Particle.news
Download on the App Store
12 ARTICLES
·
last wk.

Dehorning Slashes Rhino Poaching by 78% in South Africa’s Greater Kruger

The intervention uses 1.2 percent of South African reserves’ protection budgets to strip poachers of their incentive

Image
Image
Two de-horned rhinos graze in South Africa's Pilanesberg National Park, Feb. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)
A de-horned rhino grazes in South Africa's Pilanesberg National Park, Feb. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

Overview

  • Researchers examined 1,985 poaching fatalities and 2,284 dehorning procedures in the Greater Kruger region between 2017 and 2023.
  • Dehorning cut individual rhino poaching risk from 13 percent to 0.6 percent, leading to a 78 percent drop in killings.
  • Conventional measures such as patrols, detection cameras, dog tracking and helicopters showed no measurable impact on kill rates.
  • Despite reduced incentives, 111 dehorned rhinos were still targeted for horn stumps and regrowth.
  • The first quarter of 2025 saw 103 rhino deaths, highlighting the need for lasting solutions to demand, corruption and socioeconomic pressures.