Process for relocation of KNP rhino begins

Johannesburg - Processes to enable the relocation of some of the Kruger National Park's white rhino have begun, SA National Parks said on Wednesday.

This followed a rhino management strategy adopted by Cabinet in August to curb poaching.

"Relocation is the core of our approach, not only to combat poaching, but to ensure the continued growth of the rhino population," SANParks chair Kuseni Dlamini said in a statement.

The plan would involve moving some rhino from the Kruger National Park to create "rhino strongholds" in other parts of the country, ensuring population growth.

Rhino would also be relocated from high-risk parts of the park, and from areas where there was a high population density, to lower-risk zones in the park and to other parks.

"We aim to re-stimulate growth in large protected areas while creating new rhino strongholds. In this way, we will be able to offset the effects of poaching in the short to medium-term, while expanding rhino range and improving the overall population size."

Auctioning rhino in line with the management strategy would take place later in the year, he said.