Category: Northern White Rhino,

Jailed Poacher Sentenced For Killing Second Skukuza Rhino

A Mozambican national serving a prison sentence for Rhino poaching has been slapped with another lengthy jail term after being convicted of killing a second Rhino in the Skukuza National Park.

Convicted poacher Lucky Mabunda

The National Prosecuting Authority said 47-year-old Lucky Mabunda, was sentenced in the town’s  Regional Court on Thursday to ten years direct imprisonment.

NPA spokesperson, Monica Nyuswa, said he was already serving a 19-year jail term for Rhino poaching and was convicted and sentenced for the second incident in 2019.

She said the court heard that Mabunda had entered the Skukuza National Park between February and September 2019. Field Rangers were patrolling and found the accused in possession of a firearm, axe, ammunition, and other items geared for hunting. They also found the carcasses of two Rhinos.

Nyuswa said he pleaded guilty to killing one rhino, before ballistic evidence taken from the Rhino killed in February, later provided the link back to him.

“It confirmed that the bullets found on the carcass were fired from the rifle found in the accused’s possession,” she said.

State prosecutor Lot Mgiba underscored the gravity of the offense, advocating for an appropriate sentence in court.

Consequently, the accused was found guilty and received a ten-year jail term. The importance of such legal actions in combating poaching, which poses a severe threat to endangered species and the potential for species extinction, was highlighted by Director of Public Prosecutions Advocate Nkebe Kanyane.

SANParks spokesperson, Ike Phaahla, says they welcome the sentence.

“We are elated at the sentencing, which is in addition to the 18 years he has already served since he was found inside the park. In this instance, a projectile was discovered next to the carcass and taken for ballistics. They came back pointing towards the accused, and he was requisitioned from the Department of Correctional Services to get an additional 10-year sentence. It’s a well-known fact that we still have people who, around this time, want to come in, but we want to warn them that Kruger National Park is a dangerous place to come.”

Kruger has lost 70% of ITS Rhinos in 10 years

The Decline In Rhino Populations In KNP Graph: Save The Rhino

Rhino populations in the Kruger National Park have dropped by about 70% in the past decade because of the onslaught of poaching and prolonged drought. In its 2019-20 annual report, SANParks said that only about 3 549 White Rhinos and 268 Black Rhinos remain in the Kruger.

The environment department said poachers killing cows also ultimately kill dependent calves and cause future loss of calves — this effect equates to an additional five rhinos lost to the population per loss of one cow, now and in future. “Poaching also causes factors such as social disruption of Black Rhino societies. Cows then conceive less often.”

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It Is Hard To Believe That Five Years Have Passed Since Sudan Died But A New Film Highlights A Hope For Rhinos.

He remains very much at the forefront of our minds. Not many Rhinos live to such an age but Sudan led an extraordinary life and his legacy, as the last male of the species, continues to live on, reminding us of the disastrous impact human ignorance and greed has on all wildlife species.

Joseph Wachira, a keeper at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, says goodbye to Sudan, the last male Northern White Rhino. Credit: Ami Vitale

Though the Northern White Rhino is functionally extinct – following the loss of Sudan, the last known living male, five years ago this week – conservationists are finding hope in a technique that is creating new embryos using genetic material taken from him and two remaining females.

To mark the occasion, photographer Ami Vitale has released a new short film called “Remembering Sudan,” which will be screened at upcoming film festivals.

“Our fate is linked to the fate of animals. What happens next is in all of our hands.” said Ami Vitale.

Sudan, a 45-year-old rhino believed to be the world’s last surviving male Northern White Rhino, died five years ago at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya on March 19, 2018. He had been battling ill health for months, and after his condition worsened considerably, veterinarians decided to euthanize him.

Since then, an international consortium of scientists and conservationists known as the BioRescue Project – a consortium made up of Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) in Germany; Safari Park Dvůr Králové in the Czech Republic; the Kenya Wildlife Service; and Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya – have been working to bring the species back from extinction through in vitro fertilization and stem cell research. They have already created 24 viable embryos using eggs from the last two female White Rhinos that are still alive, and the frozen sperm of deceased male Northern White Rhinos like Sudan.

Fatu (left) and Najin (right) are the last two Northern White Rhinos left on the planet. They are both female and are a mother-daughter duo. Credit: Gurcharan Roopra

To mark the occasion, photographer Ami Vitale has released a new short film, Remembering Sudan, which will be screened at upcoming film festivals and can be viewed online, here’s the trailer:

Remembering Sudan: The Trailer

Though the Northern White Rhino is functionally extinct following the loss of the last male of the species, conservationists like Vitale find great hope in BioRescue, and in the power of humanity to react positively:

“What happens next is in all of our hands. What’s going to save us all is to get beyond our routine ways of thinking. Wonder is what allows us to reimagine our future together. Wonder allows us to believe that we can fundamentally change the course we are currently on.” Vitale said when reflecting on the anniversary.

“Our fate is linked to the fate of animals. Without Rhinos and other wildlife, we suffer more than loss of ecosystem health. We suffer a loss of imagination, a loss of wonder, a loss of beautiful possibilities,” she said.

Readers can view the film, learn more and support the project at its website, www.rememberingsudan.org..

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