Poaching in the Drakensberg

I see there has not been any activity on this thread since late 2016 - I'm not sure if that's because there have not been any reported poaching encounters or whether the incidents have been reported in other threads?

In any case, we had an encounter this past weekend at Lotheni, which indicates that poaching is still rampant in the Lotheni-Vergelegen area.

Our party of 3 went on a 2 night exploratory hike in the Lotheni lower berg. The first day and night was spent exploring the valley up past Yellowood cave, where we saw absolutely no signs of Eland or other game. There was plenty of water and the grass is still nice and green. Poaching had been on my mind when we embarked on the hike, as I had read Richard Hunts report previously. We wondering if this was the cause of the scarcity of game.

On the second day we decided to head up the valley towards Ash cave. On the way we cut across toward the junction of the Ka-Masihlenga and Lotheni streams and came across an Eland skull and scattered bones. The site around it had been flattened and the skeleton was hidden from the view of the main path by a large boulder. Almost certainly poached. We continued on and finally spotted some life - a herd of 7 Eland. In the distance we made out 3 more Eland and could see instantly that something was bothering them. Baboons were barking and the Eland kept looking up the valley away from us. They then ran down the valley toward us (on the opposite side of the Lotheni stream) but kept looking back. We continued past them, and decided to camp at the junction of the Lotheni stream and the first valley which opens up on the left. We were eating lunch at the stream when we spotted 5 poachers with around 11 dogs high up between the rock bands above us. They completely ignored us and carried on their business. Shortly thereafter one of our party saw 2 Eland being pursued by the dogs and being pushed toward a cliff section.

Luckily the Eland must somehow have got away for the party slunk off on a high game path not carrying anything. They headed off in the direction of Ash cave and presumably up Lotheni or eNtubeni passes. We were on high alert though as they were well aware of our campsite and we were concerned that they may want to make up for their unsuccessful hunting trip by gathering other spoils. One can never rest too easy in the berg anymore sadly. We were well prepared however and set up a trip wire system which I trialled and found to work well (I will share this on the Berg Security thread in due course for those who may be interested).

One wonders how many Basotho hunting parties there are, how frequently they hunt, and what their success rate is? Are Eland populations in these areas on the decline and at what rate? Does anyone think we should take this up again as Richard and others did in 2016, or is the situation being managed as best as possible given the limited resources and manpower (as per Charl Brummer's comments in this thread)?

It is truly sad to hear this. I cannot comment on any poaching activity, but I saw a herd of 20 Eland on the north slopes of Giant's ridge, a week ago. There may have been more in the next valley, that I couldn't see. Does anyone know what the Eland population is in the Giants/Lotheni area?

@ jeremyeb. Yes there has not been any activity on this thread, but the poaching continues and I bet on a much larger scale. The poachers most probably came down Lotheni Pass as I witnessed last year and from now into winter the poaching will increase dramatically. The Basotho poachers are very swift and hide themselves in an instant and to catch them would be a miracle. Sadly there may not be any Eland or game left for our grandchildren to see in the Drakensberg as KZN Wildlife on their limited budget are unable to stop it. The rangers also may be afraid of the poachers mooti which according to some rangers I spoke to, is very powerful. To the point where the poachers can disappear before your eyes in a puff of cloud!! So in African tradition there is more than what we realize.

Many thanks Viking. Who is the head of Drakensberg Security if I may ask?

Yes @RichardHunt I agree it's a sad state of affairs. At some point if the Berg Eland poulations (and other game) are on the brink it may have to come down to privately-funded anti-poaching units I suppose, as per the Rhino situation.

As hikers we need to keep monitoring game numbers in the various areas and reporting poaching incidents. We are an important voice (perhaps the only voice) for the fauna and flora and general protection of the Berg. All we can do is keep reporting to the authorities, keep creating awareness that our World Heritage Site is under threat, and perhaps look for ways to rally for private anti-poaching or other such measures.

Poaching continues:
This last Saturday 14/12/2019 we were going up Bushmans Nek Pass on route to Tsoelikane Falls and we heard dogs barking and soon we saw a pack of hunting dogs surrounding an Eland who was exhausted and soon to be butchered. 2 poachers following behind the dogs. This poaching was 8 kms from the Lesotho border well within the Drakensberg Park. I phoned the local KZN Wildlife contact and by the tone of the reply I knew that not much was going to be done about it. The poachers were not too bothered and were in the full view of our hiking group. It is very obvious that these poachers do this all the time and are unhindered in their activities. On our 3rd day while going past Tarn cave we heard dogs again well within the Park.
Upon investigation we found out that patrolling only takes place in the mornings, so the poachers have the whole afternoon in the Park to themselves!!! We also discovered that the Eland are leaving the Drakensberg Park and now massing up in Sehlabathebe Park where they are safe due to proper management. 
These photos are self explanatory:

Bump.