Corruption within National Parks is rife

The “new initiative“ by National Parks to stop rhino poaching by stopping the use of daily rhino spotting notice boards is a joke.

11 December 2011 | Paul Steyn of Fourways

The patrol staff of the National Parks are doing most of the rhino poaching, writes Paul Steyn of Fourways.

The “new initiative“ by National Parks to stop rhino poaching by stopping the use of daily rhino spotting notice boards is a joke.

It is physically impossible for a small group of poachers, no matter how well organised, to gain regular daily access to the National Parks and find so many rhinos to poach.

The death toll of rhinos in the National Parks is nearly one rhino per day.

With all the tourists and visitors combing the roads just to see a rhino, how come so few poachers get seen or get caught in the act?

I recently stopped to chat to a parks official who was collecting money for the anti-poaching campaign.

I asked him what construction was being done about rhino poaching- even with more money?

He said that the problem is that the patrol staff of the National Parks are doing most of the poaching, and that is why poachers cannot be caught.

Parks staff drive around all day and night. They know exactly where the rhinos are.

They have guns and radio communication and systems to check if it is safe to shoot.

They easily hack off the rhino horns and leave them hidden until they can safely remove them from the park without being detected.

The corruption in National Parks is rife, and that is why nobody ever gets caught.