Pretoria - The total number of rhino poached in South Africa since January 2013 has reached 553, as the number of people arrested for rhino poaching-related offences climbs to 148.
The Department of Environmental Affairs said since the beginning of the year, 65 alleged poachers have been arrested in the Kruger National Park, while 30 have been arrested in Mpumalanga and another 30 in KwaZulu-Natal.
In the past week, 11 poached rhino were found in the Kruger National Park. The park continues to bear the brunt of rhino poaching in South Africa with 345 rhino killed for their horns since 1 January 2013. Of the total number of rhino’s poached, 56 rhino have been killed in Limpopo, 55 in North West, 53 in KwaZulu-Natal and 37 in Mpumalanga.
Authorities have again appealed to the public to report incidents of poaching and tip-offs to the anonymous tip-off lines 0800 205 005, 08600 10111 or Crime Line on 32211. – SAnews.gov.za
