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afrol News, 4 April - Serious concerns are being raised regarding the sale of 21 white rhino from the prestigious South African Kruger National Park. The South African National Parks (SANParks) administration however "will not consider cancelling the sale of the white rhinos." However, for this specific sale, it will require buyers to make special undertakings. The SANParks Animal Use and Care Committee yesterday denied statements from its leader, Karen Trendler, refered to by the South African press as "misrepresentations or ... quoted entirely out of context". Trendler had been quoted saying; "It is unfortunate that animals are sold but, given Kruger's financial problems, it is unrealistic to hope that the sales will stop. However, there is real cause to be concerned about the animals' welfare after the sale and we have yet to see scientific data demonstrating that there is a rhino surplus at Kruger." These statments "do not represent conclusions or recommendations of the SANParks Animal Use and Care Committee," a media statement said, not eleborating whether the committe had been unanimous in its conclusions. It however clearified that "it is NOT within the mandate of the Committee to make decisions on whether or not SANParks should sell game into private ownership." Karen Trendler herself did not comment on the issue. There has also been expressed concern in the South African press that the rhino calves may be separated from their mothers and exported or that the animals may be hunted. SANParks spokesman Dr Salifou Siddo however today confirmed it "will not separate the calves from their mothers, and prospective buyers would be required to buy both mother and calf. The concern is that someone who buys the animals may separate the calf and export it, or else may have the animals hunted."
Another expressed concern has been around the conservation management reasons for removing rhinos from the Kruger National Park. "It is true that white rhinos are not so abundant that they are causing habitat damage in the Kruger National Park," SANParks says in a media statement. "They are nevertheless sufficiently numerous to make them available for sale. The Kruger Park white rhino population is presently about 3000 - 3500 strong, making it the largest population in the world. The average annual population growth is between 8 and 9%." In the view of SANParks, this type of game sale holds considerable value for conservation in general. "We recognize the vital contribution of the private sector in wildlife conservation," says SANParks spokesman Dr Salifou Siddo. "Land made available to wildlife by the private sector is of great value in building up the numbers of rare and valuable game species." SANParks has a long history of supplying game to private landowners. In consultation with international environmental organisations, "we have actively followed a policy of encouraging the private sector to obtain rare species such as the Cape mountain zebra. We are mindful of the fact that the Cape mountain zebra and black wildebeest would have gone extinct had private land owners not taken steps to protect them," says Siddo. - Making the white rhino available to the private sector enhances the conservation status of the species and helps to ensure its long-term survival, SANParks claims. SANParks says it follows a policy of using the income from the sale of high value game for the Park Development Fund. This was established specifically with the aim of financing the development of new parks in areas in need of conservation. Thus revenue from the sale of high-value game has been used to buy land for new national parks or to expand existing ones. - The principle is that conservation assets that are in adequate supply may be sold to buy conservation assets in short supply, Siddo explains. "Revenue from the sale of rhinos is strictly regulated so that it is used directly for the conservation of biodiversity (mainly land purchase), and none of it contributes to the general operating budget of SANParks. Contrary to assertions in the press it could not be used to reduce the SANParks overdraft." - For these reasons SANParks will not consider cancelling the sale of the white rhinos, Siddo states. "However, for this specific sale, we will require buyers to make the following undertakings: Mothers and calves will not be separated until the calves are fully weaned and independent (at least 20 months); The animals are sold for breeding, and will not be hunted for at least a year after purchase. Siddo also reminds that both the hunting and the live sale of white rhinos are fully legal activities, subject to regulation by the provincial conservation agencies. In requiring these undertakings from buyers, SANParks is concerned only to eliminate the sale of excessively young rhino and the possibility of so-called "canned" or "put-and-take" hunting. "SANParks respects the right of game owners to engage in hunting or to trade in live animals in accordance with the law," he says.
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