A Johannesburg-based firm representing a rhino rancher out on R100 000 bail, who is charged with arms and horn possession, says its client is the victim of an ‘unjust’ campaign. The firm argues the carcasses are the result of outside poaching and natural deaths.
Derek Lewitton, a long-standing advocate for legalising international trade in rhino horn, was granted bail by a local magistrates’ court on Wednesday, 10 January. Private rhino owners, argues a major sector association, are desperate to salvage their livelihood amid a tanking industry.
A void left by illegal horn income may now be driving neighbouring communities to snare and shoot species such as African buffalo in the park’s southwest sector. Despite the lowveld’s searing heat, thorny canopy and tough terrain, Kruger’s staff and honorary rangers say they are fighting back — on foot.
Since 2020, snaring has tripled in the crown jewels of South Africa’s Big Five reserves. This suggests economic hardship, although it is not the sole factor to blame.
