Is de-horning rhinos the answer to anti-poaching? Cutting off rhinos’ horns is a contentious last resort to stop poaching. A new study found it works

 

It's a sad world that we have to de-horn wildlife so that they can survive

South Africa’s anti-poaching and anti-trafficking efforts saw a 16% drop in rhino poaching in 2025 compared to 2024. Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Mr. Willie Aucamp, attributes the decline to “dedication and tactical, swift coordination.” Conservationists, however, caution that the fight against rhino poaching is far from over.

“From January to December 2025, 352 rhinos were poached in South Africa, with 266 being killed on state properties and 86 on privately owned parks, reserves, or farms. This was a decrease of 68 in comparison to 420 rhinos poached in 2024,” said Minister Aucamp.

Mpumalanga was the hardest-hit province, losing 178 rhinos, mostly in Kruger National Park, which reported 175 poached rhinos—up from 88 in 2024. In contrast, Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park in KwaZulu-Natal saw poaching drop from 198 in 2024 to 63 in 2025, thanks to collaboration through the Integrated Wildlife Zones (IWZ) Programme and support from WWF, Save the Rhino International, Wildlife ACT, and Peace Parks Foundation.

This how it should be, rhinos with horns. Money the root of all evil

Ezemvelo notes that 2025’s reduction was driven by multiple measures: strategic dehorning, advanced detection technologies, early-warning systems, and the Integrity Implementation Plan, including polygraphing of all park law-enforcement personnel.

The National Integrated Strategy to Combat Wildlife Trafficking (NISCWT) is strengthening prosecutions, centralizing cases to give courts a full view of criminal syndicates, including organized crime and money laundering. A key example is ZM Muiambo, aka Thomas Chauke, who was found guilty on 19 charges, including illegal rhino hunting and theft of rhino horns. In April 2025, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison. 

Minister Aucamp conveyed his gratitude to private rhino owners and the private sector for their anti-poaching efforts. He emphasized that coordinated action by the government, NGOs, and the private sector is central to sustaining progress.

“South Africa continues to strengthen its international collaboration to curb rhino poaching and wildlife trafficking. These efforts led to the country receiving the Asia Environmental Enforcement Recognition of Excellence Award late last year, which celebrates excellence in enforcement by government officials, institutions, and teams combatting transboundary environmental crimes,” said Minister Aucamp.

“Working together with the South African anti-poaching and anti-trafficking organizations, we remain committed to a balanced, intelligence-driven, and partnership-based approach to rhino protection, recognizing that sustained success requires constant adaptation, integrity, and cooperation across all sectors,” said Minister Aucamp.

“While this is much-needed progress, rhinos remain under serious threat. Urgent and coordinated action across all sectors is needed to stop poaching and ensure these animals have a future in the wild.” — Peace 4 Animals & World Animal News 

Members of the public can report suspicious wildlife activities to the environmental crime hotline at 0800 205 005 or SAPS 10111.

In a crackdown on illegally trafficked 'trophy pets' rescued in Israel, the lions Ben Tzur and Ori will go to Animal Defenders International Wildlife Sanctuary in South Africa

 

Dear Friends, Feeling a little exhausted but positive! Founders of Animal Defenders International ADI :  Yesterday, Tim and I returned from a whistle-stop 36 hours in Israel, preparing for the relocation of lions Ori and Ben Tzur to the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary. The lions were tiny cubs when they were rescued by Israel’s Nature & Parks Authority (NPA) in a crackdown on illegally trafficked ‘trophy pets’ that also saw a staggering sixty grivet monkeys seized. This rescue is another blow against wildlife trafficking and a chance to create awareness about wildlife pets. We took over the rescue at very short notice after Panthera Africa Big Cat Sanctuary was burned in a wildfire, leaving nowhere for the boys – we also evacuated two of their lions Elsa and Lei-ah, while Panthera Africa is being rebuilt. https://voordierenblogger.blogspot.com/2026/01/yesterday-horrific-wildfire-ripped.html We still do not know how long the evacuated lions will be fed and cared for by ADI but anticipate it will be months or even a year away. So, with Ben Tzur and Ori coming to ADIWS as their first proper home for an indefinite period, we agreed it would therefore be in their best welfare interests to remain at ADIWS for life, rather than settle in, build trust with their carers, only to be uprooted for a 15+ hour journey to another location at some point. The South African CITES authority, who we must commend for the speed they have worked on this, also required that the import be to their permanent home. Animal Defenders Wildlife Sanctuary ( ADIWS ) A big project to take on, and one that will impact our other work. However, your support shows it has been the right choice. Hence, we were off to Israel for 36 hours this week. We have been working intensely since mid-January: hours securing permits, an inspection by the CITES authority and habitat modifications and preparing travel crates in case needed. We had a very productive meeting with the NPA team, planning the relocation, learning about the characters of the lions, feeding routines and so on. It may not seem as exciting as the actual rescues and relocations, but meetings, planning and coordination are what ensure animals are moved safely. We also got to see a little of their work at a local nature reserve returning vultures and other animals to the wild. Seeing Ori and Ben Tzur made all of the hard work worthwhile. These two youngsters will be growing up in Africa! Ori is quite shy and Ben Tzur is extremely friendly, confident and looks after Ori. The NPA team said he had brought Ori out of himself. Sadly, Ben Tzur has been made utterly dependent on humans and craves attention, wanting the social contact he would get from other lions. The traffickers drag the babies from their mothers when they should be suckling and receiving important nutrients and learning from their mothers. When you see people on social media pretending the animals adore them as they crave attention it is a lie. It is learned dependency born of being deprived of the relationships they really need. But there was a very important first impression seeing Ben Tzur and Ori – these are not tiny babies anymore! They are at least 10 months old, and huge. At the zoo they are being taught crate familiarisation. Each day they are fed in the travel crates, the doors are closed and they are given treats while inside - you will have seen us doing this as we prepare for a big lion or tiger move. This is the best way, as it enables loading without sedation and means the animals are calm and less stressed during journeys. We reviewed the process but unfortunately it confirmed the cubs are now too big for these crates. We are looking to resolve this by sending our crates or with construction of new crates in Israel. We hope this will be a minor setback and not add too much cost to the rescue. I still hope that the move will be before the end of February. We really need your support for this additional rescue and have a very narrow timeframe to raise the funds needed, including what will be the biggest cost to ADI – feeding and caring for these boys for the next 20 years. Please donate for Ori and Ben Tzur. Donate here Yours for the animals Jan Creamer, President

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Full Documentary: TheTtruth About Lion Farming for the export of their bones for Asian markets

In this thought-provoking documentary, Penguin Random House author Richard Peirce investigates why lions are being farmed in South Africa, and sets out to tackle the question ‘should lions be farmed’?

He makes the shocking discovery that wildlife ranches are farming lions in their thousands to export their bones to Asian markets for traditional medicine. Richard leads the dramatic adventure from lion farms in South Africa to wildlife traffickers in Laos and Vietnam.

The ongoing disgrace  National Geographic

The South African government has officially confirmed that captive lion farms will be shut down. A new ministerial task team report just released has cemented the government’s intention, first made public in 2021, to put an end to African lions being legally sold and traded live, both internationally and domestically.

It also heralds the end of “canned” trophy hunting, where lions are confined to an enclosed space and hunted down, with no chance of escape.

We are wildlife researchers who have studied lion farming in South Africa. We believe that this latest development is a significant milestone in ending this controversial industry and provides some clarity on the next steps.

However, we are concerned that the government has not yet provided any definitive deadlines for closing down the industry. The government is also suggesting that “canned” hunts will be allowed to continue during an undefined phasing out period. We outline why a deadline is urgently required.

Why lion farming is being shut down

The ministerial task team’s decision came after years of objections by conservationists and researchers about the substandard conditions and the unregulated nature of the commercial lion farming industry. Captive lions on farms often live in filthy, overcrowded enclosures and in conditions that fail to meet their basic hygiene, diet and veterinary needs.

The export of lion bones originating from lion farms has been illegal since 2019. This followed a high court ruling in which the export quota – the maximum number of lion skeletons that could be legally exported – was declared unconstitutional based on animal cruelty concerns.

A weekly email for Europeans by European scholars

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Read more: Lions are still being farmed in South Africa for hunters and tourism – they shouldn't be

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Illegal and unethical activities associated with the industry were also a factor which led a team of traditional leaders, lion farmers and scientists to conclude in a high-level panel report released in 2020 that captive lion farming was tarnishing the country’s reputation. This report added that the trade threatened South Africa’s global standing as a leader in the conservation of wildlife and as a country and destination with iconic wild lions.

Since 2022, a task team formed by the minister of forestry, fisheries and the environment has been looking for ways to close captive lion facilities.

A promising decision for lions

We’re hopeful about the new ministerial report because it confirms that in the long run it will be compulsory for lion farms to close down.

The report is also helpful because it details different options. It gives specific advice on how to take care of healthy lions and stop them from breeding during the phasing out period. It also talks about how to humanely euthanise sick or injured lions and safely dispose of their bodies.

The report also outlines how it intends to use private sector funds to buy up lion bone stockpiles before destroying them. This is likely to be good news for many conservationists and animal welfare advocates who were worried that exporting lion bones might increase demand in Asia for illegally obtained lion parts.

Another positive aspect of the report is that it acknowledges the risks of releasing captive bred lions into the wild, like the danger of them attacking people or livestock and spreading diseases to wild lion populations. Instead of releasing them, the report suggests creating “safe havens” where healthy lions can live out their lives without breeding or interacting with humans, except for veterinary care.

The government must act with urgency

The government has realised that simply hoping lion farmers will stop on their own won’t fix the problem. Now, they’re saying it’s crucial to make it compulsory to stop commercial captive lion breeding in South Africa. This is a big step forward.

However, it’s a concern that the government still hasn’t set a clear deadline for farmers to stop breeding lions commercially and participating in any lion related trade.

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Read more: Captive lion breeding in South Africa: the case for a total ban

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What’s especially worrying is that the government supports a “trade out exit” plan. This means that instead of being directly compensated for closing down their farms, the captive lion farmers will still be allowed to sell “canned” hunting and trade domestically in live lions, their skeletons, and other lion products while the industry is being phased out.

Without firm deadlines, it is not clear how long lions will continue to suffer in poor conditions. During the phase out period, legal trade could act as a cover for criminal activities, and these facilities will remain a threat to public health and safety. Urgent action is needed to rectify this.

In the coming years, we’ll see how challenging it is for a country to shut down a long standing, mostly unregulated industry like commercial captive lion breeding. This will be an important example for other countries considering starting or stopping similar industries with wild animals.

Published at the Yale School of the Environment

Lucía Caballero

International Coordinator

In the first 6 months of this year,195 rhinos were killed by poachers: Rhino horn trafficking is linked to money laundering, corruption, and violent organized crime.

 https://www.ifaw.org/journal/rhino-faq  Detailed information about the rhino

Dogs are being trained to find the poachers K9 projects 

South Africa’s Environmental Minister, Dr. Dion George, has announced rhino poaching figures for the first half of 2025. This marks the first high-level report of its kind under South Africa’s G20 Presidency.

A rhino

Between January 1 and June 30, 195 rhinos were killed by poachers, 35 fewer than during the same period in 2024. While this decline is encouraging, the scale of the problem remains critical. The announcement coincided with the launch of a new government initiative, Rhino Renaissance, which aims to restore Kruger National Park’s rhino population to 12,000 within the next decade.

June recorded the fewest rhinos killed this year, with 22 lost across the country. Still, Kruger National Park remains the hardest hit. Half of those June losses happened in the park, although poaching numbers there have steadily declined, from 17 rhinos in January, and 30 in February, to 11 in both May and June. Could this be an inside job?

K9 projects to train dogs

As part of the Rhino Renaissance initiative, the South African government has pledged to train and deploy 90 dedicated Rhino Monitors each year in Kruger National Park. While this is a promising step in the right direction, the numbers still reflect a disturbing reality: rhino poaching continues almost daily.

White rhinos were once nearly extinct, with their numbers dropping below 100 in the early 1900s. Thankfully, South Africa turned the tide with bold conservation measures, protected areas, community efforts, and ranger-led protection. By 2010, more than 20,000 white rhinos roamed the country.

Kruger National Park became a conservation triumph, with over 12,000 rhinos, more than anywhere else in the world. Sadly, that momentum has reversed. As of 2024, South Africa’s white rhino population has dropped to 14,389. In Kruger, just over 2,000 remain.

The decline in rhino populations is primarily due to poaching, fueled by international criminal syndicates, greed, and the illegal rhino horn trade. Additionally, drought and shifting climates have had an impact on rhinos. Improved monitoring can provide a more accurate count of the species.

This crisis extends far beyond conservation; it impacts national security, economic stability, and the rule of law. Rhino horn trafficking is linked to money laundering, corruption, and violent organized crime.

“Bringing rhino conservation to the global stage through the G20 is a powerful move by South Africa’s leadership and a necessary one. Political backing and international focus are key to shifting the tide for rhino populations that have been pushed to the edge. The launch of the ‘Rhino Renaissance’ initiative is encouraging, especially the plan to deploy 90 new Rhino Monitors in Kruger each year. That kind of investment in boots-on-the-ground protection matters.

“But let’s be honest, 195 rhinos lost in six months is still devastating. That’s more than one rhino killed every single day. We can’t allow those numbers to feel like ‘less bad’ is good enough. Yes, some ranger teams are operating as strongholds, but far too many are still stretched thin, underfunded, and fighting this war without the tools they need. At the same time, we’re seeing too many court cases stall or fall flat, allowing traffickers and syndicates to slip through the cracks.

“Rhino conservation can’t rest on one plan or one country. It has to be a long-term, multi-pronged, international effort—driven by real funding, solid prosecution, regional cooperation, and daily commitment in the field. The drop in numbers is progress, but we’ve got a long way to go. Progress isn’t victory. Not yet,” Mike Veale, CEO and Founder of Global Conservation Force (GCF), told WAN.

We must continue to fight for these magnificent species before it’s too late!