| Animals thriving in Kruger Park | |
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In written reply to a parliamentary question, tabled on Tuesday, she said not a single large mammal species in the park was currently under threat. According to a table attached to her reply, numbers of the so-called big five - with the exception of leopards and lions - were increasing at rates of between 4 percent and 7 percent a year. Black rhinoceroses in the Kruger Park are now estimated to number between 590 and 670; their numbers are estimated to be increasing by about 7 percent a year. The park's buffalo population has grown from 22 260 in 2000 to 37 500 this year; the big African bovids are increasing at a rate of 5 percent a year. Elephant numbers are up from 8 350 in 2000 to an estimated 13 700 this year; their population has been increasing at a rate of 4 percent a year since 2004. The lion population is estimated at between 1 620 and 1 750. According to the table this was "most likely stable". On leopards, it says estimating the numbers of these elusive creatures is extremely difficult. "Based on 1980s estimates it is guessed that about 1 000 leopards reside in Kruger". Other animal species have also benefited from the favourable environmental conditions. These include Burchell's zebra, whose numbers have risen to between 20 870 and 33 240; giraffe to between 7 090 and 10 950; and impala, which now number between 99 830 and £ 570. The table also notes that the population of white rhino in the Kruger, heavily targeted by poachers in recent years, is growing at a rate of 11 percent a year. It says there are an estimated 9 460 to 12 120 white rhino in the park. Article Continues: IOL
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