Listed as Critically Endangered and therefore, at extremely high risk of extinction in the wild, supporting efforts to recover black rhino numbers, is crucial. Such recovery depends on the close monitoring of individual black rhinos, which is a key to understanding population demographics, breeding performance and limitations.
In Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (HiP) in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, this data is collected during foot patrols and aerial surveys, as well as indirect observations through camera traps placed around the Park. Sensitive to movement, cameras capture images or videos of rhinos that pass by, capturing footage of elusive individuals and indicating their health, as well as the condition of the broader ecosystem.
The traps are strategically placed, though often this means they are set in remote locations, making deployment and maintenance a challenge. When Save the Rhino took up support for the latest iteration of HiP’s black rhino monitoring programme at the start of 2024, just one third of the previously deployed cameras were fully functioning. Thanks to the dedication of HiP’s black rhino monitoring team, who spent almost 2,000 hours in the field last year, and the support of a range of donors, by February 2025, camera effectiveness increased to more than 80%. This shift has enabled significantly more data collection: the team is now able to identify 4x the number of individual black rhinos each month, compared to early 2024. Importantly, this information improves understanding of the population, assisting Park management as they make decisions with the aim of boosting black rhino numbers. At the same time, rhinos in HiP are facing substantial poaching threats, giving the camera traps a dual purpose: security support.
In April 2024, dehorning operations began in the Park, funded by WWF-South Africa. Whilst dehorning alone is insufficient to protect rhinos, this initiative – in combination with other efforts – has been crucial in achieving a poaching decline of nearly 30% in the KwaZulu-Natal Province compared to 2023. The much-needed decrease in poaching has brought other benefits, too. With fewer poaching cases to urgently respond to, there’s more time for other vital protection and conservation activities, including black rhino monitoring.
We would like to thank all the donors who have supported this work in HiP so far, with particular mentions to our partners in the Park, alongside Ardea Cares, Réserve Africaine de Sigean, Stichting Wildlife, Kiezebrink Focus on Food, Parco Natura Viva & Fondazione A.R.C.A., Zoo de la Boissière du Doré, Safari de Peaugres and the Bernard F. and Alva B. Gimbel Foundation. Funds granted and raised by the Anna Merz Rhino Trust and Bradley Schroder have also been instrumental, providing crucial support for the Park’s Savannah S Light Sports Aircraft. This fixed-wing aircraft was used extensively during the dehorning operations to locate rhinos from the air before signalling to other teams.
Despite the respite in poaching pressure provided by the 2024 dehorning operations, rhino horn trafficking syndicates remains a significant threat for HiP’s rhinos. To maintain a healthy rhino population into the next decade, much work and funds will be needed to address the transnational criminal organisations behind these threats at Hluhluwe-iMfolozi, and beyond.