Poachers kill 34 rhinos a month

More than 100 rhinos were killed in South Africa due to poaching during the first three months of 2025, according to the department of forestry, fisheries and environment.

- Molefe Seeletsa

The latest figures, released by the department this week reveal that 103 rhinos were poached nationwide between January and March. This equates to an average of 34.33 rhinos lost to poaching each month.

A provincial breakdown shows that South African National Parks experienced the highest number of rhino losses, with 65 animals killed.

KwaZulu-Natal reported 16 cases, followed by Limpopo with 10 and Free State with five.

North West and Mpumalanga recorded the lowest cases of rhino poaching, with four and three, respectively.

However, no incidents of rhino poaching were reported in the Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Western Cape, or Gauteng.