After years of being regarded as an unassailable haven for wildlife, South Africa’s iconic Kruger National Park has been hit by elephant poaching. Making matters worse is the fact that the ivory trade “appears to be professionalising fast, with heavy involvement of police, border guard and political criminal networks,” according to Ivory’s Curse: The Militarization and Professionalization of Poaching in Africa, a report published last year by Born Free USA. “Given the ease of rhino poaching in South Africa,” the report says, “fears of serious, professionalised ivory poaching in the Kruger Park are well founded.”
Link: National Geographic