“The birth of this calf is yet another proof that the establishment of new breeding groups is a highly successful conservation strategy for the black rhino”, according to Bas Huijbregts, Manager of African Species conservation. “Not only does BRREP increase birth rates and spread the poaching risk, the thriving 11 new black rhino populations also protect an additional 200,000 hectares of prime rhino habitat. These ecosystems are a safe haven for a wide range of other species”.
Yet despite a gradually increasing population that now numbers more than 5,000—nearly double the black rhino population in 1995, when the species teetered on the verge of extinction—black rhinos remain critically endangered. In South Africa, home to 40% of the black rhino population, the poaching crisis has accelerated at an alarming rate in the last decade; the number of rhinos poached rose from 13 in 2007 to a record 1,215 in 2014, making wildlife crime the most immediate threat to their survival.
In the last year alone, 1,028 rhinos were slaughtered for the illegal trade in rhino horns.
BRREP is a partnership between WWF, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency. Projects like these are vital for ensuring that the black rhino has fighting chance at long-term survival. The project has contributed towards a 21% increase in the black rhino population in KwaZulu-Natal since 2003. But increased anti-poaching efforts, better habitat protection, and demand reduction for rhino horn will be a crucial part of ensuring that black rhino numbers continue to trend in the right direction.
