Speaking at the Kalahari Conservation Society (KCS) 31st Annual Gala Dinner Dance at Gaborone International Convention Centre (GICC) on Friday, Hofmeyr said due to poaching, rhinos are perishing at an alarming rate. The theme for the event was ‘Botswana-Africa’s Safe Haven for Rhinos?’ He said African rhinos are extremely vulnerable to poaching. “Poaching is the single biggest threat to the remaining rhino populations.” He said in some countries like Angola, Mozambique, Uganda, Malawi and Zambia only a handful to zero percent of rhino populations exist. “As you see, these countries have about one to zero percent population of black rhinos. They do not have white rhinos. They have all perished,” he added. He also pointed out that Swaziland, Tanzania and Botswana have about two to three percent population of black rhinos remaining. Zimbabwe and Kenya have been able to preserve five percent of their rhinos. His diagram showed that Namibia managed to preserve two percent of their white and 10 percent black rhinos. Hofmeyr said South Africa (SA) is the only country in Africa with 80 percent of their rhinos. SA, unlike other African countries, has many white rhinos- more than 70 percent of the total population of rhinos in the country.
He said 80 percent of white rhino and 50 percent of black rhino remaining in the world occur in South Africa and close to 95 percent for both black and white rhino in Southern Africa (SA, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Namibia).
