South African National Parks (SANParks) has announced the successful completion of the first phase of the Strategic Rhino Translocation Programme at a board meeting on meeting November 26.
In terms of this programme, a number of rhino are being moved out of poaching hotspots in the Kruger National Park to safer destinations either inside or outside the park. In the first phase, 29 rhino were moved during October and November from the hotspots into safer areas within the KNP. These are areas where an additional deployment of resources and technology provides a more secure environment for the animals.
Of these, 17 have been fitted with tracking devices and have been successfully tracked subsequent to their release. Based on observations through the monitoring programme it has been reported that the translocated rhino have integrated well with the resident populations in the areas to which they have been moved. It has been further reported that none of the rhino translocated have thus far been poached. 
Apart from those rhino moved within the KNP, there have also been a number of rhino moved to other national parks and reserves, where better security can be provided. This aspect of the programme is on-going and further animals will be moved in the course of 2015. 
The rhino sales component of the programme is also at an advanced stage. The sale of rhino from the KNP has been initiated with a call for bids having been placed in the national media. Upon closure of the time frame for bids on October 15, 20 bid proposals plus two late bids were received. A screening of the received proposals in line with the advertised bid mandatory requirements has been concluded. 
The Bid Evaluation Committee has completed the Best Price Principle Assessment. The bid process is still under the technical evaluation phase, including site evaluations, with an outcome expected in the near future.