Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife: Polygraph tests part of new strategies to curb rhino poaching
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife says new strategies have led to a significant
drop in incidents of rhino poaching.
It comes on the back of the discovery of 20 South African white rhino horns at an airport in Singapore, weighing a record 35 kilograms, hidden in an air cargo shipment.
The horns, valued at an estimated R15 million, and other animal parts were disguised as furniture fittings.
The consignment, which was headed to Laos, is the biggest haul of rhino horn confiscated in Singapore.
Conservationists say polygraph tests were some of the measures introduced in recent months to boost security operations at parks and maintain the integrity of anti-poaching initiatives.
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife CEO Sihle Mkhize says rangers took the tests voluntarily.
He says a few who showed signs of deception were removed from rhino-sensitive areas and will be given a second chance to do the test.
Mkhize has praised teams for their commitment and resilience in the face of ongoing threats.
Meanwhile, Laura Fynn, a data analyst at Ezemvelo, says they have been working through a five-element anti-poaching strategy targeting known and suspected poachers.
She says so far this year, 86 rhinos have been poached in KZN, which is a significant drop compared to the 218 animals lost by November last year.
“On our known poachers, especially those that are out on bail because we have a challenge with the NPA, we conduct something that we call tea and coffee, where we just decide to then visit them at odd hours and have tea and coffee with them. It is just a term that we use to visit them at night and remind them that we are still here, that we still exist, and we are not going to allow you to just have a mock with us.
“So that's a form of strategy that we use to deter them from coming back to the park. Because once they are out on bail, they kind of relax and they feel that they can just come back, and we don't allow that. We are just going to have a little bit of tea and coffee with them to say, not by us. You can stay anywhere out in the world, but not here in KZN.”
Fynn also revealed that through the current anti-poaching strategy, Ezemvelo has successfully destabilised four of five known members of poaching groups.
