World Rhino Day: Progress in Reducing Rhino Losses in South Africa, But the Fight for Their Conservation Ongoing

Pretoria – As the globe observes World Rhino Day, South Africa reaffirms its commitment to preserving its rhino population, which has seen a growth of 4.9%.

As the country with the most substantial rhino population in the world, South Africa also highlighted its resolve to intensify efforts against poaching, which remains a significant threat to these magnificent animals.

“By the close of 2025, the projected minimum national rhino population reached 15,096 individuals, comprising at least 2,565 black rhinos and 12,531 white rhinos,” the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment revealed on Tuesday, September 22, 2026.

“This represents a 4.9% rise in rhinos since 2024.”

Despite the encouraging trend in rhino populations, the rate of poaching incidents in South Africa remains distressingly high.

Between January and August 2026, 230 rhinos were poached across the country, a decrease from 248 during the same period in 2025. In the Kruger National Park (KNP), 114 rhinos were lost to poachers in the first eight months of 2026, down from 123 in the corresponding months of 2025. In 2025, poaching accounted for 2.2% of South Africa’s rhino population, under the estimated sustainability threshold of 3.5%.

This reduction aligns with ongoing conservation measures, dehorning initiatives, enhanced security protocols, and continuous law enforcement efforts.

KNP has strengthened its operational capacity by adding more field rangers and rhino monitors as part of the Rhino Renaissance Initiative, which falls under a comprehensive Rhino Conservation Plan that includes dehorning, improved security, the application of relevant technologies, skills development, and stringent integrity management.

Each rhino lost to poaching is a significant loss—not only does it eliminate breeding individuals, but it also leads to the orphaning of calves and hinders population recovery efforts.

Therefore, the aim must be to minimize poaching to the lowest levels possible while simultaneously bolstering the long-term recovery and resilience of rhino populations.

On April 14, 2026, the Department unveiled the Biodiversity Management Plan (BMP) for both black and white rhinos for execution.

This decade-spanning plan envisions “thriving national herds of wild black and white rhinos that are cherished, support conservation efforts, and provide benefits to people through their sustainable use.”

The BMP is anchored by five primary objectives, with a crucial emphasis on expanding and securing rhino populations through improved biological management practices and support for expansion projects.

The department indicated that it is in the process of establishing a National Rhino Conservation Coordination Committee (NRCCC), which will serve as the principal entity for implementing the BMP.

The NRCCC will facilitate and supervise the execution of the BMP by aiding and tracking the implementation of the actions outlined in the plan.

The ongoing implementation of the National Integrated Strategy to Combat Wildlife Trafficking (NISCWT) remains concentrated on addressing the entire illicit value chain—ranging from poachers and traffickers to the financial backers of criminal operations and beneficiaries of international trafficking.

By the end of March 2026, the second year of implementation was advancing positively, marked by significant improvements in coordinated investigations, enhanced prosecutions, intelligence sharing, and targeted operational efforts.

Addressing rhino poaching necessitates a collective societal approach involving national and provincial conservation authorities, law enforcement and criminal justice systems, governmental and financial institutions, local communities, private sectors, and the international community.

On World Rhino Day, South Africa honors all those actively working to protect the country’s rhino populations.

Our dedication remains steadfast—ensuring that South Africa’s rhinos not only survive but thrive, enabling future generations to inherit these remarkable creatures as part of our national legacy.

Members of the public are urged to report any suspicious wildlife-related activities to the Department’s environmental crime hotline at 0800 205 005 or the SAPS number 10111.

The province-wise and national breakdown of rhinos poached from January to August for 2024, 2025, and 2026 is as follows:

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