Joseph “Big Joe” Nyalungu Killed in South Africa
The International Rhino Foundation (IRF) was surprised to learn of the shooting of rhino poaching kingpin Joseph “Big Joe” Nyalungu. Nyalungu was killed on May 16th near Kruger National Park, an area often plagued by widespread organized rhino poaching and other wildlife crime. South African police have opened a murder investigation and are searching for the suspects.
“Big Joe was likely behind hundreds, if not thousands, of poached rhinos, as well as other serious organized crime. Poaching doesn’t just kill rhinos; every year, rangers are killed in the line of duty protecting them. While we certainly don’t condone foul play to fight crime, it’s fair to say that rhinos and the rangers who protect them are safer today,” stated Nina Fascione, Executive Director at IRF.
Despite several arrests through the years as well as police raids on Nyalungu’s property, more effort is needed to disrupt and dismantle these massive criminal networks that encompass not just poaching but drugs, weapons, kidnapping, murder and other dangerous activities. The massive backlog of cases in South Africa due to extremely delayed and lengthy court processes means criminals do not often receive the lengthy jail sentences they deserve. IRF believes that Big Joe should have been brought to trial years ago.
Fascione adds, “Clearly, delivering justice for wildlife crimes is challenging. Fortunately, there have been encouraging examples in South Africa in recent years towards longer convictions. We hope that this trend continues.”
Learn more about the threat of rhino poaching here and more about the Big Joe investigation here.