This comes at a time when SanParks has lost one ranger in the line of duty this year, from wildlife crime. 

SanParks board member Yolan Friedman says rangers are forced to fight battles that they are not trained for in their quest to save wildlife. 

“Our rangers got into conservation and they are trained in conservation. They are not trained to be militant and shoot people. So the psycho-social impacts of poachers, the fight against wildlife crime, and the militarisation of our parks are huge. 

“We are seeing children who now have absent parents. Rangers are in the field for a time. We’re seeing the impact of the post-traumatic stress disorder from rangers but it's affecting children because the children of these parents are also being affected.”

The fight against rhino poaching at SanParks is expected to pick up momentum with more air support now available. 

On Thursday, mining giant Anglo American donated four batwing aircrafts to SanParks.

The aircrafts will assist in the fight against wildlife crime, especially rhino poaching in the 2 million hectare Kruger National Park (KNP). 

#RhinoPoaching Minister Barbara Creecy says that the donation of the 4 Bat Hawk aircrafts will help take the fight against poaching into the 21st century. pic.twitter.com/Lx6DbyiKXY

— Jacaranda News (@JacaNews) November 3, 2022

Environmental Affairs Minister Barbara Creecy, who was present at the event, says the department and law enforcement agencies have had some success in arresting some perpetrators of these atrocious crimes. 

“We have succeeded in the first six months of this year to arrest 69 people for wildlife crimes.  Four of them were arrested with more than 56 pieces of rhino horn.” 

While the fight is far from over, unofficial data suggests that over 100 rhinos were killed this year. However, the 4 new aircraft are expected to make a huge contribution in this battle against poaching. 

“While we need more boots on the ground, it is also a war that needs to be conducted along modern lines. I’m sure that you will agree with me that these little machines are expected to take the war into the 21st century,” adds Creecy.

ALSO READ: Professor unapologetic about injecting radioactive material to deter rhino horn trade

The Mail & Guardian reports the University of Witwatersrand Professor James Larkin offers no apologies that his proposed experiment to inject live rhino’s horns with radioactive materials to discourage poaching may destroy the legal rhino horn trade, including rhino ranchers’ businesses. 

Fight against rhino poaching goes nuclear - Rhisotope project aims to significantly reduce demand for rhino horns by safely applying radioisotopes to deter poachers https://t.co/WMTXxqillt pic.twitter.com/Ex0P4edYNU

— Mail & Guardian (@mailandguardian) February 1, 2022

Concerned conservationists say this experiment is an example of using extreme solutions instead of simple and practical ones to manage problems. 

However, Larkin, director of the radiation and health physics unit at Wits, said that his Rhisotope project aims to inject rhino horns with small quantities of radioactive material that he believes will be “harmless”.

“Putting radioactive material into the rhino horn is the idea of the [Rhisotope] project to devalue the horn and make people uninterested in it,” said Larkin. 

Jacaranda News