Kruger Park a hotspot for poaching

The Kruger National Park, South Africa's largest game park, is a hotspot for poaching, DA spokesperson on environmental affairs Gareth Morgan said today.

A reply to a DA parliamentary question to the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism had revealed that over the last four years at least 44 white rhinos and 31 buffaloes were killed by poachers.

"In total 249 mammals were killed by poachers in Kruger during this period," Morgan said in a statement.

With regard to Kruger there was admittedly a meaningful drop in the number of animals reportedly poached in 2007 compared to the previous years.

"While there is no acceptable level for poaching in a protected area, it is clear that these figures remain disturbingly high, especially for white rhino."

Morgan will submit follow-up parliamentary questions to determine what measures SANParks were taking to reduce poaching in Kruger and other national parks. "It will be important to determine whether the parks have sufficient anti-poaching personnel and whether there are vacant posts," said Morgan. - Sapa