South Africa's Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries has released the rhino poaching numbers for 2021. According to Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Barbara Creecy, a total of 451 rhino were poached in South Africa last year, with 327 poached within government reserves, while 124 were poached on private property. In 2021, 209 rhino were poached for their horns in South African National Parks (SANParks) – all in the Kruger National Park. This was a decrease in comparison to 2020, when 247 rhino were poached within South Africa's National Parks. None of SANParks’ smaller rhino parks experienced any rhino losses from poaching in 2021, in comparison to the two rhino that were poached in 2020.
Last year, there were 189 arrests in connection with poaching activities with 77 of them within the Kruger National Park and 109 outside the National Park. This compares with 156 people arrested countrywide in 2020. In the 38 verdicts handed down by the courts, 37 cases resulted in the conviction of 61 accused rhino poachers/traffickers.
