International

This project is part of an independent reporting trip by HKBU journalism students to South Africa this summer to explore animal conservation efforts in the lead up to World Rhino Day on Sept 22.  GREATER KRUGER AREA, South Africa – The moment we locked eyes with two tawny lions from our open-sided vehicle in Kruger National Park in South Africa, the world fell away. Their necks were brushing softly, as if they were murmuring secrets to each other. The wind rustled the grass, and cameras clicked nonstop. In that raw, heart-stopping silence, we felt the ancient pulse of Africa, a jolt of pure wildness. Kruger National Park is one of Africa’s remaining lion strongholds. In August in the park, many of the animals on the African savanna are on the move, but poachers are also lying in wait, ready to strike. As a group of student journalists who love wildlife and nature, we came to South Africa to see what efforts people here have been making to protect animals in Kruger National Park and the Greater Kruger Area. The official park, South Africa's largest wildlife reserve and one of the largest in Africa, covers approximately two million hectares of vast wilderness. It is a crucial sanctuary for biodiversity, a place where the coveted “Big Five”  – lion, leopard, elephant, rhinos and Cape buffalo  – can be spotted. Every year, millions of visitors are drawn here, eager to experience a close encounter with them. The park lies inside of the Greater Kruger Area, a large network of unfenced private and community-owned nature reserves that lies to the west, forming one contiguous, massive wildlife ecosystem. These private reserves share no fences with Kruger National Park, allowing wildlife to roam freely across the entire region. Yet what feels like untouched wilderness is in …

This project is part of an independent reporting trip by HKBU journalism students to South Africa this summer to explore animal conservation efforts in the lead up to World Rhino Day on Sept 22. KRUGER NATIONAL PARK, South Africa -- Beneath the harsh African sun this August, the rhino pauses at the edge of a watering hole. Its body is a marvel of strength—thick, leathery hide folded like ancient parchment, dotted with ticks and patches of dried mud that crack when it shifts its weight. Its legs, short but sturdy as tree trunks, carry it forward with a slow, deliberate gait. But as our gaze moved to its face, we were startled to see only a stunted remnant of its rhino horn. On a safari in Krueger National Park in South Africa, we turned to the guide with questions. Had the horn been poached? No, the guide told us. It was the national park itself that chopped off the rhino's horn. This measure, known as dehorning, aims to protect these creatures from poachers that hunt and kill them for their horns. South Africa, home to nearly 70% of Africa’s remaining rhinos, remains the epicenter of a violent and escalating poaching war. At least 2,212 rhinos have been killed for their horns since 2020, according to data from Kreuger National Park. Rhino horns are highly valued in wildlife black markets for their use in traditional Chinese medicine and as status symbols in Asia, such as Vietnam. The South African government, which manages Kruger National Park, has adopted rhino dehorning as its key anti-poaching strategy. And while this has proven effective, poachers have recently started targeting even dehorned rhinos for their remaining stump. And some recent studies have found that rhinos are negatively impacted by the loss of their horns, bringing the …