Ezemvelo defends rhino hunt

03 January 2012 - 09:51
By Shaun Ryan

Ezemvelo wildlife officials have dismissed criticism levelled against them for allowing a sanctioned male rhino hunt to take place in the Umkhuze Controlled Hunting Area this year.

A local businessman has paid nearly a million rand to secure the hunt.

Ezemvelo spokesperson Bandile Mkhize says the hunt forms part of ongoing plans to control the number of white rhinos.

He believes the programme should not be criticised as being the same as poaching.

Mkhize says he is happy with progress being made through anti-poaching initiatives in the province.

"As a result of our intervention the past year 2011 we lost 34 rhinos, whereas in the previous year we lost 39 rhinos. So we are happy that we have been able to reduce the number of rhinos that have been poached in KwaZulu-Natal over the past year.

"We hope in 2012 we are going to reduce that number even further," said Mkhize.

Mkhize says the hunt has taken place over a number of years and is used to raise funds for communities and projects surrounding Umkhuze, especially the Makhasa Community Conservation Area.