the department embarked on a consultative process in the 2023/24 financial year to revise both the Black and White Rhino Biodiversity Management Plans.
"The revision of the biodiversity plans aims to address the needs of the black and white rhino, provide a strategic approach and detailed plan to conserving rhino in the country."
She added that the revised plan will be published in a government gazette for public participation in the near future.
