Rhino: DA marches in protest to Kruger

The DA’s  has led a march of concerned citizens to the gates of Kruger National Park to protest the lack of response from authorities on rhino poaching where a total of 395 rhino were killed in the Kruger National Park between January and December last year. A further 60 were killed in Limpopo.

A memorandum to the MEC for Environment Affairs Pinky Kekana was presented demanding:

Specialized police units to combat organized crime in northern border provinces and harsher sentences for rhino poachers.

More government support for civil society and community-driven anti-poaching networks.

Tighter regulation of hunting permits and security vetting of all National Parks staff.

Desiree van der Walt, DA Limpopo Environment Spokesperson, says that the DA demands a bigger, more effective response from government and parks management to this crisis. Nearly 700 rhino were poached in 2012, the highest ever in a year. A total of 96 rhino have already been poached just 48 days into 2013.

There is a distinct lack of response from the government, conservation and law enforcement authorities to stop this slaughter. So much is at stake while we wait for the authorities to respond effectively to this crisis.

She concluded by saying that the potential future extinction of the species, loss of natural heritage and tourism revenue are the factors driving this protest.