South Africa recorded a 16% decline in rhino poaching in 2025, with 352 animals killed nationwide compared with 420 the previous year.
South Africa recorded a 16% decline in rhino poaching in 2025, with 352 animals killed nationwide compared with 420 the previous year.
The figures, released on Tuesday by the department of forestry, fisheries and the environment, highlight the success of strengthened anti-poaching and anti-trafficking efforts but also reveal the persistent threat posed by sophisticated criminal networks, particularly in the Kruger National Park.
Environment Minister Willie Aucamp attributed the overall decline to “dedication and tactical, swift coordination” across the government, law enforcement and private conservation sectors. Of the 352 rhinos poached last year, 266 were killed on state property and 86 on privately-owned reserves or farms.
However, the national picture masks stark regional differences. The Kruger National Park saw poaching numbers nearly double, from 88 rhinos in 2024 to 174 in 2025. By contrast, Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park in KwaZulu-Natal reported a dramatic decline, with losses falling from 198 rhinos in 2024 to 63 in 2025 — a drop of more than two thirds.
The department attributed Hluhluwe-iMfolozi’s success to a combination of interventions, including closer collaboration between Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and rhino owners in KwaZulu-Natal through the integrated wildlife zones programme as well as sustained support from key conservation partners, among them the World Wide Fund for Nature, Save the Rhino International, Wildlife ACT and the Peace Parks Foundation.
While Ezemvelo recognises that the strategic dehorning programme implemented in 2024 served as a critical catalyst in stabilising rhino poaching pressures and enabled urgent, targeted interventions, an analysis of the 2025 outcomes confirms that multiple complementary interventions were central to the reduction in poaching incidents.
“Key among these were enhanced detection and early-warning capability, achieved through the deployment and integration of advanced camera technologies and sensors; and the implementation of the integrity implementation plan, which included the successful polygraphing of all park law-enforcement personnel, reinforcing organisational integrity and public confidence.”
Dr Jo Shaw, the chief executive of Save the Rhino International, said it was heartening that the number of rhinos killed in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park had dropped by more than two thirds, from 198 in 2024 to 63 in 2025.
“The park has been hard hit by poaching pressure in recent years and these latest figures show that long-term investment into strategic interventions such as dehorning and camera-trap technology, as well as ranger welfare, can have real impact.”
At the same time, the latest figures show that the number of rhinos killed in Kruger National Park nearly doubled from 2024 to 2025, from 88 to 174.
“This concerning increase highlights the dynamic nature of the criminal gangs responsible for rhino horn trafficking and the ongoing level of threat.”
Criminal networks involved in the illegal international trade in rhino horn continued to adapt rapidly, exploiting new transit routes and consumer demand. Any reduction in funding, political will or international cooperation could quickly reverse the gains, she said.
South Africa’s law enforcement response includes the national integrated strategy to combat wildlife trafficking, which brings together the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigations, the National Prosecuting Authority, the Stock Theft & Endangered Species Unit and the Environmental Management Inspectorate, commonly known as the Green Scorpions.
The system had seen notable successes, the department said. A high-profile example involved ZM Muiambo, also known as Thomas Chauke, who was prosecuted in the high court in Makhanda on 19 charges relating to illegal rhino hunting, possession of firearms and other offences.
He was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Cases like these, which consolidate evidence across provinces, aim to expose the full scope of organised rhino horn trafficking.
Aucamp said the important work of the Director of Public Prosecutions Environmental Working Group was resulting in the centralisation of more cases.
That ensured that the accused were being prosecuted for various cases simultaneously, thereby providing the court with a full view of the extent of criminal activities undertaken by the syndicates and “therefore focusing on the organised criminal and money laundering elements of these cases”.
“Sustained success requires constant adaptation, integrity and cooperation across government, NGO, and the private sector.”
The role of the private sector is also critical. Private rhino owners, in collaboration with national and provincial authorities,have supported anti-poaching operations, dehorning programmes and community engagement initiatives.
Financial and intelligence partnerships through the SAMLIT Illegal Wildlife Trade Task Force and the banking sector have helped disrupt the organised crime networks that fuel rhino horn demand.
Globally, South Africa’s efforts had been recognised. The country received the Asia Environmental Enforcement Recognition of Excellence Award in 2025 for its enforcement of transboundary environmental crimes, highlighting its leadership in tackling wildlife trafficking beyond its borders, the department said.
“Behind every reduction in rhino losses are the people on the ground: rangers protecting rhinos, investigators dismantling criminal networks and communities choosing conservation over alternative land uses,” Shaw said. “Poaching statistics are more than just numbers; they are an indicator of the cost and fragility of conservation efforts.”
She said the sustainable recovery of rhinos would require transnational investigations along the full illicit supply chain for rhino horns, from rhino range states such as South Africa to destination states such as China and Vietnam. There also had to be shared commitment to the use of financial and other forensic tools to convict the big players in trafficking networks.
The minister said that working together with anti-poaching and anti-trafficking organisations, “we remain committed to a balanced, intelligence-driven and partnership-based approach to rhino protection, recognising that sustained success requires constant adaptation, integrity and cooperation across all sectors”.