JOHANNESBURG, April 22 (Xinhua) -- Southern white rhinos, which were thought to be extinct in the late 19th century, have kept thriving thanks to the implementation of diverse effective strategies in South Africa.
With the discovery of less than 100 individuals in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa, in 1895, the number of southern white rhinos has increased to about 17,000 after more than a century of protection and management, which is estimated to account for 80 percent of the world's total population of the subspecies.
Unfortunately, a new threat emerged just under a decade ago, when poachers began targeting the rhinos for their horns which were "worth more than gold."
In order to protecting them, South Africans used various strategies including dedicated rangers who put their lives on the line to protect the country's prized possession.
The Kruger National Park senior section ranger Craig Williams told Xinhua that he, like many other rangers, has come into contact with armed poachers on numerous occasions.
"As a ranger, we do not want to lose a single rhino or any other animal for that matter and every single animal that is lost is one too many," he said.
Besides armed patrol, Williams and colleagues often give intensive treatment and care of any injured or orphaned white or black rhino to ensures that every effort is made to care for each and every rhino. Sometimes they have to dehorn the rhinos to protect them.
"It is dangerous to work with large and dangerous wildlife," he said. "It is important to never become complacent and to always be aware of your surroundings when working in the field."
The rangers also work with communities living next to the park by conducting environmental education.
"They often bring school and other interest groups into the park to expose them to wildlife. In the section of Kruger National Park where I am, there are two large concessions with lodges that belong to the local communities and I work closely with these on a daily basis. Educating local communities and school groups is vital to ensuring that they understand the benefits of conserving and protecting rhino," said Williams.
Technology plays a big part in white rhino protection in South Africa.
In Hluhluwe Imfolozi Park (HiP) in KwaZulu-Natal, which contains the largest population of white rhino in the world, integrated surveillance technology, including smart fencing, has been installed.
The Smart Fence detects any incursions or tampering along its length, and any attempt to infiltrate the fence triggers an automatic alert at control center. A rapid response team is then mobilized, allowing rangers to intervene and confront poachers before a rhino is killed.
Protecting rhinos is an expensive job. A research by the Private Rhino Owners Association (PROA) found that security costs per rhino per year had surged from R6,000 (about 420 U.S. dollars) a year in 2014 to R28,000 in 2017 and is keep escalating.
Thanks to the commitment, passion and dedication South Africans paid, rhino poaching has declined sharply in the country in recent years.
In 2020, there were 394 known cases of rhino being killed for their horns, down 33 percent on the 594 that were killed in 2019. This is also well down from the peak of 1,215, a grim milestone reached in 2014. At the same time, rhinos births exceeded deaths for the first time in five years.
Minister of Forestry and Fisheries and Environmental Affairs Barbara Creecy said in a recent interview that it's too early to be optimistic about the survival of rhinos in South Africa despite six years of gains against poachers.
"I would want to see a sustained upward trajectory in numbers and I would want to see what happens over the next couple of years before I can say I am optimistic," said the minister.
South Africa's achievement in rhino protection, however, is worth praising. As Williams said, "it is important to acknowledge the work that has been done thus far because without all the effort to date, there would be no rhino left." Enditem