South Africa Fits GPS on Rhinos in an Effort to Stem Poaching

More than 200 rhinos have been slaughtered in South Africa since the start of this year. This is a precarious situation. Alarmed by this South African wildlife authorities have plumbed for GPS in an innovative trial. They have fitted five rhinos in the Mafikeng Game Reserve of North West province with a Global Positioning System (GPS) to help protect them from poachers.

A small hole is drilled in the dead part of the horn and the GPS chip is fitted there. The system connects with the cell phone system and the wildlife authorities are able to track the movement if Rhinos. One alarm is specifically for excessive movement. Another goes off if the rhino sleeps for longer than six hours. The park rangers get an alert if the Rhino goes outside the game reserve.

The authorities are planning to tag more animals in the coming weeks.