• Over 100 rhinos were poached in South Africa in the first quarter of the year.
• 65 of the rhinos killed were from national parks.
• The threat from poaching remains significant, with an average of more than one rhino killed daily.
• Authorities are focusing on criminal syndicates involved in poaching operations.
• Simon Ernesto Valoi, a poaching kingpin, received a 27-year prison sentence in Mozambique last year.

Poachers in South Africa killed more than 100 rhinos in the first three months of this year, most of them inside national parks, highlighting an ongoing battle to protect these endangered species. South African Environment Minister Dion George announced that of the 103 rhinos killed between January 1 and March 31, 65 were poached in national parks. This average of over one rhino killed per day is consistent with last year's figures and serves as a "stark reminder of the relentless threat to our wildlife," he stated, according to Africanews, Indiatimes, and CBS News.

South Africa boasts the largest rhino population globally, estimated between 16,000 to 18,000 animals, which includes both black and white rhinos. The black rhino, critically endangered with approximately 6,400 remaining, has around 2,000 individuals residing in South Africa, as reported by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The IUCN has noted that over the last decade, poachers have claimed nearly 10,000 rhinos across Africa to meet black market horn demand, particularly from Vietnam and China, posing a serious threat to all five rhino species according to Indiatimes and CBS News.

In response to the ongoing crisis, South African authorities have directed their efforts towards dismantling the criminal syndicates believed to be orchestrating much of the poaching. Recently, the environment ministry celebrated the conviction of a poaching "kingpin" from Mozambique, Simon Ernesto Valoi, who was sentenced to 27 years in prison for overseeing rhino poaching operations in South Africa's Kruger National Park, which borders Mozambique, according to Africanews, Indiatimes, and CBS News.