Chinese, South African ‘Mafias’ Are Decimating Wildlife in Kruger National Park

Report says 40 percent of rangers are corrupt and many others turn a blind eye out of fear

Dr Marius Kruger (C) and members of the Kruger National Park keep the head of a white rhino up during a relocation capture on Oct. 17, 2014. Stefan Heunis/AFP via Getty Images

JOHANNESBURG—A new report from European Union-funded international crime response group Enact states that organized crime groups from South Africa and China—in collaboration with corrupt wildlife officials—are “decimating” the population of big game animals in one of the world’s premier game reserves.

The Kruger National Park covers an area of almost 7,600 square miles across South Africa’s northeastern provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga, bordering Mozambique and Zimbabwe.