South Africa’s efforts to address the ongoing slaughter of rhinos for their horns will be taken to a new level when the country will sign a memorandum of understanding with the Vietnamese Government at the 11th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP11) in October this year.

According to the Department of Environmental Affairs, the memorandum will cover the co-operation between South Africa and Vietnam in the field of biodiversity management, law enforcement and compliance with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). 

The signing of the agreement was announced together with the latest rhino poaching figures. According to the department, as of 12 September, 381 rhinos have been poached across the country since the beginning of the year. Besides the Kruger Park, Limpopo has listed the highest number of poached rhinos. The park has lost 236 rhinos and Limpopo 43 since January.

The number of rhinos poached this year far exceeds the number of arrests that have been made. According to statistics provided by the Department of Environmental Affairs, only 199 rhino-poaching-related arrests have been made. Of these, 36 occurred in Limpopo and 67 in the Kruger National Park.

COP11 will be held in Hyderabad, India, from 8 to 19 October.