Over 100 Rhinos Killed in 2025 So Far, with Much of the Poaching Happening in National Parks, Data Shows

Poachers killed over 100 rhinos in South Africa within the first 3 months of 2025, in keeping with South African Environment Minister Dion George.

From Jan. 1 to March 31, 103 rhinos have been killed, and 65 of the ones have been poached in South African nationwide parks, George mentioned in a remark on Monday, May 5.

“The loss of 103 rhinos to poaching in the first three months of 2025 is a stark reminder of the relentless threat to our wildlife,” George mentioned, earlier than noting that some growth has been made. “Yet, the absence of poaching in 4 provinces presentations that our focused interventions are yielding effects, and we should construct in this growth.”

In 2024, 420 rhinos have been misplaced, with a mean of 35 rhinos killed per thirty days as opposed to the 2025 moderate of 34 per thirty days. “In the last decade, poachers have killed almost 10,000 rhinos across Africa to feed the demand for horn on the black market,” the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) stories.

South Africa has the biggest rhino inhabitants, with roughly 16,000 to 18,000 black and white rhinos within the nation, in keeping with conservation teams. Black rhinos are indexed as severely endangered. Around 6,400 are left in all of Africa, and 2,000 of the ones are in South Africa, according to the International Rhino Foundation.

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The International Rhino Foundation mentioned that rhino horn is “a lucrative, illicit commodity sought after by well-established, organized and powerful transnational criminal syndicates.” 

George’s May 5 announcement follows the 15 arrests and 5 prosecutions towards other folks for rhino poaching and similar offenses in South Africa. On April 30, one guy from Mozambique, Nelson Sambo, used to be sentenced to 20 years in jail for rhino poaching and similar offenses. Mozambique, which borders South Africa, is understood to be a key transit and recruitment hub for poaching syndicates.

In August 2024, Mozambican poaching “kingpin” Simon Ernesto Valoi used to be sentenced to 27 years in jail, according to the Wildlife Justice Commission. He used to be convicted of working an operation poaching rhinos in South Africa’s massive Kruger National Park — which borders Mozambique.