WWF rhino range expansion coordinator Ursina Rusch and Ezemvelo conservation staff Hloniphani Qwabe and Musa Nkosi (right) collect blood samples prior to the dehorning of another rhino in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve. (Photo: Vanessa Duthe) 
Earlier this year, a massive operation began in the 96,000ha Hluhluwe-iMfolozi rhino sanctuary to remove the horns of hundreds of rhinos to reduce the relentless poaching in a state-owned park that still protects a significant portion of the beleaguered species.
The Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife management agency had previously resisted calls to dehorn rhinos in the park — partly due to the significant expenses, and because the sanctuary was one of the few major parks where tourists could still see rhinos in their natural state.
However, following an offer of financial and other assistance from the WWF South Africa conservation group, Ezemvelo embarked on a joint operation in April to dehorn more than 1,000 rhinos.
The operation, with further assistance from Wildlife ACT, Save the Rhino International and Zululand Wildlife Vets, led to immediate conservation dividends. According to WWF, the mass dehorning resulted in a sharp 70% to 80% drop in poaching in the park.
Read more: Poaching at flagship KZN rhino reserve drops dramatically after emergency dehorning drive
However, now it has emerged that at least 20 dehorned rhinos were killed in October by a poaching gang believed to be connected to a Mozambique-based syndicate.
While the aim of dehorning is to remove as much of the horn as possible (to make it less attractive to kill animals with no visible horns) conservation staff leave behind a small portion to prevent injury or permanent damage to the growth plate at the base of the horns.
In a media statement recording a recent visit to the park by Zulu King Misuzulu, Ezemvelo said that despite initial success, “October saw an unfortunate spike, with 20 dehorned rhinos lost to poaching.
“However, Ezemvelo hopes that it has dismantled the syndicate following the death of two foreign poachers shot during the gun battle between them and Ezemvelo’s anti-poaching unit.”
Commenting on the recent killings of the dehorned rhinos, WWF rhino conservation programme manager Jeff Cooke said it was still too early to declare that the project was not working.
Cooke — who spent 34 years of his career at Ezemvelo, including heading the game capture and veterinary services unit — said he would prefer to wait until the end of the year to review the statistics over a longer time frame.
“This is not a simplistic success/failure issue. The fact is that the poaching rate has declined significantly since the project started in April. We have had several good months and one bad month, and we also have to ask how many more rhinos would have been poached if we had done nothing.”
Nevertheless, said Cooke: “This is a wake-up call for Ezemvelo and other conservation agencies that you cannot just dehorn rhinos and then take your foot off the pedal.
“These guys are in it for the money, so if they think they can get away with poaching the stumps from dehorned animals — without getting arrested — then it’s still worth their effort, although we know that local syndicates are generally looking for the whole horn intact.”
As a result, it was vital for conservation staff to remain on high alert and to ensure that staff had the necessary capacity and intelligence support to intercept poachers, preferably before they entered parks.
Ezemvelo has installed a large number of surveillance cameras in the park that trigger immediate responses from ground teams, erected strategically placed “smart fencing” to monitor specific areas of the park and uses K9 units to track poachers in the park. DM