Adequate surveillance in SA's game reserves can only be achieved if technology is used.
To combat the militia tactics and equipment of the poachers, military-specification CCTV thermal imaging systems with analytics can become part of the anti-poaching solution.
So says Laurence Smith, executive at Graphic Image Technologies who notes thermal cameras offer the benefit of showing heat signatures rather than a traditional picture, which means day or night, whatever the weather, the image recorded will be the same.
When combined with an advanced monitoring application, this technology enables anti-poaching protection services to be a step ahead in the fight to protect endangered species, says Smith.
In spite of increased awareness of poaching and efforts to curb these activities, poachers remain a major threat, he continues, adding effective monitoring is key in the fight against rhino poaching.
Using thermal imaging cameras with advanced detection capability can offer a far more proactive solution to stopping poachers in their tracks, he adds.
"The increase in the number of rhinos being poached clearly shows traditional anti-poaching measures are no longer effective."
The use of high-tech solutions combined with strong enforcement on the ground can be crucial to end this crisis and tip the balance in favour of rhinos rather than poachers, says World Wildlife Fund in a press release.
SA is home to an estimated 90% of the world's population of white rhinos, and around 40% of the global population of black rhinos, says Smith. Both of these species have been placed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, with black rhinos listed as critically endangered and white rhinos classified as near threatened, he adds.
According to the last statistics released by the Department of Environmental Affairs, in 2014, by November, 1 020 rhinos had been killed in the country by November; 2013 saw 1 004 rhinos poached across the country.
"Technology not only helps protect the lives of the rangers, it can also mean the difference between pre-empting the death of a rhino, or hunting for the killers after the fact, when it is already too late," concludes Smith.
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